Assistant Psychologist

EAST LONDON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST; Camden Town; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Camden Town is seeking an assistant psychologist to support older adults and people with dementia by delivering psychological assessments and interventions. The role involves working closely with a qualified psychologist within a multidisciplinary team to enhance mental well-being and promote positive adjustment to later life. The ideal candidate will possess a relevant psychology degree and demonstrate strong communication and collaboration skills.

Qualifications

• Experience working with older adults and people with dementia.
• Ability to communicate complex clinical information effectively.
• Knowledge of mental health issues and interventions.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to psychological assessments and interventions.
• Plan and deliver psychotherapeutic groups.
• Maintain clinical and research databases.

Skills

Understanding of psychological development

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Cultural sensitivity

Education

Relevant degree in psychology

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an assistant psychologist to play a key role in delivering psychological support to older adults, people with dementia and carers in Newham. The post holder will be working to provide a high quality, person‑centred and culturally sensitive service to older adults presenting with a wide range of mental health difficulties including dementia, and their families and carers, helping to alleviate psychological distress and promote psychological well‑being in the community.

Working under the guidance of a qualified psychologist, the post holder will draw on understandings of psychological development to contribute to assessments and psychological interventions, including groups, that optimise successful ageing and adjustment to later life.

We are looking for someone who is motivated and passionate about the mental health needs of older adults and people with dementia. The post‑holder will join a well‑established and supportive multidisciplinary team. We welcome applications from individuals who will bring enthusiasm and flexibility to this role, and in return can offer a stimulating and supportive work environment, as part of a new career pathway.

Responsibilities

1. Draw on understandings of psychological development to contribute to assessments and psychological interventions that optimise successful ageing and adjustment to later life for service users and their carers, including improving cognitive health, emotional wellbeing, and social connection.
2. Assist in planning and delivering psychological assessments, psychological formulations, and delivering psychological interventions including psychotherapeutic groups across the borough.
3. Collate outcome measures of different psychological interventions and work as part of the MDT.
4. This work will be under the direction of a qualified psychological professional who will retain clinical responsibility for clinical work carried out.

Patient & Clinical Care

• Implement individual engagement and support work based around psychological principles or care programmes under close clinical supervision.
• Provide and receive sensitive, distressing and emotional information in relation to mental health issues.
• Communicate across language and cultural barriers.
• Be responsible, under clinical supervision, for recording, monitoring and reporting on own clinical work and communicating complex clinical information to a variety of recipients, e.g. service users, families and carers, other professionals, orally, in writing and/or electronically.
• Support the psychological skills of other professionals across the team via the delivery of teaching, training and support relating to specific psychological interventions and demonstration of own duties.
• Ensure that the BPS Guidelines for professional practice are followed appropriately.
• In common with all psychological professionals, receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with good practice guidelines.

Administration

• Be responsible for maintaining clinical and research databases relevant to the service, including co‑ordinating referrals, monitoring their allocation and engagement with the service, recording details of packages of care and monitoring the clinical review process.
• Enter clinical information as required into local and Trust electronic information systems.
• Maintain databases for the service and advise on and implement developments to those databases.
• Use relevant statistical packages to analyse recorded data.

Management

• Be responsible for maintaining knowledge of local resources and working relationships with relevant statutory, voluntary and community groups and organisations.
• Plan and prioritise own workload, under the management of the supervising Clinical Psychologist.
• Comments on development proposals or policies on request.
• Implement Trust and local policies.
• Record and report on personally‑generated clinical information.