Job summary
We are seeking an Assistant Psychologist who is motivated to help change the lives of individuals experiencing a first episode of psychosis and their families. The post is based within the PATH Early Intervention in Psychosis Service. The post-holder will be based at our team base in Stevenage, working as part of a team serving people accessing services within East and North Hertfordshire.
Main duties of the job
You will be supervised by a Senior Psychologist within the EIP service and work alongside an MDT to support the delivery of holistic, evidence based care. The post includes assisting the psychologists and psychological therapists within EIP with specialist assessments (including administration of cognitive and standardised assessments inventories), preparation of professional reports, consultations to the multi-disciplinary team, specialist interventions (group and individual) and evaluation and audit of the service. You will join a dedicated and enthusiastic multi-disciplinary team committed to developing the highest standards of clinical assessment and treatment for those experiencing early psychosis and their families . There will be ample opportunity to develop and apply a wide range of core clinical psychology skills. You will be supported with an individual development plan and access to opportunities for continued professional development.
About us
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.
Our family of over 3500 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.
The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:
Our Trust values are:
Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.
These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!
Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?
Then please read on...
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To assist with specialised psychological assessments, formulations, treatments and other types of clinical intervention with individual service users, carers, families, groups of service users, etc; staff training; research and development activity.
- To provide Guided Self Help interventions for service users with First Episode Psychosis as per team protocol
- To work independently on a day-to-day basis. This work will be supervised and reviewed at regular intervals, in accordance with British Psychological Society guidelines; supervision will be offered by a qualified psychologist (although other qualified healthcare professionals may also contribute).
- To lead on collection of clinical outcome measures within the service and to produce reports based on the data at both an individual client and team level. To support the service to improve data collection rates.
- To assist in monitoring the services key performance indicators and clinical targets.
- To support research and audit, with the possibility of contributing to any publications arising from such projects.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To assist with specialised psychological assessments, formulations, treatments and other types of clinical intervention with individual service users, carers, families, groups of service users, etc; staff training; research and development activity.
- To provide Guided Self Help interventions for service users with First Episode Psychosis as per team protocol
- To work independently on a day-to-day basis. This work will be supervised and reviewed at regular intervals, in accordance with British Psychological Society guidelines; supervision will be offered by a qualified psychologist (although other qualified healthcare professionals may also contribute).
- To lead on collection of clinical outcome measures within the service and to produce reports based on the data at both an individual client and team level. To support the service to improve data collection rates.
- To assist in monitoring the services key performance indicators and clinical targets.
- To support research and audit, with the possibility of contributing to any publications arising from such projects.
Person Specification
KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Honours degree in psychology, 2.i or above
- Eligibility for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS)
Desirable
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Experience of working with people with physical, mental health and/or other disabilities
- Ability to cope with (on a daily basis) exposure to patients with first episode of psychosis, and their families presenting with a range of emotional/behavioural difficulties, often with very distressing and traumatic histories
- Ability to and experience of multi-disciplinary team working and inter-agency collaboration
- Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to an EIP context
- Ability to take the appropriate action to address any issues or risks
- Awareness of Child and Adult Safeguarding Procedures
- Capacity to work independently, reliably and consistently on a day-to-day basis where work is managed and goals agreed and reviewed at agreed intervals
- Ability to work within limits of own competence and responsibility and to refer issues beyond these limits to relevant people or to seek help if necessary
- Experience of service quality monitoring e.g. clinical audit, evaluative research, etc.
Desirable
- Experience of implementing supervised psychological treatment plans, either directly with individual clients or via a carer or other professionals
- Experience of using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy interventions with a clinical population
- Knowledge and awareness of specific clinical practices and issues relating to clients with psychosis
- Experience of working in an EIP service or the assessment and psychological treatment of clients with psychosis
- Experience of publishing articles in peer reviewed journals
SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/ABILITY COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Essential
- Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere will be highly emotive whilst maintaining a high degree of professionalism at all times
- Ability to interact effectively and communicate sensitive psychological information to clients, parents, carers and other professionals both within the health service and other agencies in a way that might address psychological resistance
- Ability to communicate with a wide range of people. Central to this is the ability to show empathy.
- Ability to keep accurate and complete records of activities and communications consistent with legislation, policies and procedures.
- Ability to make constructive suggestions to an appropriate person as to how services can be improved for users and the public
- Ability to time manage effectively and to work under pressure and to prioritise a clinical workload
ANALYTICAL SKILLS
Essential
- Experience and knowledge of auditing and monitoring outcome and/or client satisfaction in NHS services.
- Knowledge of formal auditing methods.
- Experience of using statistical packages for databases or data-analysis, especially SPSS for Windows
- Positive problem solving approach
Person Specification
KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Honours degree in psychology, 2.i or above
- Eligibility for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS)
Desirable
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Experience of working with people with physical, mental health and/or other disabilities
- Ability to cope with (on a daily basis) exposure to patients with first episode of psychosis, and their families presenting with a range of emotional/behavioural difficulties, often with very distressing and traumatic histories
- Ability to and experience of multi-disciplinary team working and inter-agency collaboration
- Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to an EIP context
- Ability to take the appropriate action to address any issues or risks
- Awareness of Child and Adult Safeguarding Procedures
- Capacity to work independently, reliably and consistently on a day-to-day basis where work is managed and goals agreed and reviewed at agreed intervals
- Ability to work within limits of own competence and responsibility and to refer issues beyond these limits to relevant people or to seek help if necessary
- Experience of service quality monitoring e.g. clinical audit, evaluative research, etc.
Desirable
- Experience of implementing supervised psychological treatment plans, either directly with individual clients or via a carer or other professionals
- Experience of using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy interventions with a clinical population
- Knowledge and awareness of specific clinical practices and issues relating to clients with psychosis
- Experience of working in an EIP service or the assessment and psychological treatment of clients with psychosis
- Experience of publishing articles in peer reviewed journals
SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/ABILITY COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Essential
- Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere will be highly emotive whilst maintaining a high degree of professionalism at all times
- Ability to interact effectively and communicate sensitive psychological information to clients, parents, carers and other professionals both within the health service and other agencies in a way that might address psychological resistance
- Ability to communicate with a wide range of people. Central to this is the ability to show empathy.
- Ability to keep accurate and complete records of activities and communications consistent with legislation, policies and procedures.
- Ability to make constructive suggestions to an appropriate person as to how services can be improved for users and the public
- Ability to time manage effectively and to work under pressure and to prioritise a clinical workload
ANALYTICAL SKILLS
Essential
- Experience and knowledge of auditing and monitoring outcome and/or client satisfaction in NHS services.
- Knowledge of formal auditing methods.
- Experience of using statistical packages for databases or data-analysis, especially SPSS for Windows
- Positive problem solving approach
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.
