Assistant Psychologist | Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust; Wednesbury; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider is seeking an enthusiastic Assistant Psychologist to join their Clinical Health Psychology Service in Wednesbury. This role involves supporting psychological assessments, implementing care programs under supervision, and participating in research and training activities. The ideal candidate should have a relevant degree in psychology and possess strong communication and empathy skills.

Qualifications

• Experience in psychological assessment and care.
• Ability to communicate sensitive information effectively.
• Basic understanding of clinical governance.

Responsibilities

• Assist in psychological assessments under supervision.
• Develop relationships with clients and communicate effectively.
• Participate in multi-disciplinary team meetings and activities.

Skills

Empathy

Communication

Teamwork

Education

Relevant degree in psychology

Tools

Statistical programmes

IT skills

Job description

Overview

This is an exciting opportunity to join a psychology service based in a physical healthcare trust. The Clinical Health Psychology Service provides psychology input to a number of services in the trust, including Oncology/Palliative Care, Stroke, Community Neurological Rehabilitation, Pain Management and HIV. We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic Assistant Psychologist who will work within a supervised context to carry out psychological assessments and therapies for people with physical health conditions and their families. The postholder will also be involved in group work, teaching and training other staff and supporting various projects within the service. The postholder will work independently under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist and will be encouraged and supported in their personal and professional development. This post would be ideally suited to someone looking to pursue a career in clinical psychology.

Please note: we may close this vacancy early if we receive high numbers of applications.

The postholder will work across the service, with areas of most need prioritised by the supervising psychologist. They will assist the qualified clinical psychologists in the preparation, instigation and evaluation of a variety of clinical work and service projects. They will undertake clinically supervised work with clients on a one-to-one basis and will also undertake group work under supervision. They will help plan, organise, and participate in training carried out in the service. They will also undertake clinical governance, research, and data collection activities under the guidance of the supervising psychologists. The postholder will be expected to attend regular clinical supervision sessions.

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is an integrated Trust and the only provider of NHS acute care in Walsall, serving a population of 284,300. It provides inpatient and outpatient services at the Manor Hospital as well as a wide range of services in the community. Walsall Manor houses the full range of district general hospital services under one roof. The £170 million development was completed in 2010, and ongoing upgrades ensure the Trust now has state-of-the-art facilities, including a Critical Care Unit, Neonatal Unit, Obstetric Theatre, and Integrated Assessment Unit. A new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre, opened in March 2023, has significantly improved emergency care facilities and capacity, providing almost 5,000 square metres of additional clinical space.

Responsibilities

1. Clinical

• 1.1 To assist in psychological assessment of clients through formal psychometric testing, direct and indirect observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members, and others involved in the client’s care as appropriate and under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist.
• 1.2 Develop trusting and empathic relationships with clients and be able to communicate highly emotive information with clarity and sensitivity within limits of competence.
• 1.3 To assist in the preparation, coordination, and running of therapeutic groups where appropriate and under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist.
• 1.4 To implement programmes of psychological care or intervention as directed by the supervising clinical psychologist.
• 1.5 To evaluate intervention programmes as directed by the supervising clinical psychologist.
• 1.6 Participate in relevant multi-disciplinary teams and work collaboratively and in an integrated manner with other health professionals (e.g., occupational therapists, medical consultants, nursing staff, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists) and other NHS and social services staff. This will include attending MDT meetings and facilitating the development of multi-disciplinary formulations and communicating these.
• 1.7 To be capable of working in clinical situations which require prolonged concentration, and which may involve distressing or emotionally demanding circumstances or where there is risk of verbal or physical aggression.

Service Development

• 2.1 To be accountable to the service manager for clinical governance (e.g., quality, clinical effectiveness, and clinical risk).
• 2.2 To support service development projects including clinical governance projects with direction from the supervising psychologist.

Research and Teaching Activity

• 3.1 To assist in the undertaking of any research projects on a supervised basis.
• 3.2 To undertake data collection, analysis, production of reports and summaries, and use IT and statistical programmes as required.
• 3.3 To assist in the production of clinical/teaching/organisational materials as required (e.g., Word processing/desktop publishing, PowerPoint/Excel/Access, printing/shredding).
• 3.4 To assist in the teaching and training of staff or clients as required.
• 3.5 To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified clinicians in evidence-based practice in individual work, with groups, and with teams.

Professional responsibilities

• 4.1 To be responsible for planning and prioritising own workload following the direction of the supervising clinical psychologist.
• 4.2 To maintain and update client records in accordance with Trust and Professional guidelines.
• 4.3 To receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines.
• 4.4 To adhere to the Trust, Clinical Health Psychology Service, and condition-specific service policies as well as BPS professional guidelines.
• 4.5 To provide support to and receive support from colleagues.
• 4.6 To attend and participate in Clinical Health Psychology Service meetings.
• 4.7 To have a personal duty of care for Trust equipment and facilities.
• 4.8 To record clinical activity in line with Trust policy and maintain confidentiality of client data.
• 4.9 To maintain clinical records/research records and ensure confidentiality.

This advert closes on Sunday 12 Oct 2025.