Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity to join a supportive, reflective, and creative team to develop your skills and confidence in working with people with severe and enduring mental health problems. You will be part of a vibrant multi-disciplinary team (MDT) which is psychologically led and your clinical work will be directly supervised by a psychological therapist.
The Mood, Anxiety and Personality Difficulty (MAP) Pathway is an innovative and leading service in the treatment of complex anxiety and depression (with underlying Cluster C PD traits). A willingness to work with clients who present with interpersonal complexity is essential for this role.
MAP patients present as withdrawn, isolated, lonely, limited in their functioning and have multiple social and psychological needs. The aim of the team is to help increase people's emotional, social and practical functioning, so they can engage better with relationships and meaningful activity outside of services. MAP focuses on understanding and working with the relational patterns underlying anxiety and depression. Models used within the pathway range from Schema Therapy, DBT, psychodynamic, Systemic and CBT.
**Please Note:
- - We ask that you include why you have chosen to apply for this specific post in your personal statement.
- - Should the volume of applications be very high, we reserve the right to bring forward the closing date
Main duties of the job
Assistant Psychologists are an integral part of the MAP Pathway and their skills and contributions are highly valued. We view the role as developmental and seek to offer the support required for you to move to the next stage of your career at the end of the contract. As such, there is opportunity to attend borough-wide training sessions for Assistant Psychologists to help develop your skills, and also plan for next steps in your career.
This role offers a broad range of experiences including: direct clinical work (both individual and group), operational support to the lead including managing spreadsheets and doing a monthly audit of pathway clinical activity, and opportunity to contribute to service development.
About us
The partnership betweenBarnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust (BEH)andCamden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust (C&I)is going from strength to strength since it was originally established in 2021 forming theNorth London Mental Health Partnership.
In order to meet the needs of the new Partnership services you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Enfield and Harringay Trust and Camden and Islington Trust. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical Responsibilities (under the supervision of a qualified psychological therapist):
- Formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods of proven efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
- To be responsible for implementing individual and group interventions for individuals, and groups including carers and families, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
- To be able to exchange complex information with clients, families, carers, staff and members of the public using sensitivity and empathy and ensuring collaborative working.
- To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of staff, clients and their families and carers.
- To be able to support pathway with referrals to other health professionals in specialist services and agencies.
- To ensure practice is supported by research and evidence-based practice.
- To make regular clinical phone calls (check in calls) that would include mental health assessment, exploring current circumstances and risk management
Research and service evaluation
- To assimilate and audit data with regards to care pathway and waiting times.
- To assimilate and analyse pre and post treatment measures.
- To be instrumental in developing data base systems that can effectively report on psychological provision using a variety of parameters.
- Audit a variety of information, as required, to be communicated in an accessible and transparent format.
- To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research project.
- To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
- To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified clinical psychologists in evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
Please see attached job description for furhter details of key responsibilities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical Responsibilities (under the supervision of a qualified psychological therapist):
- Formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods of proven efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
- To be responsible for implementing individual and group interventions for individuals, and groups including carers and families, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
- To be able to exchange complex information with clients, families, carers, staff and members of the public using sensitivity and empathy and ensuring collaborative working.
- To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of staff, clients and their families and carers.
- To be able to support pathway with referrals to other health professionals in specialist services and agencies.
- To ensure practice is supported by research and evidence-based practice.
- To make regular clinical phone calls (check in calls) that would include mental health assessment, exploring current circumstances and risk management
Research and service evaluation
- To assimilate and audit data with regards to care pathway and waiting times.
- To assimilate and analyse pre and post treatment measures.
- To be instrumental in developing data base systems that can effectively report on psychological provision using a variety of parameters.
- Audit a variety of information, as required, to be communicated in an accessible and transparent format.
- To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research project.
- To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
- To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified clinical psychologists in evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
Please see attached job description for furhter details of key responsibilities.
Person Specification
Training and Qualifications
Essential
- An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology
- Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
Desirable
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
Experience
Essential
- At least 6 months working in a healthcare setting or equivalent (e.g. third sector)
- Experience of working in a clinical team
- Work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
- Work in a role requiring frequent and intense concentration.
- Experience of working in situations where clients and/or their families/carers respond with some distress.
Desirable
- Experience of paid work in direct care provision
- Experience of working in the NHS
- Previous experience as an Assistant Psychologist
- Experience of delivering psychological interventions
- Experience of data collection to support healthcare systems.
- Working in an MDT with clients with complex difficulties.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- High-level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
- Excellent IT Skills
- Experience of analysing and processing complex information through the use of databases, SPSS or similar packages
- Good knowledge of research methodology, research design and data analysis as practised within the clinical fields of psychology.
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues.
- An understanding and positive regard for the needs and rights of people with mental health problems and their carers
- Have an understanding of the importance of user/carer involvement
- Awareness of treatment outcomes, recovery tools, care planning, assessment of risk
- Have an understanding and commitment to equal opportunities, diversity and anti discriminatory practice
- An ability to form effective working relationships with people from diverse communities and ethnic groups.
- An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context.
Desirable
- High standard of report writing.
- Knowledge of the different professional roles and responsibilities within an MDT
- Experience of training professionals.
Personal
Essential
- An ability to interact effectively and with initiative with staff from all disciplines.
- An ability to interact with people with mental health difficulties and their families and or carers.
- Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently on work agreed and supervised at regular intervals
- Ability to assess clinical situations quickly and use initiative
- Well-developed interpersonal skills
- Ability to remain calm in emergency situations and respond in a professional manner
- Ability to maintain professional boundaries and form positive therapeutic relationship with service users and carers
- Ability to manage stress and work under pressure
Desirable
- Personal experience of mental health problems Interview/application form/references
Other
Essential
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
- To be aware of and demonstrate the trust values.
- To have a strong commitment to team work and development.
- Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service
Desirable
- A desire to explore a career in Professional Psychology.
Person Specification
Training and Qualifications
Essential
- An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology
- Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
Desirable
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
Experience
Essential
- At least 6 months working in a healthcare setting or equivalent (e.g. third sector)
- Experience of working in a clinical team
- Work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
- Work in a role requiring frequent and intense concentration.
- Experience of working in situations where clients and/or their families/carers respond with some distress.
Desirable
- Experience of paid work in direct care provision
- Experience of working in the NHS
- Previous experience as an Assistant Psychologist
- Experience of delivering psychological interventions
- Experience of data collection to support healthcare systems.
- Working in an MDT with clients with complex difficulties.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- High-level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
- Excellent IT Skills
- Experience of analysing and processing complex information through the use of databases, SPSS or similar packages
- Good knowledge of research methodology, research design and data analysis as practised within the clinical fields of psychology.
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues.
- An understanding and positive regard for the needs and rights of people with mental health problems and their carers
- Have an understanding of the importance of user/carer involvement
- Awareness of treatment outcomes, recovery tools, care planning, assessment of risk
- Have an understanding and commitment to equal opportunities, diversity and anti discriminatory practice
- An ability to form effective working relationships with people from diverse communities and ethnic groups.
- An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context.
Desirable
- High standard of report writing.
- Knowledge of the different professional roles and responsibilities within an MDT
- Experience of training professionals.
Personal
Essential
- An ability to interact effectively and with initiative with staff from all disciplines.
- An ability to interact with people with mental health difficulties and their families and or carers.
- Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently on work agreed and supervised at regular intervals
- Ability to assess clinical situations quickly and use initiative
- Well-developed interpersonal skills
- Ability to remain calm in emergency situations and respond in a professional manner
- Ability to maintain professional boundaries and form positive therapeutic relationship with service users and carers
- Ability to manage stress and work under pressure
Desirable
- Personal experience of mental health problems Interview/application form/references
Other
Essential
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
- To be aware of and demonstrate the trust values.
- To have a strong commitment to team work and development.
- Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service
Desirable
- A desire to explore a career in Professional Psychology.
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
