Job summary
Are you looking for a change in career and do you like working in a challenging and rewarding setting? Do you want to build on and enhance the high level of skills and experience you already possess? Why not consider this opportunity to join the Early Intervention in Psychosis team?
The service works with people between the ages of 14 - 65 who are experiencing a first episode of psychosis. We are looking for a highly committed Assistant Psychologist who is motivated, enthusiastic, self-directed with a keen interest in supporting individuals who have experienced psychosis.
Main duties of the job
You will be an integral part of the multi disciplinary team, working alongside clinicians to provide assessments to individuals suspected of developing a psychotic illness. Following assessment, you will ensure they are either allocated to the Early Intervention Team or referred on to other services such as CMHT's, Primary Care leads, Crisis Support, Psychological Services and/or our local community services more appropriate to meet their needs ensuring their care is delivered safely, efficiently, and effectively. You will be offered appropriate training in the Comprehensive Assessment of at Risk Mental States (CAARMS) Tool and regular supervision in order to support you in your role and effectively deliver assessments.
You will also be allocated 1 day per week to support service users already under the Early Intervention Team as a first episode of psychosis providing psychological interventions to meet goals and improve their recovery.
We are a supportive team, and we fully promote professional/personal training and development, and there are opportunities to train in-house and CPD and develop your clinical skills through supervision, complex case discussions, and reflective practice.
About us
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To work with service users offering brief psychologically-informed interventions, signposting and completing relevant onward referrals.
To work with potentially distressing material in relation to service users personal histories and presentation, including risk to self and others.
To maintain clinical record keeping and report writing in accordance with professional codes of practice and Trust policies and procedures, particularly to ensure timely electronic patient record updating.
To assist Clinical Psychologists by undertaking psychological assessments of clients applying psychologically-based psychometric tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.
To assist in the formulation and delivery of interventions involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a clients problems, under the supervision of a qualified practitioner psychologist, in both community and in-patient/residential settings as appropriate to the specialty work.
Having received instruction through supervision, to provide one-to-one consultations with service users, working autonomously within the limits of this instruction and within personal competence.
To use a degree of initiative and work independently with service users on planned work, and to exercise judgement based on good practice (NICE) and local operating procedures.
Preparing agreed assessment reports accurately in the accepted format.
In common with all professional psychologists, to receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines.
To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties through engagement with CPD opportunities and self-guided learning.
To contribute to the training and support of other staff.
To assist in the design and implementation of service development and audit projects within the service as required.
To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
To attend MDT meetings to be both appraised of clinical decision making and participate in clinical and service development discussions.
To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified professional psychologists in evidence based practice in individual work and work with other professionals.
To contribute to the development and maintenance of high professional standards of practice, through active participation in training and development programmes, in consultation with the supervisor.
To undertake specific administrative duties as required.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To work with service users offering brief psychologically-informed interventions, signposting and completing relevant onward referrals.
To work with potentially distressing material in relation to service users personal histories and presentation, including risk to self and others.
To maintain clinical record keeping and report writing in accordance with professional codes of practice and Trust policies and procedures, particularly to ensure timely electronic patient record updating.
To assist Clinical Psychologists by undertaking psychological assessments of clients applying psychologically-based psychometric tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.
To assist in the formulation and delivery of interventions involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a clients problems, under the supervision of a qualified practitioner psychologist, in both community and in-patient/residential settings as appropriate to the specialty work.
Having received instruction through supervision, to provide one-to-one consultations with service users, working autonomously within the limits of this instruction and within personal competence.
To use a degree of initiative and work independently with service users on planned work, and to exercise judgement based on good practice (NICE) and local operating procedures.
Preparing agreed assessment reports accurately in the accepted format.
In common with all professional psychologists, to receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines.
To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties through engagement with CPD opportunities and self-guided learning.
To contribute to the training and support of other staff.
To assist in the design and implementation of service development and audit projects within the service as required.
To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
To attend MDT meetings to be both appraised of clinical decision making and participate in clinical and service development discussions.
To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified professional psychologists in evidence based practice in individual work and work with other professionals.
To contribute to the development and maintenance of high professional standards of practice, through active participation in training and development programmes, in consultation with the supervisor.
To undertake specific administrative duties as required.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- An honours degree in that satisfies the British Psychological Society criteria for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership
Desirable
- Post graduate training in areas relevant to psychological practice, mental health and/or research design and analysis
Experience/Knowledge
Essential
- Work experience in any organisation
- Experience of research methodology, data collection, analysis and report writing
- Knowledge of a broad range of Psychological theories and the application of these to mental health, in particular, self-harming behaviours
Desirable
- Experience designing and conducting large scale research, audit or service evaluations
- Previous experience working with service users and families
- Knowledge of Psychological Therapies
- Knowledge of NICE guidelines
- Knowledge of policies and legislation relevant to recovery based services.
SKILLS
Essential
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- High level communication skills - verbal and written - with professionals, adults, children, young people and families
- Good time management skills
Desirable
- Proficient IT skills
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to children, young people and families
VALUES
Essential
- Continuous Improvement
- Accountability
- Respectfulness
- Enthusiasm
- Support
- High professional standards
- Responsive to service users
- Engaging leadership style
- Strong customer service belief
- Transparency and honesty
- Discreet
- Change oriented
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- An honours degree in that satisfies the British Psychological Society criteria for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership
Desirable
- Post graduate training in areas relevant to psychological practice, mental health and/or research design and analysis
Experience/Knowledge
Essential
- Work experience in any organisation
- Experience of research methodology, data collection, analysis and report writing
- Knowledge of a broad range of Psychological theories and the application of these to mental health, in particular, self-harming behaviours
Desirable
- Experience designing and conducting large scale research, audit or service evaluations
- Previous experience working with service users and families
- Knowledge of Psychological Therapies
- Knowledge of NICE guidelines
- Knowledge of policies and legislation relevant to recovery based services.
SKILLS
Essential
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- High level communication skills - verbal and written - with professionals, adults, children, young people and families
- Good time management skills
Desirable
- Proficient IT skills
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to children, young people and families
VALUES
Essential
- Continuous Improvement
- Accountability
- Respectfulness
- Enthusiasm
- Support
- High professional standards
- Responsive to service users
- Engaging leadership style
- Strong customer service belief
- Transparency and honesty
- Discreet
- Change oriented
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.
