Assistant Psychologist - Eating Disorders

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust; Maidstone; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in the UK is seeking an assistant psychologist to join their Kent and Medway All-age Eating Disorders team. This role involves providing psychological assessment and interventions under supervision. Applicants should have an upper second-class honours degree in psychology and experience working with mental health issues. The position offers a supportive working environment with a commitment to employee wellbeing and development opportunities.

Benefits

Flexible working opportunities

Proactive health and wellbeing support

Commitment to equality and diversity initiatives

Qualifications

• Upper second-class honours degree or higher in psychology.
• Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
• Work with people with mental health problems and/or disabilities.

Responsibilities

• Support people and enhance psychological care within the service.
• Provide psychological assessment and interventions under supervision.

Skills

High level communication skills

Basic awareness of IT

Ability to interact with staff

Interest in working with people with eating disorders

Education

Upper second-class honours degree in psychology

NVQ level 2 or equivalent literacy and numeracy

Job description

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video

Job overview

The post holder will be a member of the Kent and Medway All-age Eating Disorders team.The post holder will support people and enhance the professional psychological care within the service, across all sectors of care, providing psychological assessment and psychological interventions of a routine nature, under the direct supervision of a qualified professional psychologist drawing on their supervisor’s expertise.

Main duties of the job

The main duties of the assistant psychologist role are outlined in the job description attached to this vacancy.

Working for our organisation

Our Values 2025 - 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.

They are:

• We are kind.
• We are respectful.
• We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period.

Starting with Us

NELFT places great importance on new starters being properly welcomed into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process, new starters will also have the opportunity to meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend several drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing, and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,313 to a maximum of £5,436 pro rata for part time).

High Cost Area Supplement - Fringe

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £1,192 to a maximum of £2,011 pro rata for part time).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The main duties and responsibilities of this role are outlined in the job description which is attached to this vacancy.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• NVQ level 2 or equivalent standard of literacy and numeracy
• An upper second-class honours degree or higher in psychology. Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society

Desirable criteria

• Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities

Desirable criteria

• Experience of paid work in direct care provision

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• An awareness of NHS priorities
• High level communication skills (written and verbal). Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance.
• An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with eating disorders.
• An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context and an understanding of psychology applied to health care.

Skills

Essential criteria

• Basic awareness of IT and IT skills
• An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines and An ability to interact with people with eating disorders
• Ability to work reliably and consistently with work agreed and supervised at regular intervals.
• An interest in working with people with eating disorders

Benefits

We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:

• A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
• A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
• Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
• Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.