Job overview

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is looking to recruit a passionate, knowledgeable and dynamic Assistant Psychologist to join our growing psychology team in the East Sussex Rehab pathway. 

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) is committed to improving access to psychological professions, utilising funding from NHS England, to offer paid assistant psychologist positions to aspiring clinical psychologists. Please note that the funding is specifically intended to break down barriers to gaining appropriate experience in the profession. Whilst the role is open to anyone who can suitably reflect on structural inequalities, we are particularly keen to encourage applications from those that identify as belonging to a group that are nationally recognised as being under-represented in Clinical Psychology. These are:
• Individuals from ethnic minority back-grounds
• Those from low socio-economic back-grounds as defined by Gov.uk
• Individuals with unpaid caring responsibilities as defined by NHSE

The East Sussex Rehab Pathway aims to support those with severe and enduring mental health difficulties including Psychosis to make meaningful recovery. We work across both inpatient facilities at Amberstone Hospital and community bases at both Eastbourne and Hastings. We are committed to increasing access to Psychological therapies and recovery orientated, trauma informed care. 

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will support and enhance the professional psychological care to those currently supported through the rehabilitation pathway in East Sussex. This will involve clients currently admitted to Amberstone hospital and those under the care of our community teams based at Eastbourne and Hastings. The role will be to deliver psychological interventions under the guidance of a qualified psychologist. It will be to liaise with the MDT and  with families/carers, other professionals and organisations to promote communication and good practice.

Experience of working with psychosis and severe and enduring mental health presentations and experience of using therapeutic models associated with this client group.is desirable but not essential

You will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team providing psychological assessments and interventions within the scope appropriate to level of experience and training.

Working for our organisation

We realise it can be difficult to embark on careers in the psychological professions and we hope that, by offering these posts, psychology graduates will have the opportunity to gain a wealth of valuable and relevant professional experience, to support career progression in the psychological professions. As part of the programme we are keen to follow up with successful candidates about their journey through the programme and beyond.

As part of this programme, we have successfully run a mentoring scheme where AP’s in post have been offered mentoring with a Trainee Clinical Psychologist currently undertaking the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology training at The Salomons Institute. We hope to continue running this scheme.

Sussex Partnership Trust provides mental health and learning disability care for children, young people and adults across Sussex and for children and young people in Hampshire. 

Working in Sussex:

·     We’d love you to join our organisation that is rated ‘good’ overall and ‘outstanding’ for caring by the Care Quality Commission. Our staff agree, with 82% of people in our recent staff survey telling us that they recognise that care for patients is our top priority.