Job summary
We are seeking to recruit one or more Band 4 Assistant Psychologists to work across the hospital. The successful candidate will assist qualified psychologists within the hospital to deliver evidence based interventions to patients with longstanding mental health problems, including both mental illness and personality disorder. This may include delivering an appropriate range of assessments and interventions under close supervision, and contributing to service evaluation, audit and research projects. The successful candidate will be required to work flexibly across all aspects of the service.
As people from Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are under-represented within the psychology profession, we actively encourage applications from people from BAME backgrounds.
Applicants should have a first degree or conversion course in psychology which provides the Graduate Basis for Registration with the British Psychological Society. Experience of working with challenging mentally disordered patients and/or offenders is desirable, as is a commitment to working within a recovery-oriented and trauma-informed approach and good team working skills. The personal capacity to work in a highly challenging, secure environment is essential.
Main duties of the job
This post will involve providing psychological assessments, formulations and interventions focused on risk and mental health, under the supervision of a qualified member of the psychological services who will retain clinical responsibility for work carried out, and to assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work. The role involves working independently according to a plan agreed with the line manager and within the overall framework of the team's policies and procedures. Whilst clinical responsibility for work carried out will rest with the supervisor, the post holder will be responsible for developing and implementing formulation-driven, individualised treatment packages to meet the complex needs of our patient population. The post holder will also be responsible for ensuring that clinical records are completed and updated as required, and will communicate to the MDT about the work with their allocated patients and offer an opinion about ongoing care and treatment.
About us
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.
Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ 4,500 staff, of whom 56% are BME. Our turnover for 2023-24 is £426m.
The Trust is rated as 'Good' overallby the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as 'Outstanding'.
The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached.
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached.
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- An approved qualification in psychology conferring eligibility for graduate basis for registration with the British Psychological Society
Desirable
- Attendance at specialist short courses relevant to the post (e.g. Trauma Informed Care, Group Approaches, DBT training, CBT training)
Experience
Essential
- At least 6 months as an assistant psychologist, a research assistant or as an HCA or equivalent in either a setting for those with severe and enduring mental disorder, particularly including long term psychotic conditions and personality disorder, or in a forensic setting
- Experience of working in a multi-cultural service
- Ability to apply life experience to assist in reaching under-served patient groups within the Trust.
Desirable
- Experience of carrying out audit or research
- Experience of working with challenging behaviour
- Experience in a ward environment
- Lived experience of mental health difficulties and/or previous participation in personal therapy
- Conducting service-related research
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Good understanding and ability to apply formulations to presenting problems
- Basic understanding of mental health issues and approaches to treatment and intervention
- Basic understanding of health care systems and structures: staffing, roles and responsibilities, the role of hospitals, primary care and community care
- Graduate level knowledge of research design and methodology
- Up to date knowledge of psychological research and national guidance relevant to the client group
- Awareness of the potential impact of discrimination & disadvantage on mental health
- Ability to draw upon a specific theoretical knowledge base in the analysis of facts or situations to arrive at appropriate formulations, under clinical supervision
- Strong ability to engage with a variety of services, partners and stakeholders, and to expand existing networks
- To nurture and maintain strong working relationships with stakeholders
- Demonstrate excellent interpersonal, communication and active listening skills with service users, carers, staff and partners
- Work with people from a wide range of backgrounds
- Contain and work with organisational stress and able to hold the stress of others
- Manage effectively exposure to distressing/highly emotional circumstances
- Manage effectively verbal aggression from service users, families, etc. and the risk of physical aggression
- Respectful and collaborative approach to service users, families, carers, colleagues and other professionals
- Able to negotiate and ability to handle confrontation effectively and professionally
- Ability to use supervision appropriately and effectively
- Implement appropriate psychological assessment and interventions relevant to the client group
- Provide & receive sensitive information in a highly emotive and sometimes hostile atmosphere, in a defined setting
- Be flexible and adapt approach according to need
- Being able to work flexibly across local environments
- Awareness of diversity of cultural norms and being able to respond to this appropriately
- Concentrate intensely for a substantial proportion of working time, during client contact, teaching/supervision sessions, team meetings, preparing written work etc.
- Use IT packages - word processing, e-mail and internet, SPSS, Excel and Access
- Ability to use or learn NHS clinical systems
- Work cross-culturally and/or in different languages
- Work to professional guidelines
- Accept accountability for own work, and of working towards defined results
- Plan, organise and prioritise own workload
- Record and report on clinical information as required
Desirable
- To know about systems based interventions supporting ward safety. Eg. Safewards, No Force First,
- To know how to teach CBT, DBT skills to service users.
- To have an understanding of trauma-informed care.
Other Requirements
Essential
- Ability to discuss personal reactions (thoughts, feelings, behaviours) in clinical supervision, reflective practice, formulation meetings to plan safer therapeutic care.
- To be courageous and interested in developing confidence in expressing an opinion which is different from the dominant view, but might be more helpful in supporting a service user.
- A desire to motivate, encourage, support others, and contribute to a collective care offer from the inpatient MDT that results in a positive experience for staff and service users.
- A desire to learn and use non-pathological language and terms which imply chronic disability and negatively impact of self-esteem and undermine recovery.
- To be able to tolerate witnessing extreme behaviour and listening to life histories which might contain disturbing facts (sexual trauma, physical abuse, neglect, violence, political and civil wars which deviate from the dominant accepted norm in the UK).
- To have an optimistic and pragmatic attitude and a proactive approach to identifying and implementing solutions which lead to keep the ward running smoothly.
- To be interested in a wide range of psychological concepts and show enthusiasm and interest in learning about a range of approaches (Systemic, behavioural, Trauma-informed, CBT, DBT, ACT, CAT, Schema).
- To be able to accept that people make mistakes and to be able to forgive.
- To have personal values aligned to forming positive relationships with service users and colleagues and a willingness to show behaviours that correspond to the Trust's Values.
- To want to promote a positive reputation for psychological services staff.
- Knowledge of the professional code of conduct of the BPS and the Health Care Professionals Council.
- To be capable of being guided by precedent, clearly defined policies, procedures and codes of conduct.
- To adhere to the security procedures on the ward.
- Able to accept the professional advice and guidance of qualified psychological therapists.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- An approved qualification in psychology conferring eligibility for graduate basis for registration with the British Psychological Society
Desirable
- Attendance at specialist short courses relevant to the post (e.g. Trauma Informed Care, Group Approaches, DBT training, CBT training)
Experience
Essential
- At least 6 months as an assistant psychologist, a research assistant or as an HCA or equivalent in either a setting for those with severe and enduring mental disorder, particularly including long term psychotic conditions and personality disorder, or in a forensic setting
- Experience of working in a multi-cultural service
- Ability to apply life experience to assist in reaching under-served patient groups within the Trust.
Desirable
- Experience of carrying out audit or research
- Experience of working with challenging behaviour
- Experience in a ward environment
- Lived experience of mental health difficulties and/or previous participation in personal therapy
- Conducting service-related research
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Good understanding and ability to apply formulations to presenting problems
- Basic understanding of mental health issues and approaches to treatment and intervention
- Basic understanding of health care systems and structures: staffing, roles and responsibilities, the role of hospitals, primary care and community care
- Graduate level knowledge of research design and methodology
- Up to date knowledge of psychological research and national guidance relevant to the client group
- Awareness of the potential impact of discrimination & disadvantage on mental health
- Ability to draw upon a specific theoretical knowledge base in the analysis of facts or situations to arrive at appropriate formulations, under clinical supervision
- Strong ability to engage with a variety of services, partners and stakeholders, and to expand existing networks
- To nurture and maintain strong working relationships with stakeholders
- Demonstrate excellent interpersonal, communication and active listening skills with service users, carers, staff and partners
- Work with people from a wide range of backgrounds
- Contain and work with organisational stress and able to hold the stress of others
- Manage effectively exposure to distressing/highly emotional circumstances
- Manage effectively verbal aggression from service users, families, etc. and the risk of physical aggression
- Respectful and collaborative approach to service users, families, carers, colleagues and other professionals
- Able to negotiate and ability to handle confrontation effectively and professionally
- Ability to use supervision appropriately and effectively
- Implement appropriate psychological assessment and interventions relevant to the client group
- Provide & receive sensitive information in a highly emotive and sometimes hostile atmosphere, in a defined setting
- Be flexible and adapt approach according to need
- Being able to work flexibly across local environments
- Awareness of diversity of cultural norms and being able to respond to this appropriately
- Concentrate intensely for a substantial proportion of working time, during client contact, teaching/supervision sessions, team meetings, preparing written work etc.
- Use IT packages - word processing, e-mail and internet, SPSS, Excel and Access
- Ability to use or learn NHS clinical systems
- Work cross-culturally and/or in different languages
- Work to professional guidelines
- Accept accountability for own work, and of working towards defined results
- Plan, organise and prioritise own workload
- Record and report on clinical information as required
Desirable
- To know about systems based interventions supporting ward safety. Eg. Safewards, No Force First,
- To know how to teach CBT, DBT skills to service users.
- To have an understanding of trauma-informed care.
Other Requirements
Essential
- Ability to discuss personal reactions (thoughts, feelings, behaviours) in clinical supervision, reflective practice, formulation meetings to plan safer therapeutic care.
- To be courageous and interested in developing confidence in expressing an opinion which is different from the dominant view, but might be more helpful in supporting a service user.
- A desire to motivate, encourage, support others, and contribute to a collective care offer from the inpatient MDT that results in a positive experience for staff and service users.
- A desire to learn and use non-pathological language and terms which imply chronic disability and negatively impact of self-esteem and undermine recovery.
- To be able to tolerate witnessing extreme behaviour and listening to life histories which might contain disturbing facts (sexual trauma, physical abuse, neglect, violence, political and civil wars which deviate from the dominant accepted norm in the UK).
- To have an optimistic and pragmatic attitude and a proactive approach to identifying and implementing solutions which lead to keep the ward running smoothly.
- To be interested in a wide range of psychological concepts and show enthusiasm and interest in learning about a range of approaches (Systemic, behavioural, Trauma-informed, CBT, DBT, ACT, CAT, Schema).
- To be able to accept that people make mistakes and to be able to forgive.
- To have personal values aligned to forming positive relationships with service users and colleagues and a willingness to show behaviours that correspond to the Trust's Values.
- To want to promote a positive reputation for psychological services staff.
- Knowledge of the professional code of conduct of the BPS and the Health Care Professionals Council.
- To be capable of being guided by precedent, clearly defined policies, procedures and codes of conduct.
- To adhere to the security procedures on the ward.
- Able to accept the professional advice and guidance of qualified psychological therapists.
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.
