Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Assistant Clinical Psychologist

The closing date is 16 July 2025

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a full-time, permanent Assistant Clinical Psychologist to work for the North Mersey Eating Disorder Service within Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. A degree in psychology is essential and previous experience of working therapeutically is desirable.

Our service has been undergoing transformation and expansion, and this is an exciting time to join our supportive and friendly team. The service offers both group and individual interventions utilising a range of evidence-based models including CBT, CAT, CFT, Psychoeducation, SSCM and MANTRA. Client presentations include Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder as well as people with an Atypical Eating Disorder presentation.

Main duties of the job

We regularly provide placements for local training programmes, including Trainee Clinical Psychologists and work closely with other services and professionals including primary care, GPs, inpatient services (Specialist Eating Disorder Units and medical wards) and other secondary care mental health teams.We offer a monthly support group for relatives and friends of those who access our service and are passionate about our developing service user co-production group. Additionally, the service also provides psychological therapy for the local Weight Management Service.

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.

Details

Date posted

14 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

350-MHC7324507

Job locations

2nd Floor William House, Rathbone Hospital

Mill Lane

Liverpool

L13 4AW


Job description

Job responsibilities

We are looking for an Assistant Psychologist who is passionate about working with people with eating disorders who has the relevant skills, values and experiences to support the service with delivering high quality interventions for individuals with eating disorders.

Job description

Job responsibilities

We are looking for an Assistant Psychologist who is passionate about working with people with eating disorders who has the relevant skills, values and experiences to support the service with delivering high quality interventions for individuals with eating disorders.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • A second class honours degree or higher in psychology or psychology as a main subject
  • 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

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

  • A minimum of 12 months previous experience of work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities
  • Experience of teaching and training in the application of psychological principles to mental health problems
  • Experience of research evaluation and audit of the application of psychological principles to mental health problems

Desirable

  • Experience of paid work in direct care provision
  • Previous experience as an Assistant in an NHS setting
  • Experience of psychometric assessment
  • Proven track record of experience of research evaluation and audit of the application of psychological principles to mental health problems

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

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
  • Experience using computers for databases or data-analysis
  • Experience of report writing
  • Demonstrated high level ability to communicate sensitive information to service users, carers and colleagues in a way that facilitates engagement
  • An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities
  • A demonstrated ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context
  • An understanding of psychological principles applied to health care
  • Undertaken further, relevant post -graduate study

Desirable

  • Skills in SPSS for Windows
  • Undertaking further relevant post-graduate study leading to recognised qualification

Personal

Essential

  • Clear experience of interacting effectively with staff from all disciplines
  • An interest in working with people with mental health problems or other disabilities
  • Clear experience of interacting with people with mental health problems
  • Ability to work with a high level of autonomy within the boundaries of the assistant role
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • A second class honours degree or higher in psychology or psychology as a main subject
  • 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

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

  • A minimum of 12 months previous experience of work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities
  • Experience of teaching and training in the application of psychological principles to mental health problems
  • Experience of research evaluation and audit of the application of psychological principles to mental health problems

Desirable

  • Experience of paid work in direct care provision
  • Previous experience as an Assistant in an NHS setting
  • Experience of psychometric assessment
  • Proven track record of experience of research evaluation and audit of the application of psychological principles to mental health problems

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

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
  • Experience using computers for databases or data-analysis
  • Experience of report writing
  • Demonstrated high level ability to communicate sensitive information to service users, carers and colleagues in a way that facilitates engagement
  • An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities
  • A demonstrated ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context
  • An understanding of psychological principles applied to health care
  • Undertaken further, relevant post -graduate study

Desirable

  • Skills in SPSS for Windows
  • Undertaking further relevant post-graduate study leading to recognised qualification

Personal

Essential

  • Clear experience of interacting effectively with staff from all disciplines
  • An interest in working with people with mental health problems or other disabilities
  • Clear experience of interacting with people with mental health problems
  • Ability to work with a high level of autonomy within the boundaries of the assistant role

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

2nd Floor William House, Rathbone Hospital

Mill Lane

Liverpool

L13 4AW


Employer's website

https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

2nd Floor William House, Rathbone Hospital

Mill Lane

Liverpool

L13 4AW


Employer's website

https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Psychologist

Amelia Woodhouse

amelia.woodhouse@merseycare.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

14 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

350-MHC7324507

Job locations

2nd Floor William House, Rathbone Hospital

Mill Lane

Liverpool

L13 4AW


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)