Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

Job summary
Are you a clinical or counselling psychologist with significant CAMHS eating disorder (including ARFID) experience? This fixed term (maternity cover) post offers the opportunity to develop in a senior psychology role, with a focus on our severe ARFID pathway.

The service is the multidisciplinary North Central London (Royal Free) community CAMHS Eating Disorders team, and we provide community treatment for young people with eating disorders including ARFID. We have a lively and supportive psychology team, and as a senior member you would provide supervision and line management to junior colleagues.

Our service began providing care for young people with severe ARFID presentations two years ago. The role offers the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing development and leadership of this pathway.

Clinical work would be split between ARFID and other eating disorder presentations.

We are a large and friendly MDT based in Hampstead in North London. There is plenty of opportunity for CPD and training, and to be involved in research. Visits and enquiries are welcome.

Main duties of the job

• Providing evidence-based treatments (FTAN, FTBN, CBTE, CBT-AR, AFT) for child and adolescent eating disorders as part of the multidisciplinary team, and in conjunction with partner agencies.
• Providing psychological therapy focussed on common psychological maintaining factors for eating disorders, such as anxiety, mood problems, perfectionism, poor self-esteem, and emotion regulation difficulties.
• Providing consultation and supervision to the team.
• Contributing to ARFID service development and leadership.

About us
Our trust has over 17,000 staff serving 2 million patients every year. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital and more than 30 services in the community. This larger organisation provides an opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver better care to our patients.

Our mission is to deliver world class care and expertise in our clinical services, underpinned by world class teaching and research and we will continue to measure our progress against our five governing objectives: excellent outcomes, excellent patient and staff experience, excellent value for taxpayers' money, being safe and meeting our external duties, and building a strong organisation.

Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We're proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME, gender equality, staff carers and people with disabilities and lived experiences to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

Details
Date posted: 23 October 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £66,274 to £73,496 a year inclusive of Inner HCAS pro rata, per annum
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 11 months
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 391-NMUH-8245645
Closing date: 06 November 2026

Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description for more information about this role and working at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

Essential qualifications

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 2000) as accredited by the British Psychological Society, or British Psychological Society Statement of Equivalence.
• HCPC registration
• Eligibility for BPS Chartered Psychologist status

Desirable qualifications

• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice

Essential experience

• Minimum 2 years post qualification experience as a clinical or counselling psychologist
• Evidence of post-qualification supervised clinical experience in therapeutic interventions and management of children and young people with eating disorders, including ARFID, using family based and cognitive-behavioural assessment and intervention techniques
• Experience of work within interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary environments
• Experience of working with children and young people with common mental health difficulties such as anxiety and depression
• Experience of working with children and young people with developmental conditions such as autism and ADHD
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts
• Experience of teaching, training and supervision
• Experience of service development
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including community, primary care, outpatient and inpatient settings
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity

Essential skills and aptitudes

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management with complex cases
• Knowledge of at least two relevant theoretical models and psychological interventions relevant to patients with eating disorders
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and quantitative data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
• Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the British Psychological Society/HCPC
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists
• Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary setting
• Interest and ability to contribute to service development
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc)
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies

Desirable skills

• Familiarity with SPSS databases and statistical package

Essential personal qualities and attributes

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings

Essential others

• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice

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. 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.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Queen Mary's House, 23 East Heath Street, London, NW3 5DU, United Kingdom

Contact for questions about the job
Lead Clinical Psychologist, Dr Kate Pryce, Kate.pryce@nhs.net, 02078302093

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is committed to fair and transparent recruitment and requires applicants to provide accurate information, as misleading details may affect their application or employment and may be verified in line with the Fraud Act 2006.