Job summary
The Mental Health Integrated Community Service (MHICS) in Slough has an exciting opportunity for an Assistant Psychologist (full time, Monday-Friday 9-5) to join our multidisciplinary team, with some work across the rest of East Berkshire. This vacancy will be available from late July/early August 2024.
MHICS is a community-based mental health service. We work closely with GP Surgeries, Drug and Alcohol Services and Talking Therapies; providing short-term treatment to people whose mental health needs are such that they require more intensive and specialist treatment than Primary Care alone can provide, but who do not generally require Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) involvement. However, we also work very closely and share and office with the CMHT, and many of our patients have had treatment from the CMHT earlier in their recovery journey.
Assistant Psychologists deliver a range of short-term interventions within MHICS under the supervision of a qualified Psychologist. This includes helping service users to access and work with online CBT packages, often as an adjunct to therapeutic intervention with other members of the team, but also as a stand-alone. The role may also include co-facilitating group work online and Face-to-Face.
If you would like to have an informal discussion about this vacancy, please contact Dr Masrita Ishaq (Principal Counselling Psychologist) at Masrita.ishaq@berkshire.nhs.uk
Main duties of the job
- Work under the supervision of a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to fulfil duties associated with the provision of psychological interventions to service users with significant mental health issues.
- Collaborate with service users and their families/carers as appropriate to develop individual and achievable goals and to enable service users to work towards recovery.
- Provide specific, time limited support to service users accessing online CBT.
- Provide additional psychological support within MHICS as required.
- Assess/monitor risks and act to manage these in discussion/collaboration with supervisor or other colleagues to ensure these are appropriately and safely managed.
- Provide information to other team members and multi-agency colleagues to support the particular needs of the service user and to ensure any risks are appropriately managed.
- Ensure clinical records, letters, reports, and other data entry requirements are complete, up to date and of a good quality in line with relevant policies and are reviewed by the supervisor before being shared appropriately within the limits of confidentiality.
- Develop and maintain relationships with other teams and professionals from other agencies as required to facilitate a coordinated approach and to provide mental health information and advice as required.
About us
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust isa specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire.
We value diversity and are proud to be a Stonewall Top 100 Employer. We work hard to create an inclusive environment where you'll be supported by friendly and professional colleagues to flourish.
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare:
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.
Benefits of working for us include:
- Flexible working options to support work-life balance.
- 27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
- Generous NHS pension scheme
- Excellent learning and career development opportunities
- 'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme
- Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
- Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
- Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities and armed forces community to support equality
- Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave.
- Free parking across Trust sites
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Work jointly with, and offer training to, other mental health workers to enable and support the delivery of evidence-based psychological interventions.
- Undertake administrative, audit, service evaluation and research tasks as directed and to analyse and report the data and findings in good quality reports and presentations as required.
- Ensure services are delivered in a manner that is appropriate, relevant and respectful to all community members, recognising the diversity of ethnicity, culture, belief, privilege and capacity of family members.
The4 must haves for you to be considered for this role:
- An upper second class (2:1) honours degree or higher in psychology.
- Awareness, knowledge and skills of evidence-based psychological interventions as relevant to this role, particularly Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotional.
- Experience of supporting people with significant mental health problems in community settings.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Work jointly with, and offer training to, other mental health workers to enable and support the delivery of evidence-based psychological interventions.
- Undertake administrative, audit, service evaluation and research tasks as directed and to analyse and report the data and findings in good quality reports and presentations as required.
- Ensure services are delivered in a manner that is appropriate, relevant and respectful to all community members, recognising the diversity of ethnicity, culture, belief, privilege and capacity of family members.
The4 must haves for you to be considered for this role:
- An upper second class (2:1) honours degree or higher in psychology.
- Awareness, knowledge and skills of evidence-based psychological interventions as relevant to this role, particularly Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotional.
- Experience of supporting people with significant mental health problems in community settings.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications/Training
Essential
- An upper second class (2:1) honours degree or higher in psychology
- Associate member of the BPS
Continuous Professional Development
Essential
- Able to demonstrate additional interest and/ or learning in relevant areas of applied psychology and mental health practice
Previous Experience
Desirable
- Previous experience of delivering CBT informed interventions under supervision
- Experience of providing direct care provision
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Awareness, knowledge and skills of evidence-based psychological interventions as relevant to this role, particularly Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotional
- High standard of letter and report writing
- Appreciation of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health difficulties.
- Ability to apply existing professional knowledge within a mental health context
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to service users, carers and colleagues
Desirable
- Excellent IT skills including knowledge of Microsoft Office
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively
- Ability to interact and engage with people who may be experiencing mental health difficulties
- Ability to interact effectively with staff from other disciplines
- Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently to deliver work as agreed and managed at regular intervals
- Ability to recognise the limits of own competencies and to seek supervision and support as required to practice safely and within professional guidelines
- Able to commute or travel between localities
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications/Training
Essential
- An upper second class (2:1) honours degree or higher in psychology
- Associate member of the BPS
Continuous Professional Development
Essential
- Able to demonstrate additional interest and/ or learning in relevant areas of applied psychology and mental health practice
Previous Experience
Desirable
- Previous experience of delivering CBT informed interventions under supervision
- Experience of providing direct care provision
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Awareness, knowledge and skills of evidence-based psychological interventions as relevant to this role, particularly Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotional
- High standard of letter and report writing
- Appreciation of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health difficulties.
- Ability to apply existing professional knowledge within a mental health context
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to service users, carers and colleagues
Desirable
- Excellent IT skills including knowledge of Microsoft Office
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively
- Ability to interact and engage with people who may be experiencing mental health difficulties
- Ability to interact effectively with staff from other disciplines
- Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently to deliver work as agreed and managed at regular intervals
- Ability to recognise the limits of own competencies and to seek supervision and support as required to practice safely and within professional guidelines
- Able to commute or travel between localities
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).
