Assistant Psychologist: Sponsorship Available

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

Job Summary

This role is offered on a fixed term/secondment basis for 12 months.

*Internal applicants who wish to be considered for a secondment opportunity should discuss with their line manager the suitability of a possible secondment*

The service is not limited to people with a confirmed diagnosis, although it is aimed at supporting people who are likely to have difficulties coping with overwhelming emotions, who may experience times of life threatening distress. Importantly, people with complex emotional needs also have strengths and have a good prognosis for recovery.

This is an exciting opportunity for excellent people who are passionate about creating positive changes for people described as experiencing ‘Complex Emotional Needs’.

The service commenced in October 2021 and is now busy with a range of activities including reflective practice sessions, especially within the voluntary care sector; carers support and broad systemic interventions.

We are a close and supportive multi-disciplinary team and we’re proud of our work, making small sustainable changes in service responses across Gloucestershire.

All of our work in underpinned by co-production, being trauma informed and working alongside colleagues with lived experience.

The successful candidate would be a highly valued member of the multi-disciplinary team which includes a Clinical Psychology Lead for Complex Emotional Needs, Psychiatrist, Senior Specialist Practitioners and Lived Experience Practitioners.

 

Main duties of the job

The service is committed to achieving the principals of an ‘enabling environment’ becoming a positive and rewarding place to work and study, where people thrive, succeed and achieve positive outcomes.

An assistant psychologist within our team will have training and support to be able to work within the following 6 projects that the team deliver :

OATS – Open Access Therapeutic Support. A peer-therapy group co-delivered with a voluntary care sector partner.

Family and Friends – We offer psychoeducation to families within a 12 week peer group and one to one where indicated.

FERN – Frequent Engagement Response Network, a small sub-team within CEN. This focusses on improving responses to people presenting regularly to 999 services.

Training – We offer a number of training courses across the integrated care system to help build resilience and compassion within services to people with complex emotional needs.

Psychologically Informed Environments (PIE) Much of our work involves supporting care providers to maintain placements for people who may present with high levels of risk and complexity.

Peer Support Our lived experience team provide one to one support to people receiving care from other teams within GHC.

Person Specification

LENGTH AND / OR NATURE OF EXPERIENCE

Essential

  • Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues, both within and outside the NHS.
  • Prior experience with the service user group and experience in a clinical setting

Desirable

  • Additional knowledge/ experience of research methodology

OTHER

Desirable

  • Familiar with use of RIO

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

  • Minimum 2:1 Hons Degree in Psychology
  • Evidence of training / CPD to develop knowledge and theory relevant to work in the specialism
  • Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS)

PROFESSIONAL / MANAGERIAL / SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE

Essential

  • Strong listening skills, empathic towards people in distress.
  • Practical working knowledge of at least one relevant psychological approach (e.g. CBT)

Desirable

  • Experience of group work

PERSONAL SKILLS ABILITIES AND ATTRIBUTES

Essential

  • Willingness to work in the face of emotive and distressing problems, and possible verbal abuse / threat of physical abuse
  • Emotional robustness to frequently work with the intense distress of others.
  • Calm but assertive to help effective communication when there are barriers to understanding and in circumstances where hostility, manipulation, conflict and antagonism could be present.
  • Ability to recognise limits of competence and seek support when needed.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Closing Date: 26 November 2025

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.