Job summary
Join Brandon Centre as a Community Psychologist (Clinical/Counselling) within our girls project, She Is Supported (SIS), and help shape an innovative, community-based mental health offer for girls and young women in Islington.
This is an exciting opportunity to deliver psychologically informed support in trusted youth settings, working alongside partner organisations to improve emotional wellbeing, increase access to mental health support, and strengthen resilience for girls facing multiple disadvantage. You will provide group-based and 1:1 psychological support, offer consultation to youth workers, and help create safe, accessible spaces where girls can explore issues affecting their lives and wellbeing.
We are looking for a compassionate, skilled and thoughtful psychologist who is committed to trauma-informed, culturally responsive and relationship-based practice. You will join a highly respected organisation with a long history of improving young peoples mental health, and be part of a collaborative partnership that values participation, inclusion and innovation.
If you are passionate about making psychological support more accessible and want to make a meaningful difference in the lives of girls and young women, we would love to hear from you.
Provisional Interview Date and Location: 29/04/2026 - In person at the Brandon Centre
Main duties of the job
You will provide psychologically informed support to girls and young women within community-based youth settings across Islington. The role includes delivering group sessions on mental health and wellbeing, offering 1:1 support where appropriate, and helping young people access the right support at the right time.
You will work closely with youth workers and partner organisations to bring a psychological perspective into everyday practice, offering consultation, advice and reflective support to staff. You will also contribute to creating safe, inclusive and trauma-informed spaces where girls can build confidence, resilience and emotional wellbeing.
The post involves working across different partner sites, building strong relationships with young people and professionals, responding to emerging needs, and supporting the wider development of the project. You will also contribute to safeguarding, signposting and referrals, and maintain accurate records and outcome information in line with service requirements.
This is an opportunity to use your clinical skills in a flexible, relational and community-focused way, helping to make mental health support more accessible for girls who may not engage with more traditional services.
About us
Brandon Centre has been supporting young peoples mental health and wellbeing since 1969. We are a well-established charity with a strong reputation for providing accessible, flexible and high-quality support to young people and families. Our work combines clinical expertise with a deep commitment to early intervention, inclusion and social justice.
We offer a range of mental health services for young people, alongside specialist projects and partnerships that reach those who may not otherwise access support. Our staff group includes psychologists and psychotherapists, managers, and operational colleagues who work together in a thoughtful, collaborative and caring way.
We are committed to creating a supportive working environment where people feel valued, respected and able to develop. We place a strong emphasis on reflective practice, supervision, safeguarding, professional curiosity and continuous learning. We are also committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, both in the communities we serve and within our organisation.
Working at Brandon Centre offers the opportunity to be part of a mission-driven organisation that is ambitious for young people and committed to making services more responsive, relational and impactful.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job Description and Person Specification
Community Psychologist (Clinical/Counselling Psychologist)
She Is Supported
(SIS) Girls' Project
Female Only Applicants: Due to the nature
of this role and the needs of the service users, applications are invited from
women only. This is a lawful occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Part 1
of the Equality Act 2010.
Job title
Community Psychologist (Clinical/Counselling Psychologist)
Project
She Is Supported (SIS) Girls' Project
Grade
Band 7 equivalent
Salary
£45,895
Contract
2 years fixed term
Hours
14 hours per week (0.4 FTE)
Working pattern
Regular evening work during term
time to attend girls groups, plus occasional attendance at Girls Super
Groups, trips and residential activity as required.
Must be able to work during the
following days and times:
Tuesday - HRH - 4pm - 6pm
Wednesday - Prospex - 7-9pm
Thursday - Mary's - 5pm-6:30pm
Location
Across community sites in
Islington, including Brandon Centre and partner venues used by Highbury
Roundhouse, Prospex, and Marys Youth Club
Reports to
Clinical Director, with
operational liaison to the SIS Project Manager
Accountability
Clinical Director
A. Job Summary
The postholder will provide
specialist community psychology (clinical or counselling psychology) support
within the She Is Supported (SIS) Girls' Project, a partnership with youth
organisations delivering open access, girls-only provision in Islington for
girls aged 9 to 17. The role is embedded across the partnership and will
involve attending community-based girls groups, shaping and leading sessions
on mental health and wellbeing topics identified by girls, offering 1-to-1
support, supporting youth workers with psychologically informed practice, and
helping to identify and signpost girls who require additional or specialist
support.
The
SIS model is designed to reach girls experiencing multiple disadvantage,
including poverty, trauma, domestic violence, irregular home lives, cultural
barriers to accessing mixed provision, refugee and asylum experiences, and
neurodivergence. The post-holder will therefore need to work in a flexible,
relational, culturally responsive and trauma-informed way, making mental health
support accessible within trusted local community spaces.
The post-holder will also
contribute to project monitoring, evaluation and reporting, and will work
closely with Brandon Centre colleagues and partner youth workers to strengthen
psychologically informed practice across the consortium.
B. Brandon
Centre Overview
The
principal objective of the Brandon Centre, since it was founded in 1969, has
been to provide a professional, accessible and flexible service which responds
to the psychological and social needs of young people under the age of 25.
Services
include counselling and psychotherapy for young people, systemic integrative
treatment for families, parenting programmes, and consultation and training for
other charities working with young people.
C. Principal
Duties and Responsibilities
1. Clinical and
therapeutic work
-
To provide community psychology support to girls
participating in the SIS project across partner settings.
-
To attend and contribute to weekly girls-only groups
across the SIS partnership during term time, and to shape and lead mental
health and wellbeing sessions in response to themes identified by girls and
project staff.
-
To deliver developmentally appropriate, accessible and
engaging group-based input on topics such as emotions, stress, relationships,
self-esteem, body image, identity, safety, and wellbeing.
-
To offer 1-to-1 therapeutic or consultative
support to girls within the remit of the project, using a flexible and
responsive model.
-
To undertake specialist assessment and formulation of
emotional wellbeing needs based on information from direct contact,
observation, self-report, youth worker consultation and other relevant sources.
-
To make clinically informed decisions about the most
appropriate level of support within the project and when onward referral or
signposting is indicated.
-
To undertake risk assessment and risk management for
girls presenting with emotional distress, self-harm, safeguarding concerns or
other vulnerabilities, and to provide specialist advice to project staff where
required.
-
To support identification of girls who may require
additional or specialist mental health, social care or other support, and to
facilitate appropriate signposting or referral pathways.
-
To communicate highly sensitive and complex clinical
information in a clear, age-appropriate and respectful way to young people,
colleagues and other professionals, in line with consent, confidentiality and
safeguarding requirements.
2. Consultation,
partnership and psychologically informed practice
-
To provide consultation, guidance and support to youth
workers across the SIS partnership to strengthen psychologically informed,
trauma-informed and reflective practice.
-
To contribute to the development of a safe, containing
and inclusive emotional environment within girls groups.
-
To work collaboratively with staff from Highbury
Roundhouse, Prospex and Marys Youth Club, recognising the knowledge and
expertise held within each community setting.
-
To contribute an applied psychology perspective
to project development, with attention to participation, voice, access,
culture, context, and barriers to engagement.
-
To support staff in understanding the emotional,
relational and systemic factors affecting girls wellbeing, including the
impact of poverty, trauma, discrimination, gendered expectations, social
exclusion and family stress.
-
To contribute where appropriate to reflective spaces,
informal consultation and case discussion with project partners.
3. Participation
and co-production
-
To work in ways that centre girls voices and
experiences in planning and delivery.
-
To ensure that sessions and interventions are
responsive to girls needs, preferences, developmental stage and cultural
context.
-
To support the co-development of termly themes and
session content alongside girls, youth workers and wider project activity,
including Girls Super Groups where appropriate.
-
To promote accessibility and participation for girls
who may find it difficult to engage with more formal or clinic-based mental
health provision.
4. Safeguarding
and risk
-
To always work within Brandon Centre safeguarding
policies and procedures.
-
To identify safeguarding concerns promptly and respond
in line with organisational and statutory requirements.
-
To liaise with the youth service manager and relevant
external agencies where safeguarding or high-risk concerns arise.
-
To maintain clear professional boundaries and sound
judgement in community-based and partnership settings.
-
To contribute to the safeguarding culture of the
partnership by modelling safe, reflective and accountable practice.
5. Monitoring,
evaluation and administration
-
To maintain accurate, timely and confidential clinical
and project records in accordance with Brandon Centre policies and professional
standards.
-
To collect and report project data, outcomes, activity
information and case examples as required.
-
To contribute to monitoring and evaluation processes,
including use of feedback and outcome measures where appropriate.
-
To work with Brandon Centre colleagues, including the
SIS Project Manager and data support staff, to ensure timely reporting and
learning from the project.
-
To use relevant IT systems for communication, record
keeping, data entry and reporting.
6. Supervision,
service development and professional responsibilities
-
To engage in regular clinical supervision in line with
Brandon Centre policy and the requirements of the relevant professional body.
-
To contribute to service development and quality
improvement within the SIS project.
-
To maintain up-to-date knowledge and skills
relevant to the role, including child and adolescent mental health,
community-based clinical practice, safeguarding, trauma-informed approaches and
equality, diversity and inclusion.
-
To attend relevant meetings, training and partnership
activity as required.
-
To work flexibly and collaboratively in a developing
project and contribute to a culture of reflection, learning and continuous
improvement.
D. General
Responsibilities for all Brandon Centre Staff
All
employees of the Brandon Centre are required to observe legislation, Brandon
Centre policies, standards and guidelines relating to confidentiality,
information governance, risk management, safeguarding children, safeguarding
adults, equal opportunities, data protection, freedom of information, health
and safety, infection control and record keeping.
All
staff are expected to actively promote equality and diversity in all aspects of
their work and to always maintain the confidentiality and security of service
user information.
This
is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities, and the postholder
may be required to undertake other duties in discussion with their manager.
This job description will be reviewed regularly in the light of changing
service requirements, and any such changes will be discussed with the
post-holder.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job Description and Person Specification
Community Psychologist (Clinical/Counselling Psychologist)
She Is Supported
(SIS) Girls' Project
Female Only Applicants: Due to the nature
of this role and the needs of the service users, applications are invited from
women only. This is a lawful occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Part 1
of the Equality Act 2010.
Job title
Community Psychologist (Clinical/Counselling Psychologist)
Project
She Is Supported (SIS) Girls' Project
Grade
Band 7 equivalent
Salary
£45,895
Contract
2 years fixed term
Hours
14 hours per week (0.4 FTE)
Working pattern
Regular evening work during term
time to attend girls groups, plus occasional attendance at Girls Super
Groups, trips and residential activity as required.
Must be able to work during the
following days and times:
Tuesday - HRH - 4pm - 6pm
Wednesday - Prospex - 7-9pm
Thursday - Mary's - 5pm-6:30pm
Location
Across community sites in
Islington, including Brandon Centre and partner venues used by Highbury
Roundhouse, Prospex, and Marys Youth Club
Reports to
Clinical Director, with
operational liaison to the SIS Project Manager
Accountability
Clinical Director
A. Job Summary
The postholder will provide
specialist community psychology (clinical or counselling psychology) support
within the She Is Supported (SIS) Girls' Project, a partnership with youth
organisations delivering open access, girls-only provision in Islington for
girls aged 9 to 17. The role is embedded across the partnership and will
involve attending community-based girls groups, shaping and leading sessions
on mental health and wellbeing topics identified by girls, offering 1-to-1
support, supporting youth workers with psychologically informed practice, and
helping to identify and signpost girls who require additional or specialist
support.
The
SIS model is designed to reach girls experiencing multiple disadvantage,
including poverty, trauma, domestic violence, irregular home lives, cultural
barriers to accessing mixed provision, refugee and asylum experiences, and
neurodivergence. The post-holder will therefore need to work in a flexible,
relational, culturally responsive and trauma-informed way, making mental health
support accessible within trusted local community spaces.
The post-holder will also
contribute to project monitoring, evaluation and reporting, and will work
closely with Brandon Centre colleagues and partner youth workers to strengthen
psychologically informed practice across the consortium.
B. Brandon
Centre Overview
The
principal objective of the Brandon Centre, since it was founded in 1969, has
been to provide a professional, accessible and flexible service which responds
to the psychological and social needs of young people under the age of 25.
Services
include counselling and psychotherapy for young people, systemic integrative
treatment for families, parenting programmes, and consultation and training for
other charities working with young people.
C. Principal
Duties and Responsibilities
1. Clinical and
therapeutic work
-
To provide community psychology support to girls
participating in the SIS project across partner settings.
-
To attend and contribute to weekly girls-only groups
across the SIS partnership during term time, and to shape and lead mental
health and wellbeing sessions in response to themes identified by girls and
project staff.
-
To deliver developmentally appropriate, accessible and
engaging group-based input on topics such as emotions, stress, relationships,
self-esteem, body image, identity, safety, and wellbeing.
-
To offer 1-to-1 therapeutic or consultative
support to girls within the remit of the project, using a flexible and
responsive model.
-
To undertake specialist assessment and formulation of
emotional wellbeing needs based on information from direct contact,
observation, self-report, youth worker consultation and other relevant sources.
-
To make clinically informed decisions about the most
appropriate level of support within the project and when onward referral or
signposting is indicated.
-
To undertake risk assessment and risk management for
girls presenting with emotional distress, self-harm, safeguarding concerns or
other vulnerabilities, and to provide specialist advice to project staff where
required.
-
To support identification of girls who may require
additional or specialist mental health, social care or other support, and to
facilitate appropriate signposting or referral pathways.
-
To communicate highly sensitive and complex clinical
information in a clear, age-appropriate and respectful way to young people,
colleagues and other professionals, in line with consent, confidentiality and
safeguarding requirements.
2. Consultation,
partnership and psychologically informed practice
-
To provide consultation, guidance and support to youth
workers across the SIS partnership to strengthen psychologically informed,
trauma-informed and reflective practice.
-
To contribute to the development of a safe, containing
and inclusive emotional environment within girls groups.
-
To work collaboratively with staff from Highbury
Roundhouse, Prospex and Marys Youth Club, recognising the knowledge and
expertise held within each community setting.
-
To contribute an applied psychology perspective
to project development, with attention to participation, voice, access,
culture, context, and barriers to engagement.
-
To support staff in understanding the emotional,
relational and systemic factors affecting girls wellbeing, including the
impact of poverty, trauma, discrimination, gendered expectations, social
exclusion and family stress.
-
To contribute where appropriate to reflective spaces,
informal consultation and case discussion with project partners.
3. Participation
and co-production
-
To work in ways that centre girls voices and
experiences in planning and delivery.
-
To ensure that sessions and interventions are
responsive to girls needs, preferences, developmental stage and cultural
context.
-
To support the co-development of termly themes and
session content alongside girls, youth workers and wider project activity,
including Girls Super Groups where appropriate.
-
To promote accessibility and participation for girls
who may find it difficult to engage with more formal or clinic-based mental
health provision.
4. Safeguarding
and risk
-
To always work within Brandon Centre safeguarding
policies and procedures.
-
To identify safeguarding concerns promptly and respond
in line with organisational and statutory requirements.
-
To liaise with the youth service manager and relevant
external agencies where safeguarding or high-risk concerns arise.
-
To maintain clear professional boundaries and sound
judgement in community-based and partnership settings.
-
To contribute to the safeguarding culture of the
partnership by modelling safe, reflective and accountable practice.
5. Monitoring,
evaluation and administration
-
To maintain accurate, timely and confidential clinical
and project records in accordance with Brandon Centre policies and professional
standards.
-
To collect and report project data, outcomes, activity
information and case examples as required.
-
To contribute to monitoring and evaluation processes,
including use of feedback and outcome measures where appropriate.
-
To work with Brandon Centre colleagues, including the
SIS Project Manager and data support staff, to ensure timely reporting and
learning from the project.
-
To use relevant IT systems for communication, record
keeping, data entry and reporting.
6. Supervision,
service development and professional responsibilities
-
To engage in regular clinical supervision in line with
Brandon Centre policy and the requirements of the relevant professional body.
-
To contribute to service development and quality
improvement within the SIS project.
-
To maintain up-to-date knowledge and skills
relevant to the role, including child and adolescent mental health,
community-based clinical practice, safeguarding, trauma-informed approaches and
equality, diversity and inclusion.
-
To attend relevant meetings, training and partnership
activity as required.
-
To work flexibly and collaboratively in a developing
project and contribute to a culture of reflection, learning and continuous
improvement.
D. General
Responsibilities for all Brandon Centre Staff
All
employees of the Brandon Centre are required to observe legislation, Brandon
Centre policies, standards and guidelines relating to confidentiality,
information governance, risk management, safeguarding children, safeguarding
adults, equal opportunities, data protection, freedom of information, health
and safety, infection control and record keeping.
All
staff are expected to actively promote equality and diversity in all aspects of
their work and to always maintain the confidentiality and security of service
user information.
This
is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities, and the postholder
may be required to undertake other duties in discussion with their manager.
This job description will be reviewed regularly in the light of changing
service requirements, and any such changes will be discussed with the
post-holder.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of providing clinical or counselling psychology support to children, adolescents or young people in community-based settings
- Experience of assessment and intervention with young people presenting with a range of emotional and mental health difficulties, including complexity and risk
- Experience of group work with young people
- Experience of working in partnership with other professionals, including youth workers, schools, voluntary sector services or multi-agency networks
- Experience of consultation or training with professional or non-professional groups
- Experience of working with young people affected by trauma, poverty, family adversity, social exclusion or barriers to accessing support
- Experience of working in multicultural and diverse community settings
Desirable
- Experience of contributing to service monitoring, evaluation or outcome measurement
- Experience of community psychology, outreach, open access or non-clinic-based mental health provision
- Experience of supporting staff teams through reflective practice or psychologically informed consultation
Qualifications
Essential
- Doctoral level training in Clinical/Counselling Psychology recognised in the UK
- Registered with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical or Counselling Psychologist)
Desirable
- Additional training relevant to clinical work with children, adolescents, groups or families
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Knowledge of child and adolescent mental health and emotional wellbeing
- Ability to undertake clinical psychological assessment, formulation and intervention with young people
- Ability to assess and manage risk, including safeguarding concerns, and to develop appropriate safety plans and escalation responses
- Ability to engage girls and young women in a flexible, relational and developmentally appropriate manner
- Ability to deliver psychoeducational, therapeutic or wellbeing-based group sessions in accessible and creative ways
- Ability to provide consultation and psychologically informed guidance to youth workers and partner staff
- Knowledge of trauma-informed, culturally responsive and anti-discriminatory practice
- Understanding of the impact of poverty, gender, migration, racism, social exclusion, neurodivergence and family stress on mental health and access to services
- Ability to communicate complex and clinically sensitive information clearly, both orally and in writing
- Ability to maintain appropriate records and contribute to data collection, monitoring and reporting
- Knowledge of relevant legislation and professional guidance relating to safeguarding, confidentiality, consent and information governance
Desirable
- Understanding of co-production, participation and community-based clinical practice
Personal Qualities and Other Requirements
Essential
- Commitment to Brandon Centre values of compassion, inclusion and respect
- Ability to work independently and manage a varied workload across multiple community sites
- Ability to work collaboratively and constructively within a partnership model
- Emotional resilience and capacity to remain thoughtful and containing in the face of distress, complexity and uncertainty
- Flexible, creative and responsive approach to community-based clinical work
- Commitment to reflective practice, supervision and continuing professional development
- Willingness and ability to work regular evenings and to travel across Islington community venues
- Ability to contribute to an inclusive environment and actively promote equality, diversity and participation
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of providing clinical or counselling psychology support to children, adolescents or young people in community-based settings
- Experience of assessment and intervention with young people presenting with a range of emotional and mental health difficulties, including complexity and risk
- Experience of group work with young people
- Experience of working in partnership with other professionals, including youth workers, schools, voluntary sector services or multi-agency networks
- Experience of consultation or training with professional or non-professional groups
- Experience of working with young people affected by trauma, poverty, family adversity, social exclusion or barriers to accessing support
- Experience of working in multicultural and diverse community settings
Desirable
- Experience of contributing to service monitoring, evaluation or outcome measurement
- Experience of community psychology, outreach, open access or non-clinic-based mental health provision
- Experience of supporting staff teams through reflective practice or psychologically informed consultation
Qualifications
Essential
- Doctoral level training in Clinical/Counselling Psychology recognised in the UK
- Registered with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical or Counselling Psychologist)
Desirable
- Additional training relevant to clinical work with children, adolescents, groups or families
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Knowledge of child and adolescent mental health and emotional wellbeing
- Ability to undertake clinical psychological assessment, formulation and intervention with young people
- Ability to assess and manage risk, including safeguarding concerns, and to develop appropriate safety plans and escalation responses
- Ability to engage girls and young women in a flexible, relational and developmentally appropriate manner
- Ability to deliver psychoeducational, therapeutic or wellbeing-based group sessions in accessible and creative ways
- Ability to provide consultation and psychologically informed guidance to youth workers and partner staff
- Knowledge of trauma-informed, culturally responsive and anti-discriminatory practice
- Understanding of the impact of poverty, gender, migration, racism, social exclusion, neurodivergence and family stress on mental health and access to services
- Ability to communicate complex and clinically sensitive information clearly, both orally and in writing
- Ability to maintain appropriate records and contribute to data collection, monitoring and reporting
- Knowledge of relevant legislation and professional guidance relating to safeguarding, confidentiality, consent and information governance
Desirable
- Understanding of co-production, participation and community-based clinical practice
Personal Qualities and Other Requirements
Essential
- Commitment to Brandon Centre values of compassion, inclusion and respect
- Ability to work independently and manage a varied workload across multiple community sites
- Ability to work collaboratively and constructively within a partnership model
- Emotional resilience and capacity to remain thoughtful and containing in the face of distress, complexity and uncertainty
- Flexible, creative and responsive approach to community-based clinical work
- Commitment to reflective practice, supervision and continuing professional development
- Willingness and ability to work regular evenings and to travel across Islington community venues
- Ability to contribute to an inclusive environment and actively promote equality, diversity and participation
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
