Assistant Psychologist

Main duties and responsibilities of post holder Patient Care / Clinical Services The post holder will have a caseload of patients presenting with cancer distress. They will be responsible for delivering level 2 interventions with supervision from a clinical psychologist. They will work as part of an MDT and attend weekly referral meetings as well as having opportunity to participate in CPD events, business meetings, service development and clinical supervision meetings. The post holder will have opportunities to be involved in group work and project and service development work.
We currently have virtual reality project within oncology and a project within the Teenage and Young People (TYA) cancer unit. The postholder will have a unique opportunity to be part of the Active Together programme recently set up in HUTH. As part of this project the postholder will work alongside a senior counsellor to support the establishment of the psychological service provision. They will have opportunity to provide teaching and training to other professionals and to facilitate group work.
Communications The post holder will provide and receive complex and sensitive information in relation to both patients, family and staff, through face to face meetings; written reports; and attendance and multidisciplinary meetings. They will also communicate condition related information to other staff e.g carrying out psychoeducation sessions with staff teams, to increase understanding of the condition and to develop strategies to improve participation in rehabilitation. The post holder will be required to demonstrate the skills needed to respond to highly distressed patients and family members, and to professionally manage verbal aggression. Analytical Skills The post holder will be required to assess and treat patients on a 1:1 basis and within groups.
Using evidence-based research, you will be required to work directly with a range of patients. Planning and Organisational Skills The post holder will plan, prioritise and organise their own workload and activities (both clinical and research), under the supervision of a clinical psychologist. Physical Skills The post holder will be required to have standard keyboard skills and be able to use psychometric test equipment. You will also be required to travel across sites as necessary.
Service Development and Improvement The post holder will follow Trust and departmental policies and comment on proposals when required. They will keep up to date with service and professional policies, procedures and standards. Financial and Physical resources The post holder will book out assessment and therapy materials, such as psychometric test materials and electronic resources. They will treat them with care and return them to their storage location in a timely manner.
Information resources The post holder will maintain and store their own patient records according to trust and professional guidelines. They will store psychometric materials securely; produce documents electronically and write clear and concise reports, especially assessment reports, for different audiences (e.g. patients, carers, staff, professionals), providing them in a timely manner. Research, Audit and Innovation The post holder will participate in departmental research as guided by their supervisor.
Under the guidance of a clinical psychologist, he/she will prepare, carry out and write up relevant research or audit programmes, either independently or jointly with other psychologists or professionals. Freedom to Act The post holder will work within the code of ethics and the relevant professional practice guidelines of the British Psychological Society, as well as the policies; professional framework and SOPs of the Trust, under the guidance of their supervisor, who will provide weekly formal supervision. The post holder will also keep abreast of developments in clinical psychology, particularly in the field of psycho-oncology.