Assistant Psychologist Retford, England
Job description
This is an excellent opportunity for an energetic and dynamic person with good communication skills to fulfil the Assistant Psychologist role within a large and flourishing Psychology Department. Assistant Psychologists in this settingmust haveat least one year prior experience of working with people who have offended/come into contact with the criminal justice system, and/or come into contact with mental health services and present with needs in relation to their mental health, personality or intellectual functioning. Having worked with more than one of these populations would be an advantage. Youmustalso be able to demonstrate eligibility for graduate basis for chartered membership of the British Psychological Society.
The role is varied and involves supporting qualified clinical or forensic psychologists in completing assessments and delivering individual and group therapy. Post holders will have the opportunity to contribute to ongoing development of specialist treatment programmes as well as research and project delivery. MDT working is also an integral part of the role. Research, evaluation and writing for publication are actively supported; ongoing professional development is encouraged and supervision considered a priority. Rampton Hospital Clinical and Forensic Psychology Service has an excellent track record of Assistant Psychologists gaining places on clinical training programmes or qualifying as registered forensic psychologists.
To support and enhance the professional psychological care of clients within the service and working with the psychology team to impact on ward culture and reduce seclusions and segregations; providing psychological assessment and psychological interventions (individual and group work) under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist; working independently according to a plan agreed with a qualified psychologist. To assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, development of audit and/or research projects, and teaching and project work. The post-holder will work within Trust policies and procedures.
We have a huge variety of opportunities in our expansive Trust covering geographically from South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire to Leicester, providing mental health inpatient and community services, community health services, forensic mental health services and secure prison healthcare across the East Midlands.
We have more than 100 sites and a huge scope of unique opportunities to develop your career and gain some amazing experiences. We strive to be a great place to work and offer many staff benefits and tailored staff support and wellbeing programmes.
Do you want to make a difference?
Do you believe in Trust, Honesty, Respect, Compassion and Teamwork?
Then Nottinghamshire Healthcare is the perfect place for you to start, maintain or further your career.
Join our team of nearly 9000 who are making a difference every day. We are all about our people – our staff, volunteers, carers, service users and patients. We are NottsHC.
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Rampton Hospital is one of three high secure hospitals in England and Wales, offering treatment to individuals detained under the Mental Health Act (1983) who present a grave risk of harm to others. The Clinical and Forensic Psychology Service consists of several specialist teams working across each of the services within the hospital, including: the National High Secure Healthcare Service for Women, National High Secure Learning Disability Service, National High Secure Deaf Service, Men’s Mental Health Service, the Men's Personality Disorder Service. The post-holder will be part of a vibrant busy team of qualified staff and assistants and will be required to work alongside and under the supervision of qualified clinical or forensic psychologists in relation to one or more clinical teams. Rampton Hospital Clinical and Forensic Psychology Service has an excellent track record of Assistant Psychologists gaining places on clinical training programmes or qualifying as registered forensic psychologists. Specific roles and responsibilities may include:
Clinical or Work Practice
- To undertake individualised psychological assessments of patients including neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with patients, and others involved in the patient’s care, under the supervision of a qualified psychologist.
- To assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a patient’s problems, under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist.
- To assist in the running of therapeutic groups.
- To work with other staff to assess patients and review their care in preparation for multi-disciplinary reviews.
- To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all patients of the service, across all settings where care takes place.
- To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary meetings.
- To receive regular (at least weekly) supervision from a qualified psychologist.
- To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties.
- To contribute to the training and support of other staff in psychological care.
- To participate in appropriate training courses or updates in accordance with mandatory training requirements and Personal Development Plans.
- To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects, adhering to research governance.
- To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
- To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified psychologists in evidence based practice in individual or group work and work with other team members.
- The duties and responsibilities of the post will be undertaken in accordance with the policies, procedures and practices of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. It is the post holder’s responsibility to ensure that they keep up to date with these policies and other policy documents.
- To assist in the design and implementation of service development projects within the service as required.
- To attend meetings in which service developments are planned and discussed.
- To work within the provisions of the Trust Health and Safety Policy.
- To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.
- To undertake specific administrative duties as required.
- To perform other duties of a similar kind appropriate to the banding which may be required from time to time by their Psychology Manager.
- To ensure that in all aspects of professional activity (e.g. communication with patients, relatives, and colleagues as well as in the assessment, development/delivery of interventions) issues of diversity such as race, culture, identity, gender, religion, age and sexuality are sensitively considered and incorporated to reflect individual differences appropriately.
- To ensure that service users are appropriately consulted about relevant aspects of their care and are empowered to express their views in a responsive environment enabling such views to be assimilated/incorporated into continued service development and improvement.
