Assistant Psychologist

This is an exciting opportunity to join a psychology service based in a physical healthcare trust. The postholder will assist the qualified clinical psychologists in the preparation, instigation and evaluation of a variety of clinical work and departmental projects. They will undertake clinically supervised work with clients on a one to one basis and will also undertake group work in collaboration with a qualified Psychologist. They will work across the service with areas of most need being prioritised by the supervising psychologist. The postholder will help plan, organise and participate in training carried out in the service. They will also undertake clinical governance, research and data collection activities under the guidance of the supervising psychologist(s). The postholder will be expected to attend regular clinical supervision sessions.
- To assist in psychological assessment of clients.
- Develop trusting and empathic relationships with clients and be able to communicate highly emotive information with clarity and sensitivity.
- To assist in the preparation, coordination and running of therapeutic groups.
- Participate in relevant multi-disciplinary teams and work collaboratively with other health professionals.
- To support service development projects including clinical governance projects with direction from the supervising psychologist

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Clinical Health Psychology Service. We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic Assistant Psychologist who will be able to work within a supervised context, to carry out psychological assessments and therapies for people with physical health conditions and their families. There may also be some opportunities for teaching and training other staff and supporting various projects running in the service, primarily in the community setting.

The post-holder will be part of the Clinical Health Psychology Service which works in a number of areas across the trust, including Stroke, Cancer, Neurological Rehab, General medical, Pain, and HIV. Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust has combined acute hospital and community services and works closely with local social, mental health and voluntary services as well as neighbouring trusts.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical

1.1 To assist in psychological assessment of clients through formal psychometric testing, direct and indirect observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care as appropriate and under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist.

1.2 Develop trusting and empathic relationships with clients and be able to communicate highly emotive information with clarity and sensitivity within limits of competence.

1.3 To assist in the preparation, coordination and running of therapeutic groups where appropriate and under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist

1.4 To implement programmes of psychological care or intervention as directed by the supervising clinical psychologist.

1.5 To evaluate intervention programmes as directed by the supervising clinical psychologist.

1.6 Participate in relevant multi-disciplinary teams and work collaboratively and in an integrated manner with other health professionals e.g. occupational therapists, medical consultants, nursing staff, physiotherapists, speech language therapists and other NHS and social services staff. This will include attending MDT meetings and facilitating development of multi-disciplinary formulations and communication of these.

1.7 To be capable of working in clinical situations which require prolonged concentration and which may involve distressing or emotionally demanding circumstances or where there is risk of verbal or physical aggression.

1. Service Development

2.1 To be accountable to the service manager for clinical governance e.g. issues of quality, clinical effectiveness and clinical risk.

2.2 To support service development projects including clinical governance projects with direction from the supervising psychologist.

1. Research and Teaching Activity

3.1 To assist in the undertaking of any research projects on a supervised basis.

3.2 To undertake data collection, analysis, production of reports and summaries and use I.T. and statistical programmes as required.

3.3 To assist in the production of clinical/teaching/organisational materials as and when required. This may include using word processing/desktop publishing systems/powerpoint/excel/ access/printing/photocopying/binding and shredding.

3.4 To assist in the teaching and training of staff or clients as required.

3.5 To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified clinicians in evidence based practice in individual work, with groups, and with teams.

1. Professional responsibilities

4.1 To be responsible for the planning and prioritisation of own workload and activities following the direction and guidelines given by the supervisin