Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust
Due to the current post holder's career progression, we have a vacancy for a Band 4 Assistant Psychologist to join our multidisciplinary community mental health service for older people (CMHSOP). The services offer specialist assessment and support to people who present with complex mental health needs and an associated degree of risk, at secondary care level, as well as those encountering challenges associated with (suspected) dementia.
The post provides opportunities to gain experience and skills working with multifaceted systems, helping to provide psychologically informed interventions to clients, including group work, and contributing to dementia assessment processes.
Previous experience of working with people with significant mental health difficulties, associated distress and/or other disabilities would be advantageous, alongside experience of direct observations, semi-structured interviews (with clients and their significant others) and psychometric testing. High-level communication skills (written and verbal) are required.
This post is a full-time, permanent position.
Main duties of the job
To support and enhance the professional psychological care of clients within Thanet Community Mental Health Service for Older People, providing psychological assessment (including psychometric testing as part of dementia diagnostic processes) and interventions under the supervision of HCPC registered practitioner psychologists. To assist in clinically related administration, for example: waiting list management, research and project work.
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached job description and person specification for full details of the post and the main responsibilities it entails.
The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).
Person Specification
Training, Qualifications and Registration
* An upper second-class honours degree or higher in psychology.
* Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
* Further postgraduate training in relevant areas of professional Psychology.
Experience
* Worked with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
* Experience of research, audit/service evaluation & project work.
* Experience of working with psychosis & substance misuse.
* Experience of working with people with cognitive impairment.
* Experience of working with family and professional carers.
* Experience of undertaking psychometric assessments.
Knowledge and skills
* Awareness of psychological issues of later life, the dementias, and their impact on individuals and their families.
* Ability to comprehend and communicate verbally and in writing highly complex and sensitive information in a manner appropriate to a range of settings and audiences, including complex highly emotive situations and those with significantly impaired communication capacities.
* Ability to analyse and manage complex multi-factorial clinical information from a range of sources integrating it into a formulation utilising a variety of psychological perspectives.
* Ability to organise own workload effectively, prioritising a complex range of tasks and responsibilities to meet agreed deadlines.
* Adequate keyboard skills and sound understanding of I.T. packages.
* Ability to drive.
* Ability to administer accurately and speedily, complex psychometric test materials.
* Knowledge of the dementias and ways of providing psychological assessment and support.
* Knowledge and skill in administering screening measures for dementia and/or functional mental health problems.
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 name
Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust
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