Assistant Psychologist

NHS; Tooting; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen at South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust for an Assistant Psychologist. This role involves supporting clinical psychologists in delivering evidence-based psychological assessments and treatments for clients with eating disorders. As part of a multidisciplinary team, you will assist in developing care plans and conducting audits, playing a crucial role in improving mental health services for young people. Candidates should possess a degree in psychology and relevant experience in mental health settings, offering fantastic opportunities for career development.

Benefits

Flexible working

Career development opportunities

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• Experience in a CAMHS setting.
• Knowledge of NICE concordant treatments for eating disorders.
• Experience working with mental health issues.

Responsibilities

• Assist in psychological assessments and treatment plans.
• Coordinate therapeutic groups under supervision.
• Contribute to clinical audits and research projects.

Skills

Assessment skills

Data management

Psychological treatment

Education

Upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology

Graduate membership of the British Psychological Society

Tools

SPSS for Windows

Job description

Go back South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

Assistant Psychologist

The closing date is 06 July 2025

The CYP-Community Eating Disorders Service is a multidisciplinary team providing a community out-patient service to the five boroughs served by SWLSTG. The service has close links with the in-patient specialist eating disorders unit (Wisteria Ward) on site, outpatient consultant paediatric care provided on site as part of the MDT, and brief inpatient paediatric care at nearby St George's Hospital. We are an expanding, highly specialist team, combining expertise in CYP eating disorders with specialist mental health provision for young people. This is an exciting time to join the service as New Models of Care for CAMHS in the South London Partnership provides exciting opportunities to be involved in innovations in care for children and young people across the partnership.

Main duties of the job

This is an exciting opportunity to join a busy, developing service which has a systemic underpinning, offering NICE concordant systemic therapy for eating disorders as its core intervention. The post holder will work closely with the Clinical Psychologists within the team and other team members, contributing to the delivery of high quality, evidence-based assessment and treatments. The role will primarily involve assisting clinicians with aspects of assessment and supporting treatment. The post holder will be involved in tasks related to data management, audit and clinically related administration (e.g. preparing therapeutic materials, scoring psychometric measures).

Suitable applicants will have experience in a CAMHS setting and have some knowledge about NICE concordant treatments for eating disorders and common co-morbid disorders such as OCD, depression and anxiety.

About us

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

We offer flexible working, career development and a variety ofbenefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.

Springfield University Hospital, Tooting

Our largest, 19-ward site is in Springfield Village, created following our £150m investment into two new world class mental health facilities. A 32-acre public park, shops and cafes are coming soon. Close to shops, cafes and Tooting Bec on the Northern Line plus Earlsfield and Tooting rail stations and bus routes.

Job responsibilities

Clinical

Under appropriate supervision from a qualified clinical psychologist.

• To undertake protocol based psychological assessments of clients applying psychological, including neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.
• To assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a clients problems, under the supervision of a HCPC registered practitioner psychologist. To assist in the coordination and running of therapeutic groups.
• To work with other staff to assess inpatients, community patients, day patients or residents and review their care in preparation for multi-disciplinary reviews.
• To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings where care takes place.
• To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary meetings.

Teaching, Training and Supervision:

1. In common with all Psychology and Psychotherapies staff to receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines.

2. To gain wider experience (up to 2 sessions per whole time equivalent) of professional psychology within the NHS over and above that provided within the principal service area where the post-holder is employed.

3. To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties.

4. To contribute to the training and support of other staff in psychological care.

Management, Recruitment and Service Development:

• To assist in the design and implementation of service development projects within the service as required.
• To attend meetings in which service developments are planned and discussed.

Research and Service Evaluation:

• To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects.
• To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
• To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified clinical psychologists in evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

Other

• To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holders professional and team/operational manager(s).
• To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.
• To prepare test materials and visual aids as required.
• To undertake specific administrative duties as required.

Person Specification

Training and Qualifications

• oAn upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology
• oGraduate membership of the British Psychological Society
• oFurther post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis

Experience

• oExperience of working with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities
• oExperience of paid work in direct care provision
• oExperience of using microcomputers for databases or data-analysis, especially SPSS for Windows

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.

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

£31,944 to £34,937 a yearper annum inclusive of Inner London HCAs