Head of Psychotherapy Cassel Hospital

Head of Psychotherapy - Inpatient and Outreach Services Cassel Hospital, 1 Ham Common, Richmond TW10 7JF

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Head of Psychotherapy to join Cassel Hospital Inpatient and Outreach Services, part of West London Forensic Services. This is a part‑time post (26.25 hours per week), offering the chance to provide senior clinical and operational leadership within a highly specialist psychotherapy service that values reflective practice, depth of formulation, and compassionate care.

The post holder will be a key member of the senior management team, providing leadership to the psychotherapy service, including line management of individual and group psychoanalytic psychotherapists. You will act as a vital link between the Psychotherapy Department and the wider Cassel Hospital leadership team.

You will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of high‑quality services against agreed performance standards, contributing to governance, and supporting the development and implementation of operational policies.

The role also involves representing the service at local, regional, and national level, supervising and supporting clinical practice, and contributing to training and service development.

Main duties of the job

1. To contribute to the leadership responsibility for the clinical governance and operational running of the Cassel Hospital, ensuring risk and operational policies are updated as required.

2. To provide training, support and supervision to clinicians within the department; to provide clinical and line management supervision.

3. Provide a specialist psychoanalytic psychotherapy service for patients with severe, complex and persistent mental health needs from a multi‑problem background including screening, assessment, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, risk management and referral on to mental health and other services as required.

4. Provide specialist psychotherapy training, supervision, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to the formulation and treatment plans of individual patients.

5. To contribute to service performance responsibilities, working with the Trust data and performance team on the submission of data and key performance indicators.

6. To represent the service Trustwide.

7. Maintain electronic systems for referrals, appointments, activity and outcome monitoring for performance management, including continuous audit and evaluation of service. Support others in use of these systems.

8. To provide efficient, effective and highly specialist individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy, to include assessment, treatment and discharge/follow‑on care planning to a caseload of patients with severe, complex and persistent mental health needs from a multi‑problem background.

About us

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024‑25 is over £500m.

The Trust is rated as 'Good' overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as 'Outstanding'.

The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.

Job responsibilities

The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached.

The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Qualification in psychoanalysis/ psychoanalytic psychotherapy accredited by the BPC or equivalent.
• Qualification in a core profession e.g. Medical, psychology, social work, nursing, or teaching.
• Good relevant honours degree or a recognised equivalent.
• Academic qualification to Masters or Doctorate level.

Experience

• Extensive experience in the role of highly specialist practitioner, carrying own caseload in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and working independently and autonomously.
• Experience in the specialist assessment and treatment of patients with personality disorders in inpatient and/or outpatient settings.
• Experience of working with patients drawn from a wide range of diagnostic groups.
• Experience in clinical supervision of other psychoanalytic psychotherapists either in training or qualified.
• Experience of multiagency co‑operation /liaison and risk management.
• Extensive experience of working in the NHS or other public or voluntary sector care and treatment services.
• Experience of managing clinical colleagues.
• Experience in the management of aspects of a psychotherapy service. Taking on delegated responsibility for the operational management of a service for periods of time.
• Experience of delivering training in the theory and practice of psychoanalytic psychotherapy and related topics to trainees and colleagues in related professions.
• A proven record of continuous professional development.
• A personal analytical psychotherapy or psychoanalysis of at least three times per week frequency and of sufficient intensity and duration to be able to work according to psychoanalytic principles with the most difficult and demanding cases.
• Experience of group, family and/or marital therapy.
• Significant experience of working with a range of other therapeutic models.
• Significant experience of working in a multidisciplinary team.
• Writing and delivering clinical and theoretical papers.
• Publications in relevant academic journals.
• Experience in undertaking research and service audit projects.

Knowledge/skills

• Comprehensive knowledge of psychoanalytic theory regarding development, models of the mind, unconscious processes and psychopathology.
• Comprehensive knowledge of psychoanalytic theories of technique.
• Comprehensive knowledge of adult mental health problems including a familiarity with psychiatric diagnoses.
• A comprehensive understanding of organisational and team dynamics.
• Organising and managing a caseload of patients who are suffering from the most severe, complex and enduring mental health problems autonomously.
• Maintaining a containing and thoughtful stance in the clinical work with patients, families and couples where there may be a high level of distress, verbal aggression or chaotic activity.
• Assessing and monitoring high levels of risk, and deciding on appropriate intervention as necessary.
• Understanding and interpreting unconscious processes in a timely and sensitive manner.
• Working in an often stressful environment with high expressed emotion in a contained and thoughtful manner, and the capacity to note and recover from failures in this area.
• Familiarity with other psychotherapeutic models of treatment.
• An awareness of mental health provision in the statutory and voluntary sectors.
• Knowledge of legislation and NHS policies and their implications for clinical practice, professional management and service development.

Other

• Applying psychoanalytic thinking to work in the NHS and within the context of a therapeutic community.
• Working collaboratively with other members of staff in a multi‑disciplinary team.
• Communicating effectively with managers, colleagues, referrers and outside agencies in both written and verbal form, including the preparation of reports and treatment plans.

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.

£85,641 to £97,746 a yearper annum pro rata inclusive of HCAS (Outer)