Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Specialist Psychological Therapist

The closing date is 03 February 2026

Job summary

Greenwich Time to Talk NHS Talking Therapies is seeking to recruit a Highly Specialist Psychological Therapist to improve access, experience and recovery rates for clients aged 65 and above. We welcome applicants with specialist knowledge of older adult psychology and a passion for meeting the needs of this client group in NHS Talking Therapies through best practice, innovation, and formulation driven approaches.

The successful candidate will join a well established and high performing NHS Talking Therapies Service, supporting Greenwich residents, aged 16 and over, seeking to overcome symptoms of anxiety and depression. The service offer a range of NICE recommended interventions to clients, and opportunities for continued professional development to staff.

Main duties of the job

The successful post holder will have a robust understanding of formulation driven psychological principles for older adults. They will lead our interface with Older Adult Secondary Care Mental Health Services and will offer specialist psychological assessments and interventions to service users referred to our service aged 65 and above.

The postholder will be motivated to further support the service to best meet the needs of older adults through evidenced skill in supervision, consultation and training, innovative service development, sound referral management, and excellent communication with clients, team members and relevant services.

About us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

  • We're Kind
  • We're Fair
  • We Listen
  • We Care

Details

Date posted

14 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£61,631 to £68,623 a year pro rata pa inc

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

277-7726996-CMH

Job locations

Bungalow 3 Wensley Close, Greenwich Time to Talk

Eltham

SE9 5AB


Job description

Job responsibilities

The successful post holder will:

Demonstrate best practice in delivering and supervising psychological assessment, formulation and interventions for clients aged 65 and above.

Lead the interface between our service and Older Adult Community Mental Health Services.

Be responsible for expanding on our existing established older adult Psychology pathway within Greenwich Time to Talk.

Disseminate relevant knowledge and skills to the wider team through training and consultation.

Support regular referral management and screening of referrals.

Supervise qualified members of the team and trainees/assistants.

Support the service to maintain safe and stable waiting lists.

Engage in community networking to help increase referrals of clients aged 65 and above.

Lead in promoting the service to secondary care and third sector organisations supporting older adults.

Oversee evaluation and audit within this pathway, supported by team members.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The successful post holder will:

Demonstrate best practice in delivering and supervising psychological assessment, formulation and interventions for clients aged 65 and above.

Lead the interface between our service and Older Adult Community Mental Health Services.

Be responsible for expanding on our existing established older adult Psychology pathway within Greenwich Time to Talk.

Disseminate relevant knowledge and skills to the wider team through training and consultation.

Support regular referral management and screening of referrals.

Supervise qualified members of the team and trainees/assistants.

Support the service to maintain safe and stable waiting lists.

Engage in community networking to help increase referrals of clients aged 65 and above.

Lead in promoting the service to secondary care and third sector organisations supporting older adults.

Oversee evaluation and audit within this pathway, supported by team members.

Person Specification

Education / Qualifications

Essential

  • Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS OR Post graduate diploma in High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural psychotherapy interventions (BABCP accredited)..

Desirable

  • Additional relevant clinical and/or managerial knowledge and skills acquired through formal training, long or short courses on Older Adult Psychology,

Experience

Essential

  • Post qualification experience of working in the NHS, including experience of psychological assessments, treatments, referral management and supervision relating to clients aged 65 and above.

Desirable

  • Experience of working in secondary care older adult mental health services.

Skills/ abilities / knowledge

Essential

  • Robust clinical experience in assessment, formulation and intervention with clients aged 65 and above.
  • Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for older adults
  • Ability to provide a culturally competent and non-stigmatising service including an awareness of the potential impact of discrimination and disadvantage on mental health.

Desirable

  • An understanding of the use of neuropsychological assessment for this client group

Effort and Environment

Essential

  • Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and able to contain the stress of others.

Other

Essential

  • Ability to work creatively, co-operatively, reliably and consistently as an independent practitioner, as a mentor and supervisor.
Person Specification

Education / Qualifications

Essential

  • Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS OR Post graduate diploma in High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural psychotherapy interventions (BABCP accredited)..

Desirable

  • Additional relevant clinical and/or managerial knowledge and skills acquired through formal training, long or short courses on Older Adult Psychology,

Experience

Essential

  • Post qualification experience of working in the NHS, including experience of psychological assessments, treatments, referral management and supervision relating to clients aged 65 and above.

Desirable

  • Experience of working in secondary care older adult mental health services.

Skills/ abilities / knowledge

Essential

  • Robust clinical experience in assessment, formulation and intervention with clients aged 65 and above.
  • Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for older adults
  • Ability to provide a culturally competent and non-stigmatising service including an awareness of the potential impact of discrimination and disadvantage on mental health.

Desirable

  • An understanding of the use of neuropsychological assessment for this client group

Effort and Environment

Essential

  • Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and able to contain the stress of others.

Other

Essential

  • Ability to work creatively, co-operatively, reliably and consistently as an independent practitioner, as a mentor and supervisor.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Bungalow 3 Wensley Close, Greenwich Time to Talk

Eltham

SE9 5AB


Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Bungalow 3 Wensley Close, Greenwich Time to Talk

Eltham

SE9 5AB


Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Deputy Lead

Sarah Robinson

sarah.robinson64@nhs.net

02032601100

Details

Date posted

14 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£61,631 to £68,623 a year pro rata pa inc

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

277-7726996-CMH

Job locations

Bungalow 3 Wensley Close, Greenwich Time to Talk

Eltham

SE9 5AB


Supporting documents

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