About this role
Job summary
Are you an enthusiastic and energetic Psychologist or Psychotherapist looking for a rewarding role in Acute Mental Health?
We are seeking a compassionate clinician to join our dynamic service. In this supportive, fast-paced environment, you will have ample space to grow your therapeutic and systemic skills while bringing creative, evidence-based ideas to patient care. Working at the heart of our service, you will deliver high-quality psychological interventions, foster strong reflective practices for our staff, and act as a key liaison to support smooth patient transitions between services.
If you are passionate about applying psychology across individual, group, and organizational levels--and keen to develop your leadership and consultation expertise--we would love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
Clinical Assessment & Treatment: Deliver specialist psychological assessments, individual treatments, and psychological formulations tailored to acute inpatient needs.
Group Interventions: Facilitate evidence-based group work, including Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)-informed skills groups and structured patient support sessions.
MDT Consultation & Systemic Support: Work closely with the multi-disciplinary team, offering psychological consultation, advice, and systemic insights to guide holistic care.
Staff Support & Reflective Practice: Lead reflective practice sessions and case discussions for ward staff, helping the team process complex care environments and maintain professional well-being.
Service Development & Innovation: Contribute to creative, evidence-based improvements in how our care is delivered, bringing new ideas to team processes and ward-based groups.
Liaison & Service Transitions: Build strong working relationships across internal and external teams to ensure safe, seamless transitions for patients moving between services.
Family & Carer Engagement: Provide psychological guidance and intervention formats that involve families, carers, and wider care networks where appropriate.
About us
We are Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway and are rated 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Our teams support children, young people and adults with a wide range of mental health needs. We also provide specialist services, including all-age eating disorder services and neurodevelopmental assessments for children and young people, such as autism and ADHD.
Because we work across the whole county and across hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the people we serve.
Our vision is simple: we are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. Everything we do is guided by our values: caring, inclusive, curious and confident.
Join us if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's working well together.
Job description Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description for the full details on the responsibilities and person specification
What is High Cost Area Allowance?
The High-Cost Area (HCA) allowance, also referred to as London Weighting is a payment made to employees who work in London and the surrounding areas.
As this post is based in Dartford, Gravesham or Swanley, the successful applicant will receive an additional payment each month.
5% of basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £1,346 per year and a maximum payment of £2,270 per year (the agreed annual amount will be divided into 12 equal amounts and paid monthly) (2026/27 figures)
We are serious about diversity and inclusion, and we are working hard to build this into our DNA. We warmly welcome applications for any of our roles from people from diverse backgrounds, and we are proactively encouraging applications from under-represented communities for our more senior roles, like this one.
Person Specification
Training, qualifications & registration Essential
HCPC/UKCP registered
Desirable
Doctoral level training in psychology
Skills & Knowldege Essential
Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management Ability to contain, explore and formulate an understanding of high levels of distress Excellent communication skills
Desirable
Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies(Psychosis, EUPD, Biploar)
Experience Essential
Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings
Desirable
Experience of working with psychosis & EUPD Experience of working in an acute care setting
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).
Employer details Employer name Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust
Address Littlebrook Hospital, Bow Arrow Lane, Stone, Dartford, DA2 6PB
Bow Arrow Lane
Dartford
DA2 6PB
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.kentmedwaymentalhealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)