Job Description

We are inviting applications from enthusiastic Clinical/Counselling Psychologists / Family Therapists / Psychotherapists / Clinical Nurse Specialists for a full-time Band 8a post with our ITP Team. Are you someone who enjoys working with young people, is a team player, can bring experience of working with young people & families or eating disorders, and is willing to be flexible according to client need? Do you love to learn and want to make a real contribution to developing excellent standards of care? If so, we are keen to meet you! We are a friendly, welcoming, fast developing, innovative, national and specialist ITP day programme team working with young people (11 - 18 years) and their families. We offer an inclusive and supportive team environment and are keen to support your professional development and wellbeing. The Intensive Treatment Programme (ITP) of the Maudsley Centre for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders (MCCAED) is an intensive day programme for young people with restrictive eating disorders who have not been able to make progress in outpatient treatment and who may be at risk of being admitted for inpatient treatment. ITP offers a therapeutic group programme, with groups taking principles from CBT for Eating Disorders, Compassion Focussed Therapy, Radically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Cognitive Remediation Therapy, and Art Therapy, as well as CBT for comorbid difficulties (anxiety, low mood, perfectionism etc). To deliver specialist applied psychotherapeutic service in the MCCAED Intensive Treatment Programme (ITP day hospital). Working collaboratively to assess the needs of the service users, planning, implementing and evaluating the care given in ITP. To provide clinical work as required by the service. This will involve facilitation of therapeutic groups, and individual and family therapy sessions. To work following clinical guidelines and the policies and procedures of the service, seeking help from clinical/professional supervisor or manager as needed. To offer clinical supervision to more junior members of the MDT (band 4-7), including assistant psychologists, trainee clinical psychologists, clinical psychologists, and clinical nurse specialists. To provide daily therapeutic meal support to young people. This involves staff eating snacks and lunch alongside young people. Meals within the programme are timed, with the expectation that staff are able to eat what is required within the time frame (10 minutes for snacks, 15 minutes for lunch, 20 minutes for dinner). For lunches, a vegetarian and meat option are available daily, however where possible staff should be able to eat what the young people eat. Due to the nature of the service, the role will be primarily face-to-face, with the occasional option to work from home during half terms.

About our location:

The Maudsley Centre for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders is based at the Michael Rutter Centre for Children and Young People, Maudsley Hospital, which is located at Denmark Hill less than 5 minutes from the train station (zone 2). Our Trust headquarters is also located at Denmark Hill. (Due to move to the Pears Maudsley Children and Young People (PMCYP) at the Maudsley Hospital in late 2025/early 2026)

Flexible working:

As one of the few Trusts in London we are proud to offer flexible working as part of our new ways of working, and we are happy to talk flexible working at the interview stage. In this role you will be able to work Monday to Friday in the time frames from 8am to 6pm, giving you the very best of good work life balance. (The hours may include working early mornings, late evenings or some Saturdays as part of the core working hours/working pattern for this post)



Clinical and Client Care

To provide specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for clients within the day programme (ITP). This will include specialist interventions for young people with anorexia nervosa including group facilitation, therapeutic meal support, and individual and family therapeutic work. To provide specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for clients within the MCCAED outpatient team (small caseload alongside ITP). This may include specialist interventions for young people with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and other eating disorders. Assessment and treatment of common comorbidities including depression, anxiety, self-harm and OCD. To provide culturally appropriate psychotherapeutic interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required. To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management, including drawing up appropriate risk management plans. To act as care coordinator taking responsibility for initiating, planning and reviewing care plans, CPA co-ordination and meetings. To act in a manner that supports a psychologically informed framework for the service. To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management

Contributing to team or service clinical functioning

To contribute to the effective working of MCCAED and to a psychotherapeutic framework for the service. To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans. To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations and challenging behaviours and to support others involved in such situations.

Policy and service development

To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities. To contribute to service development through undertaking and participating in appropriate projects.

Management and supervision

To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of trainees / assistants if required, under supervision from a more senior clinician. To supervise trainees within own area of specialism after completion of the relevant Training Course's Supervision Training. To take responsibility for seeking supervision and support for yourself and not going beyond your scope of practice. Provision of consultation or training to other professionals.

Teaching and Training

To provide occasional specialist training in psychotherapeutic approaches to care to other professions as appropriate. To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.

Research and development

To undertake regular complex service evaluation, audits or research relevant to service needs.

Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development

To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior clinician according to professional regulations and Trust guidelines.

General

* To work flexibly which may include offering some regular commitment to work some hours outside of normal office hours (e.g. until 6.30pm on one or two evenings per week), within the overall Job Plan. It is expected that you may need to work some hours outside of normal office hours and be flexible in your ability to change your working pattern frequently and at short notice to meet the needs of the service. This may include working early mornings, later evenings or Saturdays as part of the core working hours/working pattern for this post.