MHST Assistant Psychologist / Aspiring Psychologist

Job description

Job responsibilities

We are looking for psychology graduates with at least a 2:2 undergraduate degree in psychology (eligible for graduate basis for registration with the BPS) or a conversion Masters to Psychology and an interest in pursuing a career in the Psychological Professions. Candidates do not need to have a wealth of experience for these posts but do need to show an aptitude for working psychologically with people with mental health needs and an ability to be self-reflective. Candidates meeting these criteria will then be selected on the basis of their experience of barriers to career progression (for example not being able to complete post-graduate studies or taking on honorary contracts) for a variety of reasons including:

- Caring responsibilities

- Lived experience of mental health difficulties

- Low socio-economic background

Various factors including lack of access to high quality secondary education, being in receipt of free school meals, being the first person to attend university in the family, will be taken into account during recruitment.

Candidates with existing masters degrees (other than a conversion Masters) or previous experience as an assistant psychologist (paid or unpaid) are not eligible to apply for these posts.

Successful post-holders will have the opportunity to gain experience of NHS working as a psychological professional in development, in the Mental Health Support Team. Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are a new service designed to support children and young people with mild to moderate mental health and emotional wellbeing in education settings.

We firmly hope that our assistant psychologists will progress into other roles in the psychological professions within the NELFT.

Please read the detailed job description and application guide.

Equal opportunities employer

We are committed to equal opportunities and diversity, are Disability Confident and therefore welcome applications from all sections of the community, people of all protected characteristics.

Correspondence with us

You are advised to regularly check your emails (including any junk mail/spam folders) for correspondence related to this post. In the event of a high number of responses to any advert, NELFT reserves the right to close the vacancy early. If you do not hear from us within three weeks of the closing date then please assume you have not been successful on this occasion.

Certificates of Sponsorship

Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points based system.

Use of AI

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

Person Specification

Essential

Essential

• Demonstration of NELFT Trust values

Education

Essential

• NVQ level 2 or equivalent standard of literacy and numeracy

Education

Essential

• An undergraduate degree in psychology, minimum 2:2 classification

Desirable

• Additional Knowledge of mental health issues and carer issues

Experience

Essential

• Experiences that could have contributed to barriers to entering a career in the psychological professions including: Low socioeconomic background, caring responsibilities, lived experience of mental health problems, lived experience of disability, having been in care.

Desirable

• At least six months experience working in a healthcare service

Experience

Essential

• Ability to reflect on these experiences and how they shape candidates perspective on improving access to services for marginalised groups.

Knowledge

Essential

• potential to work psychologically with diverse groups within our populations

Skills

Essential

• Good working knowledge of research and audit methods

Other

Essential

• Interest and commitment to developing a career in the psychological professions,

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

Address

Pheonix House

Christopher Martin Road

Basildon

SS143EZ

Employer's website

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