Job summary
National and Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (N&S CAMHS) are seeking to recruit an enthusiastic and organised Assistant Psychologist to fulfil audit and clinical support roles in the Outreach team at the Maudsley Centre for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders (MCCAED). MCCAED is a busy multi-disciplinary service which receives a high volume of referrals each week. The post-holder will support the team during assessments and through management of routine outcome measures for young people. There will be opportunity for involvement in meal support and therapy groups for young people with eating disorders.
This post will provide you with the opportunity to work in an internationally recognised service that developed current NICE recommended eating disorder focused family therapy.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will assist practitioner psychologists and other multi-disciplinary team members in the delivery of a specialist applied formulation-based service in MCCAED, supporting children and young people with eating disorders and their families.
Key responsibilities:
1. Routine outcome measurement collection: to be responsible for the collation and dissemination of routine outcome measures at assessment and discharge.2. Maintaining records: to be responsible to generating reports, recording outcomes in clinical notes, and maintaining databases for audit.3. Service audits: to be responsible for data gathering and interpretation for service audits.4. Assessment support: to be responsible for detailed note taking of multidisciplinary assessments, and for subsequent report writing.5. Psychological groups: provide support for clinicians delivering groups to young people and families, which may involve material development, note taking and co-facilitation.6. Research team support: facilitate the running of research and audit in the team by preparing resources as needed by colleagues, recruitment of participants and data collection.7. Other: appropriate duties related to the service and research projects e.g. sourcing relevant materials, literature searches and meetings as required.8. Supervision: to receive supervision from a Clinical Psychologist in accordance with professional practice guidelines and develop skills and competencies that enhance own practice.
About us
About our location:
The Maudsley Centre for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders is based at the Michael Rutter Centre for Children and Young People, Maudsley Hospital, which is located at Denmark Hill less than 5 minutes from the train station (zone 2). Our Trust headquarters is also located at Denmark Hill. (Due to move to the Pears Maudsley Children and Young People (PMCYP) at the Maudsley Hospital in late 2025/early 2026)
Flexible working:
As one of the few Trusts in London we are proud to offer flexible working as part of our new ways of working, and we are happy to talk flexible working at the interview stage. In this role you will be able to work Monday to Friday in the time frames from 09:00 to17:00, but this role alsomay include working early mornings, later evenings or Saturdays as part of the core working hours/working pattern for this post.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical and Client Care To be involved in the multidisciplinary assessment of young people and their families for treatment in the MCCAED Service. To be responsible for detailed note taking and subsequent report writing. To provide support for clinicians delivering groups to young people and families, which may involve material development, note taking and co-facilitation. To be responsible to generating reports, recording outcomes in clinical notes, and maintaining databases for audit. To be responsible for the collation and dissemination of routine outcome measures at assessment, and for administering, collating, and disseminating routine outcome measures at discharge. You may have the opportunity to participate in wider MCCAED activities, such as observing assessments in other MCCAED teams, attending service-wide teaching and training events, and attending research meetings. Contributing to team or service clinical functioning To contribute to the effective working of the MCCAED team by managing databases to track processes or progress through pathways and keeping them up to date. Co-ordinate organisational issues and facilitate assessment and treatment sessions as required. This involves interacting with a range of young people and their families. To act in a manner that contributes to the effective working of MCCAED and supports a psychologically informed framework for the service. To contribute to the team or services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities. Policy and service development To follow policies and procedures in own area of work. To participate in the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities. To contribute to service development through participating in appropriate projects. Care or management of resources To take care of, and use carefully, the Trusts equipment and physical resources. To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed. Teaching and Training To participate in demonstrating work methods to newly recruited Assistant Psychologists and to support their development of necessary skills. To contribute to the dissemination of research and service evaluation findings through presentations or published articles. To assist senior clinicians in delivering teaching/training as needed. Record-keeping and Information Governance To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures. To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry (under the supervision of practitioner psychologists and other senior clinicians). Research and development To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects to inform service development, training provision and research activities. To undertake data collection, input and database management, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes. To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist in the development of evidence base to support the clinical practice of the team. To conduct surveys with service users and carers to gather views on service provision (with the guidance of senior clinicians). Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development To receive regular clinical and professional supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines. To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties and enhance own practice. To undertake personal training relevant to the post in agreement with the supervising psychologist and the manager. To adhere to the relevant regulatory Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures. General To travel as part of the work of the service as appropriate and across the Trust when required. To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group and follow trust policies relating to its management. To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations and challenging behaviours and to support others involved in such situations. To take responsibility for seeking supervision and support for yourself and not going beyond your scope of practice. To work flexibly which may include offering some regular commitment to late clinics or Saturday working, within the overall Job Plan. It is expected that you may need to work some hours outside of normal office hours and be flexible in your ability to change your working pattern frequently and at short notice to meet the needs of the service. To work within an MDT and actively promote relationships with colleagues that support open communication and collaborative working, taking personal responsibility for your contribution to the process of MDT working. This will include liaising closely with team members, wider MCCAED staff, and other staff members at the Michael Rutter Centre.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical and Client Care To be involved in the multidisciplinary assessment of young people and their families for treatment in the MCCAED Service. To be responsible for detailed note taking and subsequent report writing. To provide support for clinicians delivering groups to young people and families, which may involve material development, note taking and co-facilitation. To be responsible to generating reports, recording outcomes in clinical notes, and maintaining databases for audit. To be responsible for the collation and dissemination of routine outcome measures at assessment, and for administering, collating, and disseminating routine outcome measures at discharge. You may have the opportunity to participate in wider MCCAED activities, such as observing assessments in other MCCAED teams, attending service-wide teaching and training events, and attending research meetings. Contributing to team or service clinical functioning To contribute to the effective working of the MCCAED team by managing databases to track processes or progress through pathways and keeping them up to date. Co-ordinate organisational issues and facilitate assessment and treatment sessions as required. This involves interacting with a range of young people and their families. To act in a manner that contributes to the effective working of MCCAED and supports a psychologically informed framework for the service. To contribute to the team or services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities. Policy and service development To follow policies and procedures in own area of work. To participate in the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities. To contribute to service development through participating in appropriate projects. Care or management of resources To take care of, and use carefully, the Trusts equipment and physical resources. To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed. Teaching and Training To participate in demonstrating work methods to newly recruited Assistant Psychologists and to support their development of necessary skills. To contribute to the dissemination of research and service evaluation findings through presentations or published articles. To assist senior clinicians in delivering teaching/training as needed. Record-keeping and Information Governance To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures. To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry (under the supervision of practitioner psychologists and other senior clinicians). Research and development To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects to inform service development, training provision and research activities. To undertake data collection, input and database management, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes. To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist in the development of evidence base to support the clinical practice of the team. To conduct surveys with service users and carers to gather views on service provision (with the guidance of senior clinicians). Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development To receive regular clinical and professional supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines. To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties and enhance own practice. To undertake personal training relevant to the post in agreement with the supervising psychologist and the manager. To adhere to the relevant regulatory Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures. General To travel as part of the work of the service as appropriate and across the Trust when required. To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group and follow trust policies relating to its management. To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations and challenging behaviours and to support others involved in such situations. To take responsibility for seeking supervision and support for yourself and not going beyond your scope of practice. To work flexibly which may include offering some regular commitment to late clinics or Saturday working, within the overall Job Plan. It is expected that you may need to work some hours outside of normal office hours and be flexible in your ability to change your working pattern frequently and at short notice to meet the needs of the service. To work within an MDT and actively promote relationships with colleagues that support open communication and collaborative working, taking personal responsibility for your contribution to the process of MDT working. This will include liaising closely with team members, wider MCCAED staff, and other staff members at the Michael Rutter Centre.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- A First-class or Upper-second-class Bachelors degree with Honours in Psychology or an equivalent conversion course that is accredited by the British Psychological Society and confers the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society. (A)
Desirable
- Additional training or courses relevant for working with people with eating disorders and/or with families
Experience
Essential
- Experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs in order to be able to work clinically without direct supervision. (A/I)
- Experience of conducting research projects or audits. (A/I)
Desirable
- Experience of working with young people with eating disorders. (A/I)
- Experience of working with families. (A/I)
Understanding and knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of psychological research methodology and statistical analysis. (A/I/T)
- Good knowledge of the needs of young people with eating difficulties and of methods of assessment, treatment and support. (A/I)
- Awareness of racial and diversity issues. (A/I/T)
Desirable
- Knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics relevant to childhood Eating Disorders. (A)
- A good working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and skills in statistical data analysis (SPSS). (A/I/T)
- A good working knowledge and understanding of young people and families in a mental health setting (A/I)
- Knowledge of psychological interventions within the following models: CBT, DBT or systemic. (A)
Skills
Essential
- Skills in applying theory practice links (A/I/T)
- Skills in providing/supporting teaching and training provided by psychologists or others to other professional groups. (A/I)
- Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data. (A/I/T)
Desirable
- Skills to work effectively within a multi- disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles. (A)
- Skills in providing meal support for people with an eating disorder. (A/I)
- Skills in working clinically in the NHS. (A/I)
- Skills and experience in publishing and disseminating research. (A/I)
Abilities
Essential
- Ability to work effectively within a multi- disciplinary team, participating in effective team functioning and holding team roles. (A/I)
- Ability to manage occasional emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour. (A/I)
- Ability to communicate complex, sensitive or contentious information to people who may have impediments to understanding. (A/I)
Desirable
- Ability to carry out research or clinical audit and familiarity with research methods relevant to treatment evaluation. (A/I)
- Ability to co-facilitate therapeutic groups. (A/I)
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- A First-class or Upper-second-class Bachelors degree with Honours in Psychology or an equivalent conversion course that is accredited by the British Psychological Society and confers the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society. (A)
Desirable
- Additional training or courses relevant for working with people with eating disorders and/or with families
Experience
Essential
- Experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs in order to be able to work clinically without direct supervision. (A/I)
- Experience of conducting research projects or audits. (A/I)
Desirable
- Experience of working with young people with eating disorders. (A/I)
- Experience of working with families. (A/I)
Understanding and knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of psychological research methodology and statistical analysis. (A/I/T)
- Good knowledge of the needs of young people with eating difficulties and of methods of assessment, treatment and support. (A/I)
- Awareness of racial and diversity issues. (A/I/T)
Desirable
- Knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics relevant to childhood Eating Disorders. (A)
- A good working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and skills in statistical data analysis (SPSS). (A/I/T)
- A good working knowledge and understanding of young people and families in a mental health setting (A/I)
- Knowledge of psychological interventions within the following models: CBT, DBT or systemic. (A)
Skills
Essential
- Skills in applying theory practice links (A/I/T)
- Skills in providing/supporting teaching and training provided by psychologists or others to other professional groups. (A/I)
- Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data. (A/I/T)
Desirable
- Skills to work effectively within a multi- disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles. (A)
- Skills in providing meal support for people with an eating disorder. (A/I)
- Skills in working clinically in the NHS. (A/I)
- Skills and experience in publishing and disseminating research. (A/I)
Abilities
Essential
- Ability to work effectively within a multi- disciplinary team, participating in effective team functioning and holding team roles. (A/I)
- Ability to manage occasional emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour. (A/I)
- Ability to communicate complex, sensitive or contentious information to people who may have impediments to understanding. (A/I)
Desirable
- Ability to carry out research or clinical audit and familiarity with research methods relevant to treatment evaluation. (A/I)
- Ability to co-facilitate therapeutic groups. (A/I)
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).
