Assistant Psychologist

Islet Systems; Dawlish; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare service provider is seeking a psychology professional in Dawlish to support patient care and service development. The role requires strong communication skills and the ability to work within a multidisciplinary team. Responsibilities include assessment, formulation, and treatment planning under supervision, as well as providing consultancy on psychological care. The position also involves leadership and supervision of less experienced staff and contribution to research efforts.

Responsibilities

• Communicate sensitively with clients, families, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Plan and prioritize workload balancing patient care and service development.
• Provide assessments and treatment plans under supervision.
• Offer consultation on psychological aspects of patient care.
• Follow policies and contribute to service and research development.
• Supervise and support less experienced colleagues.

Job description

Communication & Working Relationships

Clients, family and carers: To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner with clients who may have specific difficulties in understanding and/or communicating and who may be hostile, antagonistic or highly emotionally disturbed.

Multidisciplinary team colleagues: To work closely with colleagues in the multiprofessional integrated mental health and wellbeing service on a day to day basis.

Health & social care staff: To communicate with a wide range of health & social care staff in hospital and in community settings in a skilled and sensitive manner, complex and sensitive information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under the services care. To provide support & guidance in the application of psychological principles and techniques and to foster reflective practice.

Senior managers & professional staff: To maintain and build good working relationships with senior professional staff and managers at Langdon Hospital and in Devon Partnership Trust. To foster a positive approach to the integrated mental health and wellbeing service and to enable effective negotiation.

Planning & Organisation

The psychology and psychological therapies service: To plan and prioritise own workload, balancing the demands of patient care, support and guidance of carers and professionals, service research and development activities. To maintain and review caseload record as part of supervisions.

The multidisciplinary service: To provide psychology knowledge to the multi-professional planning, development and marketing of mental health and wellbeing services.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment & Therapy

Assessment & intervention: To make assessments, provide formulations and reports, and deliver treatment plans within a supervised context for individuals, carers, families and groups. To demonstrate awareness of diversity issues.

Consultation & guidance: To provide advice, guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families.

Policy, Service, Research & Development

Policy & service responsibility: The post holder is responsible for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines, working within clearly defined occupational procedures.

Policy & service: To follow policy guidance in own role and to comment on proposed policy changes and service developments.

Research and Development: To undertake service-relevant research and development activity agreed within the psychology service. To organise personal or service led research and development activities, as required.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment & Other Resources: Careful use of equipment, including psychometric tests within the psychology department and wider Directorate.

Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership & Management

Leadership & supervision: To assist the work of less experienced assistants and/or trainees as required. To provide supervision to health and social care colleagues.

Information Resources & Administrative Duties: To maintain accurate records. To be responsible for using an email account to generate, monitor, and respond to the e-mail traffic by which the Trust conducts much of its internal communication.

Any Other Specific Tasks Required

To ensure all clinical care and treatment provided by psychologists is carried out under appropriate supervision and leadership. To ensure that all psychologists continuously update the skills and techniques relevant to their clinical work.