Job summary
- Main area
- Assistant Psychologist
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 5
- Contract
- 24 months (2 years fixed-term contract)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 457-25-7279928
- Employer
- Sheffield Health & Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Fitzwilliam Centre
- Town
- Sheffield
- Salary
- £29,970 - £36,483 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 23/06/2025 08:00
- Interview date
- 10/07/2025
Employer heading
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
We are seeking an Assistant Psychologist to join the Personality/Complex Trauma team, part of the Specialist Psychotherapy Service, based at the Fitzwilliam Centre in Sheffield. The team offers a range of psychological therapies to people experiencing difficulties associated with a diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable/Borderline Personality Disorder and/or complex trauma.
We are seeking an Assistant Psychologist who can join our Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Programme; and contribute to the delivery of DBT skills groups, DBT graduate groups and a DBT 'skills for staff' initiative. We are therefore seeking someone who has prior knowledge and experience of DBT and of therapeutic group work. Please review the “essential requirements” in the personal specification before making an application.
We are seeking someone who has enthusiasm for, and experience of working with service users with complex needs.
Please see below for further duties of the job.
In your supporting information please tell us about:
- Your knowledge and experience of DBT;
- Your experience of working with people with complex needs and in a multidisciplinary setting;
- Your experience of offering one-to-one and/or group therapeutic interventions;
- Your experience of coproduction;
- Your experience of research and evaluation.
Main duties of the job
We are seeking an Assistant Psychologist who can join our Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Programme; and contribute to the delivery of DBT skills groups, DBT graduate groups and a DBT 'skills for staff' initiative. We are therefore seeking someone who has prior knowledge and experience of running DBT groups (see personal specification for further details).
We are seeking someone who has enthusiasm for, and experience of working with service users with complex needs, as well as experience of working in multidisciplinary teams.
We are seeking someone who can offer one to one interventions with our service users under supervision, for example, stabilisation or behavioural activation work, or administering the Skills Training in Affect and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR) programme.
We are seeking someone who can contribute to co-production initiatives, working along side our service users to develop our services.
We are seeking someone who can run our monthly "Coffee and craft" drop in session for service users whilst they are on our waiting lists.
We are seeking someone who can contribute to research and service evaluation within the service, in particular, helping us evaluate the efficacy of our planned DBT graduate group.
Working for our organisation
Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust is a major employer and provider of services. Our Service Users, Carers and Staff are central, and our Values are important, to the delivery of high-quality care. We actively seek out individuals who share these values:
- We work together
- We are inclusive
- We keep improving
- We are respectful and kind
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
With the guidance and support of supervising staff:
To support and enhance the professional psychological care of service users within the team; to provide psychological assessment and psychological interventions under the management of the senior supervising psychologist, working independently according to a plan agreed with the Clinical Leads and Senior Supervisor and within the overall framework of the team’s policies and procedures.
To assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work and the developing reporting requirements of the Team.
Clinical:
To assist in the coordination and running of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy groups.
To be required to work on a frequent basis with people with complex difficulties often associated with diagnoses such as Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder/Borderline Personally Disorder.
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 the Team.
Where required, to attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary 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.
To lead in the co-production, with service users, of initiatives such as DBT graduate groups and cross service waiting list groups.
To support the referral and assessment process under development in the Team by collating clinically relevant information in the form of notes reviews to include key information on risk, previous therapy, diagnosis/es and support clinical decision making.
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 collection, input and analysis of service outcome data.
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.
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.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Psychology Honours Degree 2:1 or above
- Eligible for Graduate Membership of the BPS (GBC)
Desirable criteria
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working with people with complex difficulties/complex trauma
- Experience of running therapeutic groups
- Experience of DBT
Desirable criteria
- Experience of service-user co-production initiatives
Skills
Essential criteria
- Knowledge and experience of DBT
Desirable criteria
- Offering 1:1 psychotherapeutic interventions under supervision
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
- Sarah Wood
- Job title
- Principal Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0114 271 6920
- Additional information
Jimmy Boyce
Senior DBT psychotherapist
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