Assistant Psychologist - Adult Inpatient
ELFT has long been recognised as a centre of excellence for mental and health care, innovation and improvement. Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Job overview
We are seeking an Assistant Psychologist to support the work of our Psychologists and our multi-disciplinary teams on our adult inpatient psychiatric wards. The wards are based in the Luton area and are on several separate sites, so the ability to travel between wards is required. The post is over a fixed term contract of 12 months.
The successful applicants will have completed and been awarded a first or upper second class (2:1) honours degree in Psychology, which confers eligibility for graduate basis for registration with the British Psychological Society. They should have experience of supporting and facilitating groups under the supervision of a psychologist. They will also have a strong academic record with excellent written and verbal communication skills, excellent IT literacy skills, and skills in data collection and evaluation.
We are also looking for people who have experience of working with and engaging positively and sensitively with people with serious mental health difficulties and their support networks. The ability to work collaboratively with other professions is a central part of the post in order to provide holistic care within a biopsychosocial model and a culture of trauma-informed care.
Please note that interviews will be in person on 1st April 2025, and the successful candidate should be able to start the full-time post by June 2025.
Main duties of the job
They will support the work of the qualified Psychologists which will include carrying out or assisting in assessments, functional analysis and positive behavior support planning, and facilitating psychological skills groups running on the wards under supervision. The Assistant Psychologist will also support the Quality Improvement projects running on the wards. The Assistant Psychologist will work under the supervision of a qualified psychologist.
In addition, they will be expected to assist in clinically related administration, collection of statistics, and carrying out audit and/or research projects. Further specific duties will be determined on the basis of skills and experience and operational service requirements, and may vary occasionally as service needs/priorities change.
Person specification
Qualifications
* A first or upper second class (2:1) honours degree in Psychology conferring eligibility for graduate basis for registration with the British Psychological Society.
* Further post-graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
Experience
* Previous work with people with mental health or social care needs.
* Experience of service evaluation and audit.
* Experience working in a clinical team, especially as an Assistant Psychologist or direct caregiver.
* Experience in communicating sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues.
* Experience of QI Framework and working on QI Projects.
* Experience in psychological assessment and delivering individual and group interventions under supervision.
* Understanding of current NHS/Social Care policies/practices relating to mental health.
Knowledge and Skills
* An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities.
* High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
* Skills in engaging positively with a wide range of people with respect for diversity and encouraging inclusion.
* Ability to work independently, prioritising workload, within agreed time frames, and using supervision appropriately within limits of competence.
* Ability to create and maintain effective relationships within the Clinical team and with a range of professionals.
* IT literate including expertise in using Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) to a professional standard.
Other
* Ability to travel between Trust work bases to carry out work as needed.
Making Things Better
Quality Improvement is a key part of our work to improve our services and refine how we do things. We offer a fantastic opportunity for our staff to learn, lead and contribute towards improving our services.
What Next?
If you like the sound of ELFT, don’t waste a moment. Apply now!
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