Assistant Psychologist

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Assistant Psychologist to join the Persistent Physical Symptom Service. The team covers the Durham & Darlington area allowing for a wide demographic of patients you will work with.

The specialised Persistent Physical Symptom Service provides support to people aged 18 years and over who are experiencing complex persistent physical symptoms that are primarily functional in nature. The MDT team includes consultant psychiatrist, psychologists, advanced nurse practitioners, specialist physiotherapists, Occupational therapists, Cognitive Behavioural Therapists, Counsellors and health care assistants.

A core function of the role is to assist the psychology team. You will be supporting the MDT in their delivery of compassionate, patient centred care, assessing a multitude of complex clinical presentations.

Previous experience of working with adults experiencing enduring mental health difficulties will be essential.

Due to the nature of the role, it is essential that applicants are able to travel independently across the locality. If necessary, adjustments can be considered in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

Main duties of the job

1. To undertake structured psychological assessments of clients with mental health conditions and delivery of protocol-driven psychological interventions under the supervision of a qualified applied psychologist, in a community setting.
2. To be compassionate in meeting the needs of clients, their carer's and families.
3. Improve integrated working with physical healthcare staff through the provision of joint clinics and appointments to provide joint assessment and management to identify patients suffering from Persistent Physical Symptoms.
4. To assist in clinical audits.
5. To show commitment to and participate in quality improvement activities.
6. To promote at all times a positive image of people with mental ill health or learning disabilities.
7. To promote at all times a positive image of the service and the wider Trust.
8. To undertake psychological assessments of clients, under supervision, using structured tests and tools reporting results to the qualified psychologist for further assessment.
9. Assists the qualified psychologist in the formulation of care plans.
10. Responsible for recognising the signs of client harm, abuse or neglect, including poor clinical practice, identifying issues regarding the safeguarding of children who may be at risk and reporting all such concerns in accordance with Trust Safeguarding procedures.

About us

We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care --our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.

We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.

We're committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.

We won't rest until everyone in our region has the mental health care they need, to lead their best possible life.

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information to ensure that you meet the role criteria before applying.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree in psychology.
• Eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
• Numeracy, Literacy and ITQ level 2 (or equivalent)
• Post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.

Skills

• Ability to communicate information (verbal and written) effectively in a manner appropriate to the individual and situation.
• Competence in using psychometric assessment tools (within agreed timescale).
• Methodical and accurate approach to data collection and analysis.
• Record Keeping (within agreed timescale).
• Breakaway techniques (within agreed timescale).

Experience

• Experience as a psychology assistant (paid or voluntary).
• Experience working with people with mental ill health or learning disabilities (paid or voluntary).
• Experience of clinical audit, research or service evaluation.
• Experience using statistical software packages e.g. SPSS.
• Experience of using psychometric assessments.

Knowledge

• An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental ill health or learning disabilities.
• An awareness of the application of psychology to health care.
• Understanding of confidentiality.
• Awareness of the British Psychological Society Code of Conduct.

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.