Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen to recruit an Assistant Psychologist within the Somerset Fatigue Service. The postholder will work within the Fatigue Service, supporting and enhancing the specialist care provided by the Multidisciplinary team. This role will therefore provide excellent opportunities for developing clinical knowledge, skills and experience, across a broad range of competencies, including assessment, formulation, intervention and evaluation, as well as supporting service development.
Main duties of the job
A key component of this role will involve working with the Health Psychologist to develop a psychological pathway within the service that focuses on the needs of our client group. This will entail meeting with service users, researching current best practice and developing/evaluating proposed outcomes.
There will also be opportunities to work alongside multidisciplinary colleagues to co-facilitate group programmes and contribute to the ongoing development and evaluation of these.
The Assistant Psychologist will also assist with clinically related administration, including reviewing medical records, evaluating outcome measures, identifying and producing relevant handouts and resources and inputting routine outcome data. There will be opportunities to get involved in service evaluation initiatives, including running literature searches, assisting with audits and contributing to the ongoing development of the service. Specifically, the postholder is expected to play a key role in supporting the roll out and evaluation of our new psychological pathway, utilising quality improvement methodology.
About us
At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:
- Flexible working options to help you balance work and life
- NHS pension scheme for long-term financial security
- Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax
- A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential
Additionally, you'll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.
We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.
Why Somerset? Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away - and only two hours to London.
The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future.
Somerset truly has it all - the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to Job Description for full details.
This role will involve clinical assessment, formulation, intervention and evaluation, all under the direct supervision, training and guidance of a qualified Health Psychologist.
The post holder will undertake clinical and risk assessments and co-develop psychological formulations to help inform the development of appropriate care plans and identification of treatment goals.
Following training, the Assistant Psychologist will provide guided self-help interventions, with clients.
They will also provide fatigue specific interventions, around sleep hygiene, pacing, relaxation etc.
The post-holder will also be actively involved in co-facilitating group programmes, working alongside colleagues from different professional backgrounds.
To contribute to the planning and organisation of the service/psychological pathway and to the ongoing development and improvement of this.
To build good working relationships across the multidisciplinary team.
To effectively communicate psychological information with other professions and agencies.
They will attend and contribute to the Somerset Fatigue Service team meetings, team supervision sessions and Away Days.
They will attend the peer supervision, Trust practitioner Psychology meetings and Clinical Health Psychology meetings, as agreed with their supervisor.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to Job Description for full details.
This role will involve clinical assessment, formulation, intervention and evaluation, all under the direct supervision, training and guidance of a qualified Health Psychologist.
The post holder will undertake clinical and risk assessments and co-develop psychological formulations to help inform the development of appropriate care plans and identification of treatment goals.
Following training, the Assistant Psychologist will provide guided self-help interventions, with clients.
They will also provide fatigue specific interventions, around sleep hygiene, pacing, relaxation etc.
The post-holder will also be actively involved in co-facilitating group programmes, working alongside colleagues from different professional backgrounds.
To contribute to the planning and organisation of the service/psychological pathway and to the ongoing development and improvement of this.
To build good working relationships across the multidisciplinary team.
To effectively communicate psychological information with other professions and agencies.
They will attend and contribute to the Somerset Fatigue Service team meetings, team supervision sessions and Away Days.
They will attend the peer supervision, Trust practitioner Psychology meetings and Clinical Health Psychology meetings, as agreed with their supervisor.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Psychology degree (2:2 or above; BPS accredited).Eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
Desirable
- Basic knowledge and understanding of psychological practice in health settings and/or persistent fatigue (ME/CFS & Post Covid-19 Syndrome/Long Covid).Familiarity with the Bio-Psycho-Social framework and applications of this.Understanding of the self-management approach.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with people with physical and/or mental health difficultiesAn ability to apply psychological theory, principles and understanding in practice.Experience of developing therapeutic relationships with people who can be hard to engage.
Desirable
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of patients with persistent fatigue and associated symptoms.Experience of assisting with teaching, training and providing consultation.
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Evidence of a good standard of literacy/ English language skillsAbility to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, clinically sensitive information to clients, their families/carers and other professional colleagues, both within and outside the NHS.Ability to work independently and use initiative.To plan and organise time effectively and prioritise tasks where required.Willingness to use technology to improve standards of care and support to our patients.Ability to take instruction and direction and work as a member of the team,
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Psychology degree (2:2 or above; BPS accredited).Eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
Desirable
- Basic knowledge and understanding of psychological practice in health settings and/or persistent fatigue (ME/CFS & Post Covid-19 Syndrome/Long Covid).Familiarity with the Bio-Psycho-Social framework and applications of this.Understanding of the self-management approach.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with people with physical and/or mental health difficultiesAn ability to apply psychological theory, principles and understanding in practice.Experience of developing therapeutic relationships with people who can be hard to engage.
Desirable
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of patients with persistent fatigue and associated symptoms.Experience of assisting with teaching, training and providing consultation.
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Evidence of a good standard of literacy/ English language skillsAbility to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, clinically sensitive information to clients, their families/carers and other professional colleagues, both within and outside the NHS.Ability to work independently and use initiative.To plan and organise time effectively and prioritise tasks where required.Willingness to use technology to improve standards of care and support to our patients.Ability to take instruction and direction and work as a member of the team,
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.
