We have a full time vacancy for an Assistant Psychologist in our South East Essex ARMS (At Risk Mental State) for psychosis Services in Essex. We are a standalone multidisciplinary team with psychological staff, peer support workers, a recovery coordinator and an employment and education specialist. We have been operational for just over two years now and we continue to develop and update our processes and ways of working. We take a psychological approach to all aspects of our service. The post is available until 31/12/2025.
We cover Southend, Rayleigh, Castlepoint and Canvey Island. We offer flexible working and remote work is possible for some of the role. It is an interesting and diverse role which will provide the successful applicant with broad experiences and good learning opportunities in both clinical, audit and service development tasks. We are looking for someone who is friendly, hardworking, adaptable with excellent organisational skills. We are one of three ARMSp teams in the Mid and South Essex area and we do a lot of joint development. We are also closely connected to our local Early Intervention in Psychosis team.
The role of the Assistant Psychologist is to assist with all parts of the Psychological Service provision, including individual and group assessments and interventions, supporting projects such as service user involvement, therapy or carers support, administrative and organisational tasks, audit and service evaluation. The role also includes working with and supporting all members of the multidisciplinary team where appropriate.
We are looking for a graduate in Psychology who has some relevant experience working in health and social care settings. The post holder will need to be organised in order to assist the psychology team in managing referrals and collecting and evaluating outcomes of interventions as well as having creative skills for producing documents and resources that are part of our ongoing development as a service. There will be opportunities for involvement in work that cuts across the other MSE ARMSp teams.
EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;
• Season Ticket Loans
• NHS discounts for staff
• Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
• Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
• The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
• Day One Flexible Employer
The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment
Join our Staff bank
What is Staff Bank?
Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.
All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.
If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank
The South East Essex ARMS for psychosis service is multidisciplinary but does not include psychiatry. ARMSp is a relatively new service offering predominantly, but not exclusively, psychosocial interventions with an evidence base of mental health prevention. As a team we pride ourselves on being trauma informed, respectful and thoughtful about our interactions with each other and as well as with our service users.
There are opportunities to be involved in service development.All of the teams are part of a wider network of EIP and ARMS teams across the county of Essex and have regular contact with them, as well as with other psychology services locally and regionally. There are good opportunities for shared learning and CPD.
ROLE SUMMARY
There is an opportunity for an Assistant Psychologist post in South East Essex ARMS for Psychosis Service.
The ARMS for psychosis service is a multidisciplinary service working with young people and adults aged 14-35 considered to beat riskof developing psychosis.
As an Assistant Psychologist you will support and enhance the professional psychological care of adults and young people at risk of a first episode psychosis, supporting psychological assessment and interventions under the supervision of a senior practitioner psychologist according to a plan agreed within the overall framework of the Trust’s policies and procedures. This will be through both direct and indirect work. Depending on experience, the responsibilities of the job will involve assisting in completing complex assessments, (including structured interviews and psychometrics) and communicating the outcome of these to clients, team colleagues and other professionals. There will be the opportunity for assisting in and conducting individual, family and group interventions, consultation, and staff training. The post holder will need to be organised in order to assist the psychology team in managing referrals and collecting and evaluating outcomes of interventions.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Please note that this role outline serves to provide an illustrative example of the duties and responsibilities you may be expected to undertake during the course of your normal duties. It is not an exhaustive list and you will therefore be required to undertake other responsibilities and duties that are considered to be commensurate with the band.
RESEARCH/ AUDIT
Assist in the development and implementation of new clinical initiatives
Undertake data collection and related analysis of findings
Use of Excel, SPSS and other IT programmes in the analysis of research data
Undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research related to the clinical practice of psychologists within Early Intervention in Psychosis.
CLINICAL
To work jointly with and under the supervision of the team practitioner Psychologist/s in undertaking psychological assessments and interventions.
To focus on the Recovery Model and service users strengths
Assist in the development and facilitation of therapy groups in the community early intervention in psychosis team setting
Assist in the formulation of care plans involving the psychological treatment/management of service users, under the supervision of a qualified professional
Undertake joint work with other clinical staff as required by the care plan
Attend and contribute to MDT meetings, psychology meetings and care plan reviews as appropriate.
To assist in the management of the psychology referrals process within the early intervention in psychosis team.
Support the work of other team members as appropriate
Ensure the maintenance of accurate and timely documentation/records on all service users in line with professional code and Trust policy
Other clinical duties will be agreed and decided depending on the post holder’s interests and level of experience
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
To use a computer as necessary for clinical work, including literature searches, word processing, developing and maintaining training packages and information leaflets, maintaining psychology service database, emailing, report writing and other tasks as necessary for the efficient running of the service and/or training needs
To use statistical and other software (spreadsheets, word processing, presentation packages, databases) for the analysis and presentation of clinical and research data
RESPONSIBILITY FOR SERVICE USER CARE
To work with clients under supervision of the qualified team Psychologist
To communicate, in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, to clients, their families and others as appropriate, information that may be contentious or highly distressing concerning the nature of their problems, the psychological assessment, formulation of the difficulties and treatment plans
To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on the psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management in line with Trust and inter-agency policies and procedures.
To monitor and evaluate progress during the course of clients’ care and provide reports on this
To produce reports on clients, in a timely manner, that convey the key findings of psychological assessment and formulation and treatment outcome in a way that does justice to the complexity of the problems described, but that are understandable to the recipients of the reports, including clients and referrers
ADDITIONAL DUTIES
In addition to the above duties you will also be expected to perform the below key activities in line with your job role;
Complete mandatory training in line with Trust policy and procedures
To participate in the staff appraisal process ensuring you have an annual appraisal
To engage in regular clinical and management supervision with the qualified team Psychologists.
To keep yourself updated on all matters relating to Trust policy
You will be expected to work collaboratively with key partner organisations, service users, carers, clinicians and other practitioners within the multi-disciplinary team in delivering services.
This advert closes on Thursday 7 Nov 2024