Job summary
- Main area
- Psychology
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 457-25-7336793
- Employer
- Sheffield Health & Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Forest Close Rehabilitation Service
- Town
- Sheffield
- Salary
- £31,049 - £37,796 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 04/09/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Band 5 Assistant Psychologist
NHS AfC: Band 5
About us
At Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust we provide a range of mental health, learning disability, substance misuse, primary care and other specialist services designed around the needs of people in our city.
We have a dedicated and skilful team of people caring in Sheffield, which you could become a part of.
Our values are at the heart of everything we do. These are: working together for our service users, respect and kindness, everyone counts, commitment to quality, improving lives.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Rehabilitation and Recovery Pathway at Sheffield Health & Social Care Trust. The post will require a skilled and enthusiastic Assistant Psychologist to join the clinical team in the inpatient rehabilitation service serving people with complex and enduring mental health difficulties. Assistant Psychologists are embedded and valued members of the multidisciplinary team at Forest Close, contributing to direct and indirect care, via psychologically informed assessment, formulation and interventions. You will be joining an established psychology team which includes a Senior Clinical Psychologist and two Clinical Associate Psychologists.
Main duties of the job
We are seeking a motivated and skilled Assistant Psychologist to join our dynamic team at Forest Close, part of Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust.
The successful candidate will bring a sound understanding of psychologically informed assessment, formulation, and the promotion of psychological thinking both within teams and across wider systems. You will demonstrate a passion for indirect psychological working and the ability to apply psychological knowledge under the supervision of a Senior Clinical Psychologist to support staff and service development.
You will have experience of working with service users presenting with a broad range of complex mental health needs, and the skills to contribute to the support of planning and delivery of evidence-based psychological assessments and interventions.
Forest Close offers a supportive and forward-thinking leadership team, committed to valuing and embedding psychology throughout the service. We are excited to work with someone who shares our enthusiasm for professional growth, service improvement, and innovative practice.
Working for our organisation
At SHSC, we prioritise the well-being and safety of both our service users and employees. It is our policy and a condition of employment that all employees must join the DBS Update Service. This service carries an annual fee, which employees are responsible for paying up front. However, employees may claim this cost back through the Trust's Employee Expenses Reimbursement Policy. For those requiring a Basic DBS check, it is necessary to register for a DBS Online Account.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
General Requirements
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 post-holder’s professional and service manager(s).
To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal, and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology and related disciplines.
To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry, recording and report writing in accordance with professional codes of practice of the BPS and Trust policies and procedures.
To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues.
To attend and contribute to relevant professional meetings.
To develop and maintain good working relationships with colleagues within Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust and in the statutory and voluntary services with the aim of promoting high standards of care and clinical practice
Principal Duties
Clinical:
To be required to work on a frequent basis with service users who present with severe and complex mental health difficulties including those diagnosed with psychosis.
To undertake protocol based psychological assessments of service users, including the use of psychometric tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with service users, family members and others involved in the person’s care under the management and clinical supervision of the Clinical Psychologist.
To assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a service user’s problems, under the management and clinical supervision of the Clinical Psychologist, in inpatient settings.
To assist in the coordination and running of therapeutic groups.
To work with other staff to assess service users and review their care in preparation for multi-disciplinary reviews.
Where required, to attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary and care review meetings.
To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all users of the service, across all settings where care takes place.
Teaching, training and supervision
To receive regular management and clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines.
To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties.
To contribute to the training and support of other staff in psychological care.
Service Development
To assist in the design and implementation of service development projects within the service as required.
To attend meetings in which service developments are planned and discussed.
Research and service evaluation
To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects.
To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist the qualified clinical psychologist in evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
Working Environment
The job role will involve working in situations where there may be occasional verbal or physical aggression from service users’ carers and the general public.
Person specification
Knowledge and skills
Essential criteria
- • High level communication skills (written and verbal)
- • Ability to communicate complex, sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues
- • Ability to work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
- • An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with psychosis
- • An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to an inpatient rehabilitation context
- • An understanding of psychology applied to health care.
- • Ability to use computers for word processing, presentations, databases, spreadsheets and e-mail
- • Experience of computerised methods of data analysis (eg SPSS for Windows)
Training and Qualification
Essential criteria
- • An upper second-class honours degree or higher in psychology.
- • Eligible for Graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (GBC) (*see notes below)
Desirable criteria
- • Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, additional practical experience and/or research design and analysis.
- • Graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (*see notes below)
Experience
Essential criteria
- • An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
- • An ability to interact with ease with people who have psychosis, forensic histories or are neurodivergent.
- • Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently with work agreed at regular intervals
- • Ability to work with service users in potentially abusive or hostile working conditions.
- • Ability to work in emotionally distressing situations.
- • Demonstrates an interest in working with people with psychosis
- • Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
- • Experience of working with people with psychosis and complex mental health issue or related difficulties
- • Experience of working within multi-disciplinary teams.
- • Experience of paid work in direct care provision as an Assistant Psychologist
Desirable criteria
- • A desire to explore a career in Professional Psychology
- • Experience participating in multidisciplinary team meetings
- • Experience communicating professionally with community organizations and services
Other
Essential criteria
- • An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
- • An ability to interact with ease with people who have psychosis, have experienced trauma, are autistic and/or have ADHD, and have forensic histories.
- • Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently with work agreed at regular intervals
- • Ability to work with service users in potentially abusive or hostile working conditions.
- • Ability to work in emotionally distressing situations
- • Demonstrates an interest in working with people with who have psychosis, have experienced trauma, are autistic and/or have ADHD, and have forensic histories.
- • Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
Desirable criteria
- • A desire to explore a career in Professional Psychology
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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 Ana Petrovic
- Job title
- Senior Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0114 226 3651
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