Assistant Psychologist

Job description

Job responsibilities

The work of the assistant psychologist under the supervision of a qualified Clinical Psychologist may, from time to time, include any of the following:

• To undertake protocol based psychological assessments of service users applying psychological measures, including psychometric assessments, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with service users, family member and others involved in the service users care.
• To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all users of the service, across all settings where care takes place.
• To assist in the formulation and delivery of intervention plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a service users problems, under the supervision of a Clinical Psychologist.
• To assist in the co-ordination and running of intervention groups, activities, social skills groups, and to be an integrated member of the multi-disciplinary team.
• To work with other staff to assess service users in preparation for multidisciplinary reviews.
• To attend and contribute to appropriate team and multiple discipline meetings.
• To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and HPFT policies and procedures.
• To maintain contemporaneous psychological records using the Trust electronic database (Paris).
• To prepare test materials and visual aids, as required.
• To perform other duties, appropriate to their grade, that may be required from time to time by the supervising Clinical Psychologist.
• To work flexibly but responsive to service user needs as agreed with the supervising Clinical Psychologist and in discussion with the relevant manager.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
• An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology.

Desirable

• Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
• An interest in working with people with learning disability, autism, mental health problems or other disabilities.

Experience

Essential

• An understanding of psychology applied to a learning disability context.
• A desire to explore a career in Professional Psychology
• Experience of or work with people with learning disability or mental health and/or other disabilities.

Desirable

• Experience of paid work in direct care provision.
• Experience and competence in using cognitive-behavioural therapeutic techniques or other relevant approaches.

Skills

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, cares and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance.
• An ability to interact with people with autism spectrum disorders and learning disabilities.
• An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.

Desirable

• Experience using computers for databases or data-analysis
• High standard of report writing.
• Competence using IT and media equipment

Analytical Skills

Essential

• An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a learning disability and autism spectrum context.
• Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
• An ability to make recommendations regarding changes in their own clinical practice according to best practice.
• The Assistant Psychologist will need to be able to recognise and report situations where there might be a need for protection.

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Kao Park, Reception 2

London Road

Harlow

CM17 9NA

Employer's website

https://www.hpft.nhs.uk/careers/ (Opens in a new tab)