Assistant Psychologist

Avon And Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Nhs Trust; Kenn; Hybrid; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job summary

A mental health service provider in the United Kingdom is seeking an Assistant Psychologist to assist in delivering psychological services. Ideal candidates will be psychology graduates and are encouraged to apply regardless of experience. The position offers opportunities for training and professional development in a supportive environment, promoting diversity in the clinical psychology workforce.

Qualifications

• Graduate in Psychology required.
• No previous assistant psychologist experience may be accepted.
• Willingness to maintain professional standards.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and deliver psychological interventions under supervision.
• Conduct high-quality psychological assessments.
• Collaborate with team members and maintain communication.

Skills

Psychometric assessment

Data collection and analysis

Development of psychological interventions

Communication

Education

Psychology graduate

Job description

Overview

We are recruiting to ten part-time temporary posts as part of this scheme. The ten posts are across different locations. Location will be negotiated with successful candidates within the parameters of the project's requirements. We welcome applications from people who may need to work flexibly for personal reasons. Placement of applicants into the different locality services will be negotiated at the time of offer for successful candidates. This opportunity is open to psychology graduates who are new to the role of Assistant Psychologist.

Role

• The assistant post offers a range of experiences and the job role can include structured clinical or psychometric assessment, developing and delivering basic psychological interventions, case file reviews, literature searching, data collection/analysis, developing resources, engaging in a variety of multi-disciplinary activities and work that supports a psychology team in delivering all aspects of psychological services.
• All successful applicants will have regular clinical and management supervision with a qualified clinical or counselling psychologist and may engage in specific training events to promote their development in line with the needs of the service that they will be working in.
• When completing the application form, you must clearly outline in the first paragraph of your supporting statement how your experiences/life situation make you a suitable candidate for the Assistant Psychologist role with regard to the focus of this NHSE project, including any of the following if applicable: no previous assistant psychologist experience; socioeconomic disadvantage; caring responsibilities; or that your employment would promote diversity in the clinical psychology workforce. Applications that do not include this information will not be shortlisted.
• We particularly welcome applications from graduates from a BAME background.

Responsibilities and duties

• Prepare and deliver high quality psychological interventions under supervision, either individually or in groups where required.
• Offer high quality psychological assessments following instructions appropriate to the assessment tools/processes where required.
• Gather and organise information about clinical notes, relevant psychological interventions and clinical tools for use by other staff.
• Work alongside other team members and ensure close liaison and communication within teams.
• Work at a level of autonomy appropriate to an Assistant Psychologist. Goals to be agreed and reviewed in clinical/management supervision.
• Maintain a high degree of professionalism when working with distressed people and maintain clinical records, databases and other professional records as appropriate.

Teaching, Training and Research

• To undertake such training as might be required to maintain an appropriate level of expertise.
• To assist with the delivery of teaching and training for other members of the multidisciplinary team and staff in other agencies, in collaboration with qualified staff.
• Where required, to assist with audit and evaluation of the service in collaboration with qualified clinical and counselling psychologists and other members of the multidisciplinary team.
• To compile and return statistics and activity levels as required.
• Where required, to undertake literature searches and reviews.

Professional and Governance

• To understand and practice in line with the BPS (2009) Code of Ethics and Conduct and the DCP (2008) Professional Practice Guidelines on the role.
• To participate in team business and professional meetings as appropriate.
• To be aware of and comply with all policies, procedures and directions of the Department, Service and Trust.
• To seek regular support and clinical supervision within the department of clinical psychology.
• To participate in individual, group and peer supervision and in meetings with nursing staff and MDTs as appropriate.
• To maintain accurate and appropriate records of work.

Clinical Governance and General

• To participate in service governance processes to ensure a safe and effective service and to support multidisciplinary clinical audit.
• To liaise with other disciplines and agencies to ensure best practice is shared and to promote the use of effective interventions in the service.
• To assist in the production of resources and materials used by the service and with the general running of the Team/Service (e.g., minuting department meetings).

Other information

Please refer to the person specification and local information sheet for more information about the general skills and experiences required of applicants to an assistant psychologist post within each possible service. See Key Information Leaflet.

Diversity and Equal Opportunities

We are proud to be fostering a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. A key commitment to this is improving staff representation from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, those from the LGBTQ+ communities, people with lived experience of mental health conditions and people living with disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Employer offering a guaranteed interview to Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. This includes people with a variety of disabilities and neurodivergent conditions. We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours.

Employer Information

AWP NHS Trust is taking part in a Health Education England (HEE) funded project offering paid opportunities to aspiring clinical psychologists. This project aims to address disadvantage in entering NHS roles and promote diversity within the clinical psychology workforce.

Organisation

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust), a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care. We provide services from multiple locations to approximately 1.8 million people in the region. We are committed to supporting diverse backgrounds and experiences among our staff.