Assistant Psychologist

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Assistant Psychologist to join our multidisciplinary team within a specialist inpatient mental health service for adult males. This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience working alongside Clinical Psychologists, Consultant Psychiatrists, Nurses, Occupational Therapists and Support Workers in a dynamic and rewarding environment. The successful candidate will support the delivery of psychological care across the service, including psychological assessments, risk assessments, treatment planning, therapeutic interventions, outcome measurement, clinical audits and service evaluation projects. You will work directly with patients who present with complex mental health needs, contributing to recovery-focused care and helping to develop a psychologically informed culture across the hospital.

Why Join Us? This role offers excellent experience for individuals considering a career in Clinical Psychology or related professions. You will receive regular supervision from qualified psychologists, gain exposure to a range of therapeutic approaches, and have opportunities to contribute to service development, patient safety initiatives and clinical governance activities. If you are passionate about improving the lives of people with severe mental illness and want to develop your skills within a supportive and ambitious organisation, we would love to hear from you.

Main Duties of the Job

• The Assistant Psychologist will support and enhance the delivery of high‑quality psychological care within the hospital under the supervision of a qualified Clinical Forensic Psychologist.
• The post holder will contribute to psychological assessment, formulation, intervention, research, audit, service evaluation, patient safety initiatives and quality improvement projects.
• They will work directly with patients individually and in groups and will be an active member of the multidisciplinary team.
• The post holder will also support the collection, analysis and reporting of clinical and operational data to inform service development, governance processes and patient outcomes.
• The role provides an excellent opportunity for graduates seeking experience relevant to future Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology or Forensic Psychology training.
• As the service supports men with severe and enduring mental illness, the post holder may occasionally encounter challenging behaviour, distressing clinical material and complex risk presentations.

About Us Pathfinder Ashness House is a 26‑bed specialist inpatient mental health rehabilitation hospital for adult men with severe and enduring mental illness. The service provides multidisciplinary assessment, treatment and rehabilitation for individuals with complex mental health needs, often involving treatment‑resistant psychosis, personality difficulties, neurodevelopmental conditions, trauma histories, challenging behaviour and significant risks to self or others. The Psychology Department plays a key role in supporting recovery, risk reduction, patient safety and the development of psychologically informed care throughout the hospital.

Job Responsibilities

• Principal Responsibilities – Clinical Duties
• Assist qualified psychologists in conducting psychological assessments using psychometric tests, structured observations, clinical interviews, behavioural assessments, outcome measures and review of clinical records.
• Assist in the development of psychological formulations and treatment plans.
• Support the delivery of evidence‑based psychological interventions under supervision.
• Deliver individual therapeutic work within agreed competencies and supervision arrangements.
• Co‑facilitate therapeutic and psychoeducational groups.
• Assist patients to engage in psychological therapies and recovery‑focused interventions.
• Prepare assessment summaries, CPA reports and other clinical documentation.
• Contribute to positive behavioural support plans, recovery plans and risk management strategies.
• Work with patients presenting with complex mental health needs, including psychosis, trauma‑related difficulties, personality disorder, self‑harm and offending‑related risks.
• Assist with structured professional judgement approaches to risk assessment and formulation.
• Multidisciplinary Team Working
• Attend and contribute to MDT meetings, CPA reviews, ward rounds, risk review meetings and clinical discussions.
• Provide psychological perspectives to support treatment planning and patient care.
• Work collaboratively with psychiatrists, nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, support workers, ICBs, care coordinators and other stakeholders, families and carers where appropriate.
• Support the development of psychologically informed practice throughout the hospital.
• Patient Safety and Clinical Governance
• Support the hospital's patient safety programme through participation in incident reviews, learning from incidents processes, quality improvement projects and mortality and serious incident reviews where appropriate.
• Assist in identifying psychological and behavioural factors contributing to incidents including violence and aggression, self‑harm, absconding, restrictive interventions and rapid tranquillisation episodes.
• Contribute to the development of strategies aimed at reducing incidents and improving patient outcomes.
• Attend clinical governance meetings and contribute psychology‑related data, reports and recommendations.
• Support compliance with CQC standards, NICE guidance and evidence‑based practice.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning, reflective practice and patient‑centred care.
• Audit, Research and Service Development
• Assist in the design and implementation of clinical audits, service evaluations, research projects and quality improvement initiatives.
• Collect, analyse and interpret data relating to patient outcomes, psychological interventions, incident trends, restrictive practice reduction, recovery measures and service performance indicators.
• Produce reports, dashboards, summaries and presentations for clinical governance meetings, senior leadership team meetings, quality and safety committees and psychology service reviews.
• Undertake literature reviews and evidence searches to support service development and evidence‑based practice.
• Contribute to publication, presentation and dissemination of project findings where appropriate.
• Training and Staff Support
• Contribute to staff training programmes under supervision.
• Support the development of psychologically informed care approaches across the MDT.
• Assist with the preparation of training materials and educational resources.
• Share psychological knowledge and evidence‑based practice with staff teams.
• Administrative Responsibilities
• Maintain accurate and timely clinical records.
• Ensure all records comply with British Psychological Society standards, HCPC standards, Data Protection legislation and Pathfinder policies.
• Maintain databases and outcome monitoring systems.
• Prepare reports, presentations and statistical summaries as required.
• Undertake administrative duties supporting the Psychology Department.
• Professional Responsibilities
• Receive regular clinical supervision from a qualified psychologist.
• Maintain high professional and ethical standards.
• Engage in continuing professional development.
• Work within the British Psychological Society Code of Ethics and Conduct.
• Maintain confidentiality at all times.
• Promote equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Support Pathfinder's Duty of Candour obligations.
• Contribute to a culture of transparency, learning and continuous improvement.

Person Specification

• Qualifications – Essential
• Honours Degree in Psychology (2:1 or above preferred).
• Eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society.
• Evidence of training in psychological research methods, statistics and data analysis.
• Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to psychology and mental health.
• Qualifications – Desirable
• Postgraduate study in Psychology or a related field (e.g. MSc, PGCert, PGDip).
• Additional training in psychological therapies, behavioural interventions, trauma‑informed care or risk assessment.
• Training in psychometric assessment tools and outcome measures.
• Experience – Essential
• Experience working with people experiencing mental health difficulties, learning disabilities, neurodevelopmental conditions or other vulnerable groups.
• Experience of collecting, recording and analysing information accurately.
• Experience of preparing written reports, summaries or assessments.
• Experience of working effectively within a multidisciplinary or multi‑agency team.
• Experience – Desirable
• Previous experience working as an Assistant Psychologist, Research Assistant, Healthcare Assistant, Support Worker, Recovery Worker or equivalent role.
• Experience working within an inpatient mental health, rehabilitation, forensic, secure, PICU, community mental health or personality disorder service.
• Experience supporting psychological assessments, formulations and interventions under supervision.
• Experience administering, scoring and interpreting psychometric assessments.
• Experience facilitating psychoeducational or therapeutic groups.
• Experience conducting clinical audits, service evaluations, quality improvement projects or research.
• Experience collecting, analysing and presenting quantitative and qualitative data.
• Experience producing reports for clinical, governance or operational purposes.
• Experience working with individuals presenting with complex mental health needs, challenging behaviour, self‑harm, suicidal ideation, trauma, offending behaviour or substance misuse.
• Experience using electronic patient record systems.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check 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.

Employer Details

• Employer Name: Pathfinder Ashness Care
• Address: Pathfinder Ashness House, 2-6 Jersey Avenue, Stanmore, London, HA7 2JQ, United Kingdom
• Employer's Website: https://www.pathfinder-group.co.uk