Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust

Assistant Psychologist

The closing date is 12 October 2025

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity to join a psychology service based in a physical healthcare trust. The Clinical Health Psychology Service provides psychology input to a number of services in the trust, including; Oncology/ Palliative Care, Stroke, Community Neurological Rehabilitation, Pain Management and HIV. We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic assistant psychologist who will be able to work within a supervised context, to carry out psychological assessments and therapies for people with physical health conditions and their families. The postholder will also be involved in groupwork, teaching and training other staff and supporting various projects running in the service.

The postholder will be expected to work independently according to agreed plans under the supervison of a qualified clinical psychologist.

The postholder will be part of the clinical health psychology service and will be encouraged and supported in their own personal and professional development. This post would be ideally suited to someone who is looking to pursue a career in clinical psychology.

PLEASE NOTE, WE MAY CLOSE THIS VACANCY EARLY IF WE RECEIVE HIGH NUMBERS OF APPLICATIONS.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will work across the service, with areas of most need being prioritised by the supervising psychologist. They will assist the qualified clinical psychologists in the preparation, instigation and evaluation of a variety of clinical work and service projects. They will undertake clinically supervised work with clients on a one-to-one basis and will also undertake group work under supervision. They will help plan, organise, and participate in training carried out in the service. They will also undertake clinical governance, research, and data collection activities under the guidance of the supervising psychologists. The postholder will be expected to attend regular clinical supervision sessions.

About us

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is an integrated Trust and the only provider of NHS acute care in Walsall, serving a population of 284,300. It provides inpatient and outpatient services at the Manor Hospital as well as a wide range of services in the community. Walsall Manor houses the full range of district general hospital services under one roof. The £170 million development was completed in 2010, and ongoing upgrades ensure the Trust now has state-of-the-art facilities, including a Critical Care Unit, Neonatal Unit, Obstetric Theatre, and Integrated Assessment Unit. A new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre, opened in March 2023, has significantly improved emergency care facilities and capacity, providing almost 5,000 square metres of additional clinical space.

Date posted

26 September 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£27,485 to £30,162 a year pa pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

407-COMMUNITY-7441638

Job locations

Darlaston Health Centre

Pinfold Street

Wednesbury

WS10 8SY

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Clinical

1.1 To assist in psychological assessment of clients through formal psychometric testing, direct and indirect observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members, and others involved in the clients care as appropriate and under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist.

1.2 Develop trusting and empathic relationships with clients and be able to communicate highly emotive information with clarity and sensitivity within limits of competence.

1.3 To assist in the preparation, coordination, and running of therapeutic groups where appropriate and under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist.

1.4 To implement programmes of psychological care or intervention as directed by the supervising clinical psychologist.

1.5 To evaluate intervention programmes as directed by the supervising clinical psychologist.

1.6 Participate in relevant multi-disciplinary teams and work collaboratively and in an integrated manner with other health professionals e.g., occupational therapists, medical consultants, nursing staff, physiotherapists, speech language therapists, and other NHS and social services staff. This will include attending MDT meetings and facilitating the development of multi-disciplinary formulations and communicating these.

1.7 To be capable of working in clinical situations which require prolonged concentration, and which may involve distressing or emotionally demanding circumstances or where there is risk of verbal or physical aggression.

2. Service Development

2.1 To be accountable to the service manager for clinical governance e.g., issues of quality, clinical effectiveness, and clinical risk.

2.2 To support service development projects including clinical governance projects with direction from the supervising psychologist.

3. Research and Teaching Activity

3.1 To assist in the undertaking of any research projects on a supervised basis.

3.2 To undertake data collection, analysis, production of reports and summaries, and use IT. and statistical programmes as required.

3.3 To assist in the production of clinical/teaching/organisational materials as and when required. This may include using Microsoft Word processing/desktop publishing systems/PowerPoint/excel/ access/printing/photocopying/binding/shredding.

3.4 To assist in the teaching and training of staff or clients as required.

3.5 To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified clinicians in evidence-based practice in individual work, with groups, and with teams.

4. Professional responsibilities

4.1 To be responsible for the planning and prioritising of own workload and activities following the direction and guidelines given by the supervising clinical psychologist.

4.2 To maintain and update client records in accordance with Trust and Professional guidelines.

4.3 To receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines.

4.4 The postholder will adhere to the Trust, Clinical Health Psychology Service, andcondition specific service policies as well as the BPS professional guidelines.

4.5 To provide support to and receive support from colleagues.

4.6 To attend and participate in Clinical Health Psychology Service meetings.

4.7 The postholder will have a personal duty of care for trust equipment and facilities.

4.8 To record clinical activity in line with trust policy and maintain confidentiality of client related data.

4.9 To maintain clinical records/research records and ensure confidentiality.