Assistant Psychologist

Job summary We are looking for two Assistant Psychologist to join Warrington Children and Young Peoples Mental Health Service.
You will join an experienced multi-disciplinary team made up of nurses, social workers, art therapy, CBT, family therapy, psychiatry, psychology and more.
Main duties of the job To support and enhance the professional psychological care of clients within the service, across all relevant sectors; providing psychological assessment and psychological interventions under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist, working independently according to a plan agreed with the supervising qualified psychologist and within the overall framework of the team's policies and procedures.To assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, and development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work.
Overall, this will require work on a one-to-one and/or group basis, in a highly emotive atmosphere, necessitating the maintenance of a high degree of professionalism at all times.The post holder will demonstrate an attitude which respects and values service users and their careers, in line with the Culture of Compassionate Care.The post holder will embrace the core values of the organisation.
These principles will recognise the need to:Promote safe practicesValue the aims of service usersWork in partnership and offer meaningful choiceBe optimistic about the possibilities of meaningful changeValue social inclusion About us Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services.
Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient.
We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together.
We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Job description Job responsibilities To support Qualified Psychologists by undertaking psychological assessments of clients applying psychologically based psychometric tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.
To undertake psychological assessments of service users under the supervision of a qualified psychologist which may include, as appropriate, a range of psychometric tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with service users, carers and others involved in the clients care.
To assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a clients problems, under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist, in a range of settings as appropriate.
To assist in the coordination and running of therapeutic groups.
To work with other disciplines to assess inpatients, outpatients, day patients or residents and review their care in preparation for multi-disciplinary reviews.
To assist in the development of a psychological framework of understanding and care to all service users of the service, across all care settings.
To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary meetings as directed by the qualified psychologists.
To use a degree of initiative and work independently with service users on planned work, and to exercise judgement based on good practice (NICE) and local operating procedures.
To work with potentially distressing material in relation to service users personal histories and presentation, including risk to self and others.
In common with all clinical psychologists, to receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines and trust policy.
To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties Where appropriate, and under the supervision of qualified staff, contribute to the training and support of other staff in psychological care.
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 as required.
To be competent in the use of basic IT packages, such as Microsoft word.
Develop a skill base in the administration and analysis of a range of psychometric packages as directed.
To assist in the design and implementation of audit, effectiveness, and research projects.
To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of full reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
To review evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified psychologists and work with other team members in their clinical responsibilities as necessary.
To prepare test materials and visual aids as required.
Please refer to attached Job Description for full list of duties and responsibilities.
Person Specification Qualifications Essential A honours degree that satisfies the British psychological society criteria for graduate basis for chartered membership Desirable Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis A desire to explore a career in Professional Psychology Knowledge & Experience Essential Lived experience or professional experience of working with health inequalities / BAME communities Previous experience of work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities Experience of teaching and training in the application of psychological principles to mental health problems Experience of research evaluation and audit of the application of psychological principles to mental health problems High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive Experience using computers for databases or data -analysis Experience of report writing Demonstrated high level ability to communicate sensitive information to service users, carers and colleagues in a way that facilitates engagement An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities A demonstrated ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context An understanding of psychological principles applied to health care Desirable Experience of Clinical Health Psychology settings Experience/knowledge of Solution-Focused approaches Experience of working with 'expert patients' Values Essential Continuous Improvement Accountability Respectfulness Enthusiasm Support High professional standards Responsive to service users Engaging leadership style Strong customer service belief Transparency and honesty Discreet Change oriented Skills Essential Expertise in managing people, managing conflict, and balancing demand for resources with availability and prioritisation of same Ability to analyse and implement financial reports and data Experience of presenting complex reports/presentation Experience of taking decisions relating to the risk or safety of individuals and carrying professional responsibility for those decisions within a safeguarding and risk framework Clear experience of interacting effectively with staff from all disciplines An interest in working with people with mental health problems or other disabilities Clear experience of interacting with people with mental health problems Ability to work with a high level of autonomy within the boundaries of the assistant role Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively Desirable Evidence of presentation skills Ability to communicate sensitive information families to children, young people and