Job summary
- Main area
- Inpatient Psychology
- Grade
- Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 350-MHC8030696
- Employer
- Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Mossley Hill Hospital
- Town
- Liverpool
- Salary
- £28,392 - £31,157 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 29/06/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Assistant Psychologist
Band 4
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Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust celebrates diversity and promotes equal opportunities; we are committed to challenging and eliminating racism and other forms of discrimination and advancing and promoting equality of opportunity in the provision of services and creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
We take positive action to support disadvantaged groups and also particularly encourage applications from ethnically diverse, disabled and LGBTQIA+ people that are under-represented in our workforce. Furthermore we welcome applications from reservists and ex-armed forces personnel as we recognise the benefits of the values, skills, training and experience that they bring to their work with us. We encourage all applicants to share their equality information with us.
Using AI to support your application
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a helpful tool when preparing your application, supporting you to organise and structure your application and present your experiences clearly. However, we want to hear about your experiences and achievements. Please ensure everything you submit is truthful, accurate, and reflects your own work and experience. Your authentic story is the best way to help us understand who you are and what you can bring to the role. If content appears to be copied or misrepresented, it may impact the outcome of your application. We encourage you to use AI responsibly as a support tool, not a substitute for your own voice.
For tips and guidance, please refer to our applicant guidance.
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Applications that appear mostly or fully generated by AI, without clear personal examples linked to the person specification, may be rejected.
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Job overview
As an Assistant Psychologist working within the North Mersey Inpatient Psychology Service, you will be based full time on the 'all male' Archer Ward in the newly opened Mossley Hill Hospital in South Liverpool. you will be a part of a small team of Assistant Psychologists lead by a number of Clinical Psychologists.
You will support and enhance the professional psychological care of service users working with and helping to support the multi-disciplinary team that includes psychiatry, nursing staff, occupational therapy, and facilities staff. You will form a part of a well established and respected team of qualified and assistant psychologists.
You will deliver 1:1 and group psychological interventions on the ward. You will also support other wards by working as part of a team of assistant psychologists to deliver group interventions in line with NICE guidance across a wide variety of presentations.
You will have access to weekly clinical supervision, line management and reflective practice, training and CPD opportunities, as well as audits, service evaluation and the potential for small scale, clinically relevant research. In this team there is exposure to CAT, CFT, ACT, DBT, Narrative Therapy as well as CBT for psychosis.
Main duties of the job
The role will involve supporting psychological assessments and evidence-based interventions under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist. Assistant psychologists will work with the ward psychologist in developing formulations, treatment planning and provision of intervention for people in acute mental health crisis within the inpatient setting. They will facilitate group interventions, support psychoeducation and have opportunity for clinically applicable audit.
Assistant Psychologists work alongside the clinical psychologist, psychiatry, nursing team and AHP's to promote Trauma Informed and values driven models of care.
Assistant Psychologists will be given the opportunity to gain experience in systemic interventions, which may include reflective practice, delivering care spaces for staff to support wellbeing and possibly facilitate Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) and/or Self Harm Pathway (SHP) when working with complex presentations.
You must have a degree in psychology, which confers Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership with the British Psychological Society (BPS).
Working for our organisation
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.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details and requirements of the role.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- A second class honours degree or higher in psychology or psychology as a main subject
- Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
Desirable criteria
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
Experience
Essential criteria
- A minimum of 12 months previous experience of work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities
- Experience of teaching and training in the application of psychological principles to mental health problems
- Experience of research evaluation and audit of the application of psychological principles to mental health problem
- Clear experience of interacting effectively with staff from all disciplines
- Clear experience of interacting with people with mental health problems
Desirable criteria
- Experience of paid work in direct care provision. Previous experience as an Assistant in an NHS setting
- Experience of psychometric assessment.
- Proven track record of experience of research evaluation and audit of the application of psychological principles to mental health problems
Skills
Essential criteria
- 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 accept and use supervision appropriately and effectivel y
- An interest in working with people with mental health problems or other disabilities
- Ability to work with a high level of autonomy within the boundaries of the assistant role.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Experience using computers for databases or data -analysis
- Experience of report writing.
- Demonstrated high level ability to communicate sensitive information to service users, carers and colleagues in a way that facilitates engagement
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities
- A demonstrated ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context
- An understanding of psychological principles applied to health care.
- Undertaken further, post -graduate study.
Desirable criteria
- Skills in SPSS for Windows.
- Undertaking further relevant post -graduate study leading to recognised qualification
Values
Essential criteria
- Continuous improvement – committed to making improvements to our services for the benefit of all.
- Accountability – taking ownership to anticipate, develop and deliver high quality care.
- Respect – how we treat others in an inclusive and supportive way.
- Enthusiasm – demonstrate our passion and pride for what we do and how we do it.
- Support – actively supporting others with compassion and courage.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Dawid Crook
- Job title
- Principal Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
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