Assistant Psychologist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Summary:

To support the work of staff in the Primary Care Service, including providing psychological assessment and interventions under the supervision of a qualified Psychologist or CBT therapist. To assist in audit and data collection and the development of research and innovation projects. To work independently according to a plan agreed with a qualified Psychologist and within the overall framework of HPFTs policies and procedures.

For staff working in the digital team the role is predominantly remote (home working) but there may be occasions when you will need to travel to a Trust site or other location for training and development purposes. There may be circumstances where you are required to travel to other bases or attend the office on additional days due to service need or demand.

All staff should comply with the Trusts Anti-Discriminatory Statement, Employee Charter, Trust Policies and Procedures, Code of Conduct and Equality and Diversity.

Key Relationships:

To work closely with the Digital Team Talking Therapies team, including Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners, High Intensity Workers, Counsellors, Administrators and Senior Staff.

Attend clinical and managerial supervision on a regular basis as agreed with line manager and in line with professional requirements.

Contribute to the training and support of other staff in the Talking Therapies Service.

To work closely with the data team regarding service data and evaluation.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Ensure the maintenance of standards of practice according to the employer and any regulating bodies and keep up to date on new recommendations/guidelines set by the department of health (e.g. NHS plan, National Service Framework, National Institute for Clinical Excellence).

Ensure that client confidentiality is protected at all times.

Be aware of, and keep up to date with advances in the spheres of treatment for common mental health problems.

Participate in individual performance review and respond to agreed objectives.

Contribute to the development of best practice within the service.

Maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and procedures in relation to Mental Health and Primary Care Services.

All employees have a duty and responsibility for their own health and safety and the health of safety of colleagues, patients and the general public.

All employees have a responsibility and a legal obligation to ensure that information processed for both patients and staff is kept accurate, confidential, secure and in line with the Data Protection Act (1998) and Security and Confidentiality Policies.

Clinical Responsibility

Clinical:

Under the supervision of a Clinical Psychologist or CBT Therapist to undertake psychological assessments of clients referred to the service, using the Talking Therapies minimum data set and other questionnaire measures as appropriate.

To perform telephone screening assessments under the supervision of a qualified CBT therapist or psychologist.

To assist the Clinical Psychologist and other clinical staff in the co- ordination and running of psychoeducational and therapeutic CBT groups and other psychological interventions across the county.

To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and intervention to the benefit of all clients referred to the service.

To deliver public facing psychoeducational webinars.

To attend and contribute to appropriate meetings relevant to the service.

Research & Service Evaluation:

To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects.

To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes, including Word, Excel, SPSS.

To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified Psychologists and therapists in evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

To participate in the development of innovation projects within Talking Therapies.

To deliver training on designated project areas under the supervision of clinical leads.

Leadership and Staff Management Responsibility

The Post holder will not have any line management responsibility.

Financial Responsibility

The Post holder will not hold any budgetary responsibility.

Service Development and Improvement

To contribute to the development of best practice within the service.

To participate in the development of innovation projects within Talking Therapies.

Communications

To always communicate in line with the trust values: welcoming, kind, positive, respectful and professional.

To communicate effectively with members of the Talking Therapies team, through written and verbal communication.

To communicate statistical data through audits and monthly reports to the Talking Therapies Senior team. To present, verbally or in writing, relevant data to the wider team as required.

To communicate sensitively and appropriately with patients, and members of the public at service events.

To liaise and communicate with other NHS teams and statutory services as required.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Honours degree of higher in Psychology
• Entitlement to graduate membership of BPS

Desirable

• Further post grad training in relevant areas of psychology, mental health practice or research, design and analysis

Experience

Essential

• Worked with people with MH problems
• Understanding of and compliance with relevant professional standards and practice
• Use of computers for data analysis (excel and SPSS)

Desirable

• Working in primary care services
• Has undertaken audit in clinical services

Skills

Essential

• High standard of report writing
• Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues
• Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a primary care context
• Can communicate effectively within MDT
• Able to interact with service users in a respectful and empathic manner
• Team working
• Interest in working with people with MH problems
• High level communication skills to manage sensitive conversations, and ability to work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive
• Ability to assess common mental health problems
• Understanding of importance of using evidence based psychological interventions in primary care
• Car driver
• Ability to work under pressure
• Able to manage own workload
• Self-reflective
• Ability to develop good therapeutic relationships with service users and carers

Desirable

• Fluent in languages other than english

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

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Tekhnicon House (Remote), Springwood Drive, Braintree, CM7 2YN

Springwood Drive

Braintree

CM7 2YN

Employer's website

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