Assistant Psychologist

Job description

Job responsibilities

PALMS works across Hertfordshire providing a specialist multi-disciplinary approach. PALMS is a CAMHS commissioned service which offers individually tailored support for children and young people (CYP), aged 0-18 who have a global learning disability and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorder, helping families to manage challenging behaviour, toileting, feeding and sleeping concerns which have not benefitted from community interventions and/or to support mental health needs which cannot be met with reasonable adjustment by other CAMHS services. Additionally, PALMS also supports problematic sexualised behaviours. Interventions include workshops, groups, individual therapy, parent as therapist sessions, and a family clinic. PALMS aims to keep children and young people with their families thereby improving outcomes for all family members. PALMS predominantly applies narrative, systemic, positive behaviour, and bio-psycho social models adhering to the STOMP / STAMP and Transforming Care Agendas.

PALMS principally deliver a flexible service according to need and personal circumstances, in a planned way. For example, for a full-time worker this equates to flexibly working 37.5 across the working week. PALMS are open to flexible working and therefore part time / job share would be considered, working a minimum of 0.6 WTE.

The posts are permanent and will cover either the East and North of the county with principle bases in Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage or the South and West of the county with principle bases in Watford and St Albans

We have continued to support CYP and their families through the COVID19 pandemic embracing virtual working whilst continuing to offer face to face work where clinically appropriate. Virtual working offers flexibility to both team members and families and is now embedded in the PALMS team.

The PALMS team is friendly, cohesive and proactive. We value feedback and empower all team members to contribute to the continuous development of the service and welcome innovation and change.

We can offer you:

• Regular clinical and professional supervision
• Regular appraisal, personal development planning and opportunities for continuing professional development. This includes specific support with regards to fulfilling the PALMS role. Recent examples include the team undertaking training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), sleep assessment and intervention, and systemic and family practice.
• Regular opportunities to meet as a team including peer reflection and Intervision.
• Opportunities to work closely with a multi-disciplinary team and learn from other evidence based frameworks and approaches.
• Opportunities to connect with local and national networks
• Involvement in providing training.
• 27 days annual leave, 29 if you have worked for the NHS for 5 years and 33 if you have worked for the NHS for 10 years, in addition to 8 days bank holidays.
• Entitlement to the NHS pension scheme.

Interviews will be running 22nd August 2022. Interviews will be run using Microsoft Teams and full details and instructions will be provided to successful candidates.

Previous applicant need not apply. Due to high demand for this role, we may close applications early.

Person Specification

Training And Qualifications

Essential

• An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology
• 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.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum 6 months experience as an Assistant Psychologist or Honorary Assistant Psychologist

Desirable

• Experience as an Assistant Psychologist or Honorary Assistant Psychologist in a child and/or learning disability context
• Experience of working with people with a learning disability and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
• Experience of working in education settings
• Experience in psychological interventions - CBT or interpersonal therapy / dialectical behaviour therapy interventions or other evidence based approaches.
• Experience of multidisciplinary team working.
• Experience of undertaking clinical audit.
• Experience of teaching and training others, using a variety of multi-media materials.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• High level of communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive, abusive or hostile.
• Practical computing skills including the use of databases and spreadsheets.
• Ability to communicate sensitive information to service users, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance.
• Experience of working with individual's who are non-verbal or who have significant communication difficulties.
• An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to the MHST population.

Desirable

• High standard of report writing
• Knowledge and understanding of CYP-IAPT

Other

Essential

• Car driver (unless having a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010)

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust

Address

QEII Hospital

Welwyn Garden City

AL7 4HQ

Employer's website

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