Job summary
Employer heading
Assistant Psychologist
Band 4
Job overview
INTERNAL ONLY
This post is open to Berkshire Healthcare NHS Employees Only
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Assistant Psychologist who has experience working with personality disorder/complex emotional needs to join the ASSIST team.
ASSIST is looking for someone who is innovative, enthusiastic, resilient, self-aware, compassionate, reflective and passionate about working with clients who meet criteria for an Emotionally Unstable/Borderline personality pattern and other emotional intensity problems and is eager to contribute to the ongoing development and evaluation of ASSIST’s evidence-based interventions and strategies for stabilisation and reducing emotional distress.
ASSIST is a small team of mental health practitioners who provide intensive and time-limited psychologically informed interventions for the residents of Berkshire. We work closely with our inpatient service colleagues to help reduce occupied bed days and facilitate early discharge and with our Community Mental Health Teams as an alternative to admission.
The successful applicant will work under the supervision of the Clinical Lead Psychologist, supporting the ASSIST clinicians with their clinical work, offering high quality psychologically informed interventions as well as contributing to audit, ongoing data collection and analysis research, teaching and service development.
The Team’s current operating hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Main duties of the job
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Supporting colleagues who offer short-term (up to 12 weeks) intensive individual psychologically informed interventions for stabilisation
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To develop and co-facilitate the group offer
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Flexibility to be eclectic and creative with interventions
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Development of safety plans in collaboration with colleagues and patients
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Ensure pre/post outcome measures are completed
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Contribute towards the psychological formulation of the individual
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Work collaboratively to support colleagues and other teams to manage risk in a positive and inclusive way
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Supporting other services and treatment teams
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Attending weekly team supervision/case discussion and support
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Attending bi-monthly individual supervision
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Data collection and analysis (inc. outcome measures)
Working for our organisation
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire.
We value diversity and are proud to be a Stonewall Top 100 Employer. We work hard to create an inclusive environment where you’ll be supported by friendly and professional colleagues to flourish.
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare:
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.
Benefits of working for us include:
- Flexible working options to support work-life balance
- 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
- Generous NHS pension scheme
- Excellent learning and career development opportunities
- ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
- Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
- Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
- Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
- Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
- Free parking across Trust sites
If you share our values and would like to come and work for us, please submit your application as soon as possible as we'll occasionally close roles early that have a high number of applications.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The “must haves” for this role:
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An interest and enthusiasm to work with individuals who have a diagnosis of EUPD/emotion dysregulation
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A degree level qualification in psychology
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Experience of working with individuals with mental health problems
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Car driver & possess full UK driver’s license or evidence of ability to travel to designated base & other sites; ability to travel independently between multiple sites to fulfil the requirements of the position
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification. We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted. For further application tips- see the help with your application document attached once you click apply.
If you're someone who shares our passion for excellence and care, you belong at Berkshire Healthcare!
We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don't hesitate to call: Heather Tomlinson (Clinical Lead Psychologist) on 07976430992 or email [email protected] who'll be delighted to help.
We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required.
Person specification
Education/Qualifications/Training
Essential criteria
- An upper second-class honours degree or higher in psychology.
- Eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
Continuous Professional Development
Desirable criteria
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of applied psychology and mental health practice.
Previous Experience
Essential criteria
- Working with people with complex mental health problems that may present as high risk.
Desirable criteria
- Providing evidence-based psychological interventions in direct care provision.
- Working in NHS mental health services.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of evidence-based psychological interventions (DBT/MBT), and the application thereof, as relevant to mental health services for people with EUPD
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
- High standard of letter and report writing.
- Understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems.
- Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge within a mental health context
- Ability to collect and analyse data/outcome measures
Desirable criteria
- Proven ability to communicate sensitively with service users, carers and colleagues in a way that supports engagement and promotes recovery.
Additional Requirements
Essential criteria
- Ability to interact and engage with people who may be experiencing acute mental health problems.
- Ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
- Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently to deliver work as agreed and managed at regular intervals.
- Ability to recognise the limits of own competencies and to seek supervision and support as required to practise safely and within professional guidelines.
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
- Full driving license with own car and ability to travel across Berkshire as required.
Desirable criteria
- An interest in working with people with mental health problems or other disabilities.
- A desire to explore a career in Professional Psychology
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Heather Tomlinson
- Job title
- Clinical Lead Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07976430992
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