Job summary
Band 4 Assistant Psychologist working for the Cambridge Adult Locality Teams (Psychosis pathway) with the adult mental health population.
Due to continued success with our Assistant Psychologists getting onto doctoral and clinical associate psychologist programmes, we have an exciting opportunity for enthusiastic, motivated, compassionate, and conscientious Assistant Psychologist to join the Cambridge Adult Locality Teams within the psychosis pathway.
The role will include the opportunity to undertake direct clinical work under the supervision of a Clinical Psychologist.
We expect to receive a high volume of applications and will close the advert early if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Please therefore only apply if you meet the essential criteria listed in the job description. Failure to do so may result in a suitable candidate missing out on the opportunity to apply.
Main duties of the job
- To support and enhance the professional psychological care of service users with a range of complex presentations within secondary adult mental health locality teams.
- Undertake clinically supervised work with service users on a one to one basis delivering psychological/therapeutic interventions
- Under supervision, plan, organise and teach on a variety of psycho-educational courses.
- Work independently according to a plan agreed with qualified psychologists and within the overall framework of the team's policies and procedures.
- Undertake R&D activities under the supervision of responsible psychologist or others: to assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, and development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work.
About us
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health & social care organisation dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion to improve the health & wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting & empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.
Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services not only via inpatient and primary care setting but also with the community. These services include Children, Adult & Older Peoples mental & physical health, Forensic & Specialist mental health, Learning Disabilities, Primary Care & Liaison psychiatry, Substance misuse, Social care, Research & Development.To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high calibre candidates that share our vision & values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including disabled people & members of our ethnic minorities & LGBTQ+ communities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.
- To provide psychological interventions and maintain a clinical caseload, under supervision from the psychologists.
- To support the psychology team and wider locality team in psychological assessment, care provision, planning and delivery of evidence-based interventions.
- To assist the psychology team in the development of individual or group clinical materials or training materials, such as the development of treatment manuals and group interventions.
- As required, to support the team in delivering, managing and evaluating other psychological interventions, such as psychology groups.
- To act in a manner that supports a psychologically informed framework for the service.
- To assess and manage risk within an appropriate psychological framework.
- To ensure that service users are appropriately consulted about relevant aspects of their care and are empowered to express their views in a responsive environment.
- To communicate skilfully, tactfully and sensitively highly complex and highly sensitive information with service users, families and colleagues.
- To work with the appropriate degree of autonomy and report appropriately to the designated line manager according to Trust occupational guidelines.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.
- To provide psychological interventions and maintain a clinical caseload, under supervision from the psychologists.
- To support the psychology team and wider locality team in psychological assessment, care provision, planning and delivery of evidence-based interventions.
- To assist the psychology team in the development of individual or group clinical materials or training materials, such as the development of treatment manuals and group interventions.
- As required, to support the team in delivering, managing and evaluating other psychological interventions, such as psychology groups.
- To act in a manner that supports a psychologically informed framework for the service.
- To assess and manage risk within an appropriate psychological framework.
- To ensure that service users are appropriately consulted about relevant aspects of their care and are empowered to express their views in a responsive environment.
- To communicate skilfully, tactfully and sensitively highly complex and highly sensitive information with service users, families and colleagues.
- To work with the appropriate degree of autonomy and report appropriately to the designated line manager according to Trust occupational guidelines.
Person Specification
Education/ Qualifications
Essential
- An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology
- Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
Desirable
- Further post graduate training or a doctoral degree in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working in an NHS mental health setting
- Experience using databases or data-analysis
- Experience of supporting collation of data as part of routine service delivery
- Experience of working in a team or a group environment
Desirable
- Experience of paid work in direct care provision
- Experience of setting up and managing a therapeutic intervention project
- Experience of delivering structured therapy programmes (practical working knowledge of at least one relevant psychological approach e.g. CBT)
- Experience of assisting in the delivery of therapeutic groups
- Experience of working with people with mental distress
- Experience of completing risk assessment
- Experience of working with clients with cognitive difficulties
- Experience of psychometric testing, scoring and report writing
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to service users, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance
- An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context
- Ability to understand research materials
- Ability to interpret data as part of service evaluation and possible research
- Ability to recognise limits of competence and seek support when needed
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively
- Able to contain and work with high levels of distress from service users
- Good organisational and time managements skills
- Ability and willingness to reflect on work practice and be open to constructive feedback
Knowledge & Understanding
Essential
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities
- An understanding of psychology applied to health care
- An understanding of multidisciplinary therapeutic approaches to intervention
- An understanding of current, evidence based, stepped care models of care as detailed in NICE guidance
Physical Requirements
Essential
- Ability to travel across CPFT locality
- Ability to sit for long periods
Other
Essential
- Positive approach
- Recognise people's right to privacy and dignity, treating every person with respect
- Willingness to embrace integrated model and new ways of working
- Willingness to be flexible in approach and attitude
Desirable
- An interest in working with people with mental health problems or other disabilities
- A desire to explore a career in Professional Psychology
Person Specification
Education/ Qualifications
Essential
- An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology
- Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
Desirable
- Further post graduate training or a doctoral degree in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working in an NHS mental health setting
- Experience using databases or data-analysis
- Experience of supporting collation of data as part of routine service delivery
- Experience of working in a team or a group environment
Desirable
- Experience of paid work in direct care provision
- Experience of setting up and managing a therapeutic intervention project
- Experience of delivering structured therapy programmes (practical working knowledge of at least one relevant psychological approach e.g. CBT)
- Experience of assisting in the delivery of therapeutic groups
- Experience of working with people with mental distress
- Experience of completing risk assessment
- Experience of working with clients with cognitive difficulties
- Experience of psychometric testing, scoring and report writing
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to service users, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance
- An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context
- Ability to understand research materials
- Ability to interpret data as part of service evaluation and possible research
- Ability to recognise limits of competence and seek support when needed
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively
- Able to contain and work with high levels of distress from service users
- Good organisational and time managements skills
- Ability and willingness to reflect on work practice and be open to constructive feedback
Knowledge & Understanding
Essential
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities
- An understanding of psychology applied to health care
- An understanding of multidisciplinary therapeutic approaches to intervention
- An understanding of current, evidence based, stepped care models of care as detailed in NICE guidance
Physical Requirements
Essential
- Ability to travel across CPFT locality
- Ability to sit for long periods
Other
Essential
- Positive approach
- Recognise people's right to privacy and dignity, treating every person with respect
- Willingness to embrace integrated model and new ways of working
- Willingness to be flexible in approach and attitude
Desirable
- An interest in working with people with mental health problems or other disabilities
- A desire to explore a career in Professional Psychology
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
