Assistant Psychologist | Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

We are looking for two Assistant Psychologist to join the Children and Young Peoples Crisis Response team to help support the Home Treatment Element of the team.

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 practices

Value the aims of service users

Work in partnership and offer meaningful choice

Be optimistic about the possibilities of meaningful change

Value social inclusion

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 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.

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 client's 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 client's care.

To assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a client's 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.