Higher Assistant Psychologist

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for two, permanent full-time Higher Assistant Psychologists positions. You will join the Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams (CRHTTs) in the Darlington and Durham locality within the Adult Mental Health (AMH) service.

You will join a welcoming MDT in the provision of compassionate, trauma informed care to individuals in need of Crisis services (as an alternative to hospital admission). You work will within the home-based treatment part of the service. The team consists of a Team Manager, Modern Matron, Mental Health Nurses, Psychology, Social workers and Consultant Psychiatrists. The successful candidates will be supervised by our Consultant Psychologist and will have support from the multi-disciplinary team.

The successful candidate will have a degree in Psychology and must possess excellent communication skills. Applicants should be enthusiastic and highly motivated. Previous experience of working as an Assistant Psychologist and delivering psychological interventions to people experiencing mental health difficulties is essential.

The role requires candidates to be able to drive as care is delivered within home environments and community settings.Each post holder will be based in one of the team bases within the locality. However, the successful applicants may be required to work across both bases (on occasion) depending on the service need.

Main duties of the job

A significant part of the role will involve direct work with Service Users and Carers. The post holders shall work under the supervision of an experienced Qualified Applied Consultant Psychologist in supporting the co-creation of MDT formulations with our Service Users and further assessment where needed to inform care planning. Delivery of brief psychologically informed interventions and further development of safety plans with our Service Users will be part of the role. There may also be opportunities for audit and service evaluation as well as protected time for professional development.

About us

The Crisis and Home Treatment Service for Durham & Darlington is committed to delivering high quality care to patients in the community as an alternative to hospital admission. The model of service delivery aims to provide timely, evidence-based and accessible mental health assessment and treatment to meet the needs of patients. This post provides an excellent opportunity to develop clinically within supportive team.

Psychologists & Psychological Therapists provide key leadership roles within the Trust. To support this we have developed leadership profiles for each psychology band and the profile card associated with this post is attached on NHS Jobs. You can find more information about the NHS Leadership Academy's Healthcare Leadership Model and the profiles at their website. We encourage you to look at these resources as they will play a part in the interview process.