Job summary
We are looking for a motivated and reflective Assistant Psychologist (band 4) to join the Meadowbank Rehabilitation Unit's multi-disciplinary Team.

Based at Berrywood Hospital in Northampton, Meadowbank is a 12-bed open rehabilitation unit for men that adopts the CHIME recovery framework, promoting Connectedness, Hope and Optimism, Identity, Meaning, and Empowerment. The service supports individuals with complex mental health needs to progress in their recovery, reintegrate safely into the community, and build meaningful and fulfilling lives. Psychology is an integral part of the service and contributes to the delivery of recovery-focused, psychologically informed care. The postholder will work alongside psychology and multidisciplinary colleagues to support the assessment, understanding, and treatment of service users, helping to promote positive outcomes and support recovery across all aspects of care.

We request that applicants write a short piece (no more than 500 words) entitled:

"How would you build a positive and supportive relationship with someone experiencing psychosis?" and include this with their supporting information

Main duties of the job

• Provide 1:1 psychological assessment, formulation and intervention, under the guidance of the ward psychologist.
• Co-facilitate supportive and psycho-educational groups.
• Write CPA reports, assessment reports, ward round updates etc, and maintain service users' clinical records to a high standard.
• Deliver formulation sessions and training to the multi-disciplinary team.
• Collaborate in using outcome information to inform and develop good practice.
• Undertake service evaluation and audit projects for the ward and the wider Mental Health Recovery Pathway to allow any data collected to inform Trust management, commissioners, users and other relevant stakeholders of the needs of this population.
• Attend and contribute to meetings including ward round, referral discussions, STAR days, and Rehabilitation Psychology meetings.

About us
NHFT is an integrated primary care and mental health Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in both hospital settings and out in the community. Because we put the person at the centre of all we do, we focus on delivering care that is as easy to access as possible. This means many of our services can be provided at home, work or in schools. We also provide health services to various prisons and detention centres across the country.

NHFT promotes a culture of learning to improve the care and safety of our patients and staff, which focuses on people who enable our Trust to be 'outstanding' by supporting opportunity, innovation, development and growth.

Job responsibilities
We would like to recruit staff who are committed and dedicated to working with men with severe and enduring mental illness (e.g. psychosis, personality disorder, complex trauma) and co-morbid difficulties including neurodiversity, drug and alcohol misuse and forensic histories. Regular clinical supervision will be provided as are many opportunities to learn about a wide range of presentations and services due to the integrated nature of the Psychology Services within NHFT. It is essential that applicants have a recognised undergraduate degree in Psychology and are eligible for Graduate Basis for Registration with the British Psychological Society. Experience of working with similar clinical populations would be beneficial, as would some knowledge of psychological approaches.

Whilst much of the applicants time will be spent at Berrywood Hospital, it is desirable for you to be able to drive, to enable you to participate in assessments in Kettering, and to attend meetings at Campbell House in Northampton.

We want to recruit a diverse workforce, who are values driven, compassionate and have a desire to deliver high quality care every day.

Person Specification
Training & Qualifications
Essential

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

Desirable

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

Short statement
Essential

• Has completed short essay

Previous Experience
Essential

• Experience with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities

Desirable

• Experience of working with individuals with neurological impairment
• Experience in co-facilitating groups
• Experience of paid work in direct care provision

Other
Essential

• Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively
• Has a full UK driving license and access to a vehicle for work purposes
• Eligible to gain a place on a local training course

Desirable

• A desire to explore a career in Professional Psychology

Knowledge & Skills
Essential

• High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive
• Ability to communicate sensitive information to service users, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance
• An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with complex mental health problems or other disabilities

Desirable

• Experience completing cognitive and neuropsychological assessments
• Experience using microcomputers for databases or data-analysis, especially SPSS for Windows.
• High standard of report writing

Personal
Essential

• Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals
• An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).