Assistant Psychologist

There is an exciting opportunity to work as an Assistant Psychologist in a service which increasingly values and respects the importance of therapeutic working on Psychiatric wards. You will be based over the acute wards on Dartford site.

You will work with a multi-disciplinary team which includes Medical staff, Nurses, Health Care Workers, Occupational Therapists and Psychological staff. The team works with clients who have severe and complex mental health problems and who are in crisis. As part of this team you will be working with others in providing therapeutic interventions under clinical supervision.

You will receive regular management professional and clinical supervision from a qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist. The post will also support audit and performance work. You will report to the service Leads for this work. Prior experience of work with people with mental health difficulties desirable.
- To participate in the provision of Psychological Services to adults with mental health difficulties within the localities served by the Trust.
- To work as an integral part of the mental health in-patient ward team.
- The assistant will bring a psychologically informed perspective to the ward and generic work and will liaising closely with the other team members.
- To meet with Service users and under supervision and in conjunction with colleagues, devise and implement effective individualised programmes of support on the ward.
- Formulate implement and review person centred care plans including the psychological treatment and management of the service user’s problems working closely with the service users and senior staff.

Come and work with us in the Garden of England where we combine exceptional professional development opportunities with a tremendous quality of life.

We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people across the county.

The Trust (rated Good overall by the CQC and Outstanding for care) has 3,283 staff working in 66 buildings across 33 locations, covering an area of 1,450 square miles.

You will be joining friendly, passionate colleagues, rich in their diversity, who are committed to providing excellent care to our service users and their loved ones.

The nature of our work attracts kindness and compassion as standard and everyone from our cleaners and porters to the chief executive and chairman are recognised as playing a vital role in providing an exemplary service.
1. To undertake psychological assessment of adults with complex, severe and enduring mental health difficulties referred to the mental health team, utilising information from a range of structured psychometric and semi-structured clinical methodologies under the guidance of a qualified psychologist.
2. To implement plans of specialist psychological treatment or management of client’s mental health problems formulated by a qualified psychologist.
3. To undertake a range of skills-based or protocol-driven psychological therapeutic interventions, in the light of an ongoing evaluation of the outcomes of the intervention under the clinical supervision and guidance of a qualified psychologist.
4. To provide psychological guidance and support to carers and families of service users under clinical supervision of a qualified psychologist.
5. To use initiative and act independently within guidelines, knowing when to refer to a qualified psychologist for clinical decisions and guidance.
6. To be involved in the delivery of delivering appropriate group activities
7. To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary meetings
8. To monitor and report any changes, both positive and negative, within the Service User’s life to relevant others; housing, care co-ordinators, line manager, professional lead etc.