Location: Northampton
Salary: £25,200
Career Level: Primary Contributor (Level A/Band 4)
Full-time, 37.5 hours per week
We currently have a vacancy for an Assistant Psychologist to join St Andrew's Healthcare's Medium Secure Mental Health Division (Northampton Site).
The medium secure division is comprised of nine wards, providing services to both men and women. The service includes a working age men's mental health service (three wards), three specialist men's wards (older adults 55yrs+, men with acquired brain injury, and D/deaf men), and a women's blended medium/low secure service (three wards).
The medium secure division provides rehabilitation and treatment to men and women presenting with mental health difficulties alongside a risk to themselves or others, which often includes involvement with the criminal justice system. Our patients often present with a range of difficulties including psychosis, difficulties with emotion regulation and interpersonal/relationship functioning, complex posttraumatic stress disorder, mild intellectual disability and/or neurodevelopmental disorders, and histories of problematic substance use. The majority of our patients will also have histories of complex or early relational trauma, and hence we aim to provide our care using a trauma-informed approach.
The role will involve working closely with a qualified psychologist to contribute to the delivery of psychology on one of our men's or women's wards, alongside a full MDT and nursing team. The roles and responsibilities of an Assistant Psychologist are varied, but focus on assisting qualified psychologists at all stages of our patients' admission. This includes assisting in the assessment and formulation of our patients' mental health and risk/offending needs, and also supporting the delivery of tailored mental health and offence-focused psychological interventions (both group and individual) and relapse prevention planning. These responsibilities are alongside assisting with clinical audit, service evaluation, research, staff training, and the writing of psychological reports.
The successful candidate would become part of a large and established psychology department of qualified clinical/forensic psychologists and assistant psychologists. The department also maintains good relationships with applied psychology training courses, and regularly provides placements for trainee clinical and/or forensic psychologists, undergraduate psychology placement year students and volunteer psychology staff.
Professional Development Offered within the Role
As a divisional psychology department, we value investing in the development of our assistant psychologists to allow them to progress in their applied psychology careers, offering specific monthly CPD and reflective practice sessions focused on early career clinical skill development. This AP development programme runs alongside weekly clinical supervision, monthly departmental CPD sessions and other internal training opportunities.
At a charity level, the academic department hosts a weekly ‘grand rounds' session presented by psychiatrists and senior psychologists, while the assistant psychologists across St Andrew's organise their own quarterly ‘AP Forum' for CPD and peer networking.
Essential and Desirable Criteria
The successful candidate will have:
- An accredited psychology degree (2:1 or above) that provides eligibility for graduate membership with the British Psychological Society
- A desire to pursue a career in clinical and/or forensic psychology
- Enthusiasm, interest in, and motivation to work in a secure inpatient mental health setting.
- Excellent organisational and communication skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel
- Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team.
- Clinical experience of working within mental health services and/or with relevant clinical populations is highly desirable.
If you have any questions regarding these vacancies please contact:
Dr Megan Wright, Clinical & Forensic Psychologist:
Dr Sophia Barford, Clinical & Forensic Psychologist:
Closing date for applications: 14th July 2024
Interview dates: Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th August 2024 (in person)