Job summary
Paid Clinical Experience Opportunities for Disadvantaged Aspiring Clinical Psychologists
We are delighted to have been awarded funding from Health Education England to support aspiring Clinical Psychologists from under-represented backgrounds through a cohort of Assistant Psychologist posts. These posts will be available at both Cambridge University Hospital (CUH) and the Perinatal Mental Health Team based in Peterborough.
These posts are intended to give opportunities to recent psychology graduates who are eager to develop initial clinical experience as aspiring Clinical Psychologists, who would otherwise be excluded from entering the profession through unpaid work experience (financial exclusion). This scheme is specifically designed to provide valuable experience, insight, and preparation for the next step, such as a substantive Assistant Psychologist post.
The working activities of Assistant Psychologists will correspond with this generic job description. However, exact tasks will vary depending on the specific role and context.
In addition to the support and supervision provided in the local service / team, post-holders will be supported in their career development through a series of webinars, peer-reflective practice groups, and opportunities to link with other Assistant Psychologists and Trainee Psychologists employed by the Trust.
Main duties of the job
The key elements of the job role are:
- To support and enhance the professional psychological care of service users within the service, across all sectors of care.
- Undertake clinically supervised work with service users on a one-to-one basis delivering psychological /therapeutic interventions, both individual and group based.
- Under supervision, the post-holder will plan, organise, and teach on a variety of psycho-educational courses.
- Work independently according to a plan agreed with HCPC registered Clinical Psychologists and within the overall framework of the team's policies and procedures.
Undertake Research and Development (R&D) activities under the supervision of responsible Clinical Psychologist or others, for example: to assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, and development of audit and/or research projects, and teaching and project work.
About us
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting andempowering them to lead a fulfilling life.
Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.
To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities
1. To support the psychology team and wider team in psychological assessment, care provision, planning, and delivery of evidence-based interventions, under the supervision of a Practitioner Psychologist.
2. To provide psychological interventions and maintain a clinical caseload under supervision.
3. To assist the psychology team in the development of individual or group clinical materials or training materials, such as the development of treatment manuals and group interventions.
4. As required, to support the team in delivering, managing, and evaluating other psychological interventions, such as psychology groups.
5. To act in a manner that supports a psychologically informed framework for the service.
6. To assess and manage risk within an appropriate psychological framework.
7. To work with other staff to assess and review service users care in preparation for multi-disciplinary treatment reviews.
8. To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary and psychology meetings.
9. To participate in the services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
10. To ensure that service users are appropriately consulted about relevant aspects of their care and are empowered to express their views in a responsive environment.
11. To communicate highly complex and highly sensitive information with service users, families, and colleagues in a manner that is skilful, tactful, and sensitive.
12. To work with the appropriate degree of autonomy and report appropriately to the designated line manager according to Trust occupational guidelines.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities
1. To support the psychology team and wider team in psychological assessment, care provision, planning, and delivery of evidence-based interventions, under the supervision of a Practitioner Psychologist.
2. To provide psychological interventions and maintain a clinical caseload under supervision.
3. To assist the psychology team in the development of individual or group clinical materials or training materials, such as the development of treatment manuals and group interventions.
4. As required, to support the team in delivering, managing, and evaluating other psychological interventions, such as psychology groups.
5. To act in a manner that supports a psychologically informed framework for the service.
6. To assess and manage risk within an appropriate psychological framework.
7. To work with other staff to assess and review service users care in preparation for multi-disciplinary treatment reviews.
8. To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary and psychology meetings.
9. To participate in the services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
10. To ensure that service users are appropriately consulted about relevant aspects of their care and are empowered to express their views in a responsive environment.
11. To communicate highly complex and highly sensitive information with service users, families, and colleagues in a manner that is skilful, tactful, and sensitive.
12. To work with the appropriate degree of autonomy and report appropriately to the designated line manager according to Trust occupational guidelines.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Graduated with at least a Second Class Psychology undergraduate degree
- Entitlement to Graduate Basis for Chartership with the British Psychological Society
Desirable
- Experience of working with people with complex needs
Experience
Essential
- Applicants must NOT have been employed as an Assistant Psychologist, Research Assistant, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) or similar / equivalent role. (Very brief - less than 4 weeks - paid roles can be disregarded)
- Lived experience of membership with a group/ identity that is currently underrepresented within Clinical Psychology
Desirable
- Experience of completing research projects or audits
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Able to demonstrate commitment to high quality care and service provision
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to people with different needs, e.g. patients, their families/carers, and staff
- Ability to manage occasional emotionally stressful situations
- An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to mental and physical health contexts
Desirable
- Able to contain and work with high levels of distress from service users
- An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines
Knowledge & Understanding
Essential
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental or physical health problems or disabilities
- An understanding of psychology applied to health care
Physical Requirements
Essential
- Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments, and psychological interventions
Desirable
- Ability to travel across CPFT locality
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Graduated with at least a Second Class Psychology undergraduate degree
- Entitlement to Graduate Basis for Chartership with the British Psychological Society
Desirable
- Experience of working with people with complex needs
Experience
Essential
- Applicants must NOT have been employed as an Assistant Psychologist, Research Assistant, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) or similar / equivalent role. (Very brief - less than 4 weeks - paid roles can be disregarded)
- Lived experience of membership with a group/ identity that is currently underrepresented within Clinical Psychology
Desirable
- Experience of completing research projects or audits
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Able to demonstrate commitment to high quality care and service provision
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to people with different needs, e.g. patients, their families/carers, and staff
- Ability to manage occasional emotionally stressful situations
- An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to mental and physical health contexts
Desirable
- Able to contain and work with high levels of distress from service users
- An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines
Knowledge & Understanding
Essential
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental or physical health problems or disabilities
- An understanding of psychology applied to health care
Physical Requirements
Essential
- Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments, and psychological interventions
Desirable
- Ability to travel across CPFT locality
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
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).
