Assistant Psychologist

We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, motivated and compassionate Band 5- Highly Specialist Assistant Psychologist- to join our team within Brent CAMHS. You will have experience working in CAMHS services and have a sound understanding of mental health challenges facing children and young people.

Brent CAMHS is a large, well established and dynamic team with opportunities for varied MDT work. There is a strong multi disciplinary culture in the team and you will contribute to change management in the service.

Support will be provided as part of the service supervision structure and a clear job plan will ensure you are well supported with clear expectations of the role. Opportunities for specialist training may be available.

Please note that due to high demand of posts like these the post may be closed early.

To find out more about working in CAMHS CLICK HERE for our video.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for a Assistant Psychologist to join a multi-disciplinary team delivering a clinical health psychology, administrating and co-ordinating assessment measures and contributing to service development. You will be working alongside clinical psychologists.

You will assist with the coordination of specialist psychological assessments, clinically support neuro developmental assessments (including ADOS).

Excellent communication skills and an ability to work within a team are essential. Paid post- graduate experience of working within a mental health care setting is also essential.

Supervision will be provided by the clinical psychologist.

Working for our organisation

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

To undertake protocol based psychological assessments of clients, applying psychological, including neuropsychological tests (ASD, 3Di, Cognitive assessments), self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observation with clients, family members, and others involved in the client’s care, under the supervision of a clinical psychologist and the team lead.

To assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work.

Person specification

Education

Essential criteria

• An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology
• Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.

Desirable criteria

• Further post-graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis

Attitudes

Essential criteria

• An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
• An ability to interact with people with mental health problems disabilities.
• Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals
• Developing ability to be reflective about own practice and to identify areas of development.

Desirable criteria

• A keen interest in working with people who have a learning disability and their families/carers, many of whom are likely to have experienced the negative impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences, social stigma and inequality; and who present with behaviour of concern and/or mental health difficulties.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
• Experience in co-delivering therapeutic groups and ability to evidence outcomes using audit/research methodologies
• Experience of working directly with children with LD/ASD either as an assistant psychologist/ support worker or other direct care role.
• Experience of working with families and/ or carers providing training/ support in implementing behavioural strategies

Desirable criteria

• Experience in providing psycho-education sessions for teaching staff and parents.

Skills and knowledge

Essential criteria

• Developed communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate condition related information to clients and relatives, cofacilitate group sessions with clients and families, including when atmosphere may be highly emotive.
• Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance
• An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities.
• An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health and learning disabilities context
• An understanding of psychology applied to health care.
• Experience using a variety of IT systems and databases.
• High standard of report writing

Desirable criteria

• Experience of and ability to work with diverse client groups, through interpreters and using video call technology.
• Developed standard of report writing and record-keeping