Job summary
The National and Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (N&S CAMHS) are seeking to recruit an enthusiastic and skilled band 8a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist/Family Therapist to join the Maudsley Centre for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders (MCCAED) Service. This is a full‑time (10 sessions) post offered as a secondment or fixed‑term contract to cover maternity leave.
Main duties of the job
* Provide highly specialist clinical services including assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes in MCCAED.
* Provide clinical/management supervision to more junior colleagues and consultation as appropriate.
* Contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
* Undertake and support service evaluation, audit, research and policy development.
* Work as an autonomous professional within relevant professional guidelines and codes of conduct, guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service.
* Agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional leads and decide how they are best achieved.
Key Responsibilities
* Provide assessments, formulations and interventions for clients referred to MCCAED and offer supervision to other team members.
* Support and empower children, young people and families to make informed choices about the intervention.
* Work in partnership with families to provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions.
* Assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
* Act as care co‑ordinator overseeing cases within MCCAED when required.
* Contribute to the introduction and monitoring of new clinical systems for accepting referrals, delivering care pathways and discharging patients.
* Ensure NICE‑recommended evidence‑based techniques are used within and across teams.
* Monitor quality of CAMHS eating disorder assessments and treatments and the clinicians’ skills in diagnosing mental disorders and formulating care plans.
* Monitor and manage performance of junior staff and measure outcomes of treatment.
* Supervise case managers and maximise their therapeutic skills across treatments required for young people.
* Recruit a safe and proficient workforce.
* Provide supervision to assistant psychologists, Band 6 and Band 7 qualified practitioners.
* Contribute to appraisals and recruitment of trainees and other CAMHS practitioners.
* Support the effective working of the team and provide a psychologically informed framework for the service.
* Advise on specialist psychological care of clients and liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals.
* Implement policies and procedures in own area of work, propose improvements or beneficial changes, and support service development through projects.
* Take care of, and use carefully, the Trust’s equipment and physical resources.
* Undertake occasional teaching and training of staff and disseminate research and service evaluation findings.
* Ensure all information generated is recorded as required by Trust policies and maintain high standards of record‑keeping.
* Initiate, undertake, support and supervise service evaluation and audits; initiate outcome measurement and assessment.
* Receive regular clinical and professional supervision, comply with CPD requirements and maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of legislation and policies.
* Travel to community locations as appropriate and across the Trust when required.
* Work flexibly, which may include late clinics or Saturday working within the overall job plan.
About us
The Maudsley Centre for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders is based at the Michael Rutter Centre for Children and Young People, Maudsley Hospital (Due to move to the Pears Maudsley Children and Young People (PMCYP) at the Maudsley Hospital in early 2026). Our Trust headquarters is located at Denmark Hill, within walking distance of Ruskin Park and the nearby high‑street.
Flexible working
Work Monday to Friday from 9 to 5, with flexibility to work early mornings, later evenings or Saturdays as part of core working hours for this post.
Details
Date posted: 19 November 2025
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: 8a
Salary: £64,156 to £71,148 a year inclusive of HCAS
Contract: Fixed term, duration 11 months
Working pattern: Full‑time
Reference number: 334‑CLI‑7573487
Job locations
Michael Rutter Centre, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AZ
Person Specification – Qualifications
* Essential – Entry‑level qualification: appropriately registered Clinical/Counselling psychologist, Systemic Family, Psychotherapist (A/I). Completed training course in clinical supervision (A/I/R). Evidence of continuing professional development as required by relevant professional body e.g. HCPC/UKCP, BABCP (A/I).
* Desirable – Training in family therapy for anorexia nervosa (FT‑AN/FBT) and/or bulimia nervosa (FT‑BN/FBT) (A/I). Management qualification, management training course completion or line management experience. Training in CBT for eating disorders (A/I). Training in RO DBT. Training in multi‑family therapy (MFT).
Person Specification – Experience
* Essential – Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist with children and young people with eating disorders and their families under supervision (A/I). Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in CAMHS (A/I). Experience of supervising and having completed the relevant training (A/I).
* Desirable – Experience facilitating groups for children, adolescents with eating disorders and their families (A/I). Experience treating common comorbidities such as anxiety, depression, OCD, self‑harm and ASC (A/I).
Person Specification – Knowledge & Skills
* Essential – Highly developed knowledge of evidence‑based therapies for children and adolescents (A/I/R). Advanced theoretical knowledge of psychosocial theories of mental health and evidence base (A/I/R). Ability to work effectively within a multi‑disciplinary team (A/I/R).
* Desirable – Understanding of Access and Waiting Times standards for child and adolescent eating disorders (A/I). Understanding and knowledge of child protection procedures and safeguarding (A/I).
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service 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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.
Employer details
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Michael Rutter Centre, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AZ
Website: https://www.slam.nhs.uk/
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