Assistant Research Psychologist

We're looking for an Assistant Psychologist/Therapy Co-ordinator to join a team of leading experts in psychosis research, testing a novel psychological treatment for distressing voices.

Could this be you?

The Talking with Voices II trial is investigating whether a new form of dialogical therapy promotes recovery and reduces distress for service-users who hear voices. This post offers the opportunity to work as part of a national team delivering and testing the therapy as part of a multi-site randomised controlled trial. The post holder will receive training and frequent supervision to support the delivery of key trial tasks: co-ordinating therapist caseloads, co-ordinating the recruitment of service-users according to therapist availability, completing informed consent and supporting service-users to complete trial assessments. Data from this study will inform NHS service development.

The team is led by Dr Eleanor Longden and Prof Tony Morrison (Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust). Dr Bryony Sheaves and Prof Daniel Freeman (Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford) are leading the Oxford trial site. The post-holder would join the Oxford Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis (O-CAP) research team, led by Professor Freeman.

The post would be well suited to someone interested in pursuing a career in clinical psychology.

As an Assistant Psychologist/Therapy Co-ordinator you will be responsible for co-ordinating the recruitment of participants into the Talking with Voices trial, based on the availability of therapists (clinical psychologists and a CBT therapist) for the Oxford trial site. You will be closely supervised and supported by a clinical psychologist.

You will play a key role co-ordinating therapists caseloads at the Oxford trial site and maintaining oversight of the recruitment strategy. You will also support service-users to complete informed consent and baseline trial assessments. All participants will be experiencing distressing voices.

You will work closely with the trial clinical psychologist/therapists to support meeting key milestones for the trial, particularly recruitment targets. You will advertise the trial to NHS mental health teams supported by the trial clinical psychologist.

You will attend individual supervision with a clinical psychologist based in Oxford. You will be expected to contribute to the Trust’s social inclusion agenda by enabling staff, service users and carers from diverse background to flourish by creating a psychologically safe environment in the Talking with Voices trial.

You must hold a degree in psychology (2.1 or above) and have knowledge of the psychological understanding of voice hearing, excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to engage service-users attending secondary mental health care services.

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust provides physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.

Our services are delivered within people’s homes.

Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”

**Our values are**: “Caring, safe and excellent”

At Oxford Health we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:
Excellent opportunities for career progression
Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
Competitive pension scheme
Lease car scheme
Cycle to work scheme
Employee Assistance Programme
Mental Health First Aiders
Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists may apply)
Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

What we need from you

A graduate psychologist with a passion for innovation, and developing the evidence base for psychological therapies.
A knowledge of the psychological understanding of voice hearing.
An insight into and empathy for the difficulties faced by people who hear voices and those who experience trauma.
Strong planning and organisation aptitude, including the ability to co-ordinate others and effectively problem-solve logistics to achieve recruitment objectives and meet deadlines.
An ability to promptly address and resolve queries to support recruitment strategy.
An ability to clearly articulate research procedures and engage with people who hear distressing voices and their NHS care teams.
An ability to quickly learn new psychological assessments.
An ability to work creatively, co-operatively, reliably, and consistently within a team, contributing to effective team functioning.

Please see the job description and person specification attached to this advert for more information on the job role.