Senior Assistant Psychologist

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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Regular clinical supervision will be provided by a Clinical Psychologist and management supervision by the Service Manager/ Clinical Lead. There are a range of development opportunities due to the service's role in training others, its strong internal CPD programme and commitment to reflective practice, and the integrated nature of Psychology Services across NHFT. It is essential that applicants have a recognised undergraduate qualification.

The Personality Disorder Service has a strategy to provide an equitable, inclusive, representative and anti-racist service for its service users. We have a commitment to creating and maintaining a diverse workforce and therefore encourage anyone who self-identifies as belonging to a marginalised and/or minoritised community to apply for the post. We encourage all applicants to communicate an understanding of the difficulties marginalised and minoritised communities face in accessing psychological therapies in their application and/or interview.

Person specification

Behaviours & Values

Essential criteria

• An ability to interact with people with mental health difficulties/ mild learning disabilities, with a well-developed service-user focus and desire to work with others in the pursuit of better mental health.
• Ability to work with team members as well as independently reliably and consistently, with work agreed and supervised at regular intervals.
• Approachable and accessible, with an ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.

Desirable criteria

• Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
• Ability to cope with and maintain professional boundaries.
• To communicate in a range of forums.

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

• An upper second class honours undergraduate degree or higher in psychology and Graduate Basis for Registration with the British Psychological Society or relevant postgraduate study.
• Experience of working with people with mental health difficulties and/or other disabilities as an assistant psychologist.
• Experience of using psychological assessments, formulations, risk assessments and care planning.

Desirable criteria

• Experience and confidence in delivering group-based interventions.
• Training or experience of DBT-informed interventions.
• Further postgraduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.

Skills & Abilities

Essential criteria

• High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
• Full clean driving license and access to a vehicle for use at work.
• Experience using microcomputers for databases or data-analysis, & skills in presenting this data.

Desirable criteria

• Ability to communicate sensitive information to clients, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance, with a high standard of report writing.
• Provide clear and consistent leadership ensuring a positive working environment for the team.
• Presentation skills.

Important Information

By completing an application you are giving authorisation for the transfer of your data. In submitting an application form, you authorise us to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process. Including factual reference, occupational health clearance and statutory and mandatory training records and full service history.

Correspondence regarding your application will be sent to you via a TRAC system account.

Please submit your application as soon as possible; due to the high volumes of applications we receive we reserve the right to close any adverts before the closing date once we have received sufficient applications.

We are an equal opportunities employer, which aims to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons from all backgrounds.

All roles are subject to the home office immigration rules and therefore eligibility must meet certain requirements for any sponsorship to be considered. Please visit the government website for more information regarding eligibility.

At NHFT we support many of our colleagues to work flexibly and we will consider requests for flexible working from day one. For this role, we are open to discussing a range of options including flexible hours, agile/home working, compressed hours and part time hours. Please have a conversation with the recruiting manager about the flexibility you need and we will promise to explore what is possible with you.

Applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the job will be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process please make the recruitment services team aware as soon as possible.

All posts that are engaged in a regulated activity will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and a DBS re-check on a three yearly basis whilst employed in such a role. Staff employed in these posts will therefore be asked to register with the DBS Automatic Update Service upon receipt of their DBS certificate and must update yearly, the annual fee will be reimbursed subject to Trust policy. For further information please visit: DBS Update Service: applicant guide - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Please note if a DBS is applicable for the position then a charge will be deducted from your first salary or upfront cost if a staff bank position.

Please note that all new starters to the trust are subject to a probationary period.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Job Description - Senior Assistant Psychologist (PDF, 584.5KB)
• Benefits (PDF, 570.7KB)