Assistant Psychologist job description

• To provide psychological assessment and psychological interventions under the supervision of a qualified professional Clinical Psychologist, working independently according to a plan agreed with a qualified psychologist and within the overall framework of the team’s policies and procedures as a member of the Chronic Pain Management Team, across all sectors of care.

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

Clinical:

1. To undertake protocol based psychological assessments of individuals, couples or families, applying psychological principles, including psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with patients, family members and others involved in the patient’s care, under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist.

2. To assist in the formulation and implementation of plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a patient’s psychological issues relating to physical health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the patient’s problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings, under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist.
3. To assist in the coordination and running of therapeutic groups.
4. To work with other staff to assess inpatients and review their care in preparation for multi-disciplinary reviews.

5. To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all patients of the service, across all settings where care takes place.

6. To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary meetings

Teaching, training, and supervision:-Assistant Psychologist job description

1. To receive regular clinical supervision from a senior clinical psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues, in accordance with professional practice guidelines.

2. To gain wider experience of professional psychology within the ORGANISATION over and above that provided within the principal service area where the postholder is employed.

3. To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties. To assist in the design and implementation of service development projects within the service, as required.
4. To contribute to the training and support of other staff in the area of psychological care of people with chronic pain.

Management, recruitment, policy and service development

1. To assist in the design and implementation of service development projects within the service, as required.

2. To attend meetings in which service developments are planned and discussed

  Research and service evaluation:Assistant Psychologist job description

1. Under the supervision of a Clinical Psychologist, to assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects.

2. To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.

3. To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified clinical psychologists in evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

Communications and working relationships:

1. Required to work closely with:
• Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist working in Chronic Pain Management Services
• Head of Health Psychology Services
• Members of the teams in which the postholder is working (e.g. nursing staff, physiotherapists, occupational therapists)

2. Required to liaise with:
• Specialist interest groups (e.g. Faculty of Clinical Health Psychology)

3. To display effective communication skill, emotional robustness and capacity for concentration to cope and work effectively with stress (in self and others).

4. To manage frequent, intense work with people who are in highly distressing situations (e.g. coping with chronic illness or having been recently diagnosed with a chronic illness)

5 To advocate a psychological perspective within the dominant physical healthcare system, which may challenge the prevailing patterns of care

6 To be highly skilled in, and able to demonstrate, effective clinical judgement in managing distressing and uncertain circumstances (e.g. managing the risk of suicide)

GENERAL-Assistant Psychologist job description

1. To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the postholder’s professional and team/operational manager(s).
2. To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Board policies and procedures.
3. To participate in continuing professional development and to maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific patient group and physical and mental health generally.
4. To prepare test materials and visual aids as required.
5. To adopt personal duty of care for the Health Board and other agencies equipment and facilities, especially when working in community settings where a significant amount of equipment is necessarily transported and carried between clinic bases.
6. To use keyboard and computer literacy skills for community based working on a frequent basis.
7. To provide own means of transport for such frequent community based working.
8. To be able to maintain sitting in a restricted physical position, providing appropriate and supportive posture for prolonged periods of time during clinical interviews, assessments, treatment and the provision of supervision etc.
11 .To undertake specific administrative duties as required.
12. To perform other duties of a similar kind appropriate to the grade, which may be required from time to time by their Psychology Manager.

Qualifications

First or second class degree in Psychology
Eligibility for graduate membership of the BPS.

Post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.

Experience
Work with people with mental health problems and/or physical health problems

Experience of paid work in direct care provision.

Skills & Abilities-Assistant Psychologist job description

High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.

An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems and/or physical 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.

An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems and/or physical health problems.

An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a physical health context

An understanding of psychology applied to health care.

PERSONAL

An interest in working psychologically with people with physical health problems

An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.

An ability to interact with people with mental health problems and/or disabilities.

Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals.

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Assistant Psychologist job description