Assistant Psychologist (Widening Access) Waltham Forest CAMHS

Job overview

NELFT Widening Access Assistant Psychologist: Waltham Forest CAMHS Children Looked After Champions team / Neurodevelopmental pathway

Are you passionate about a career in the psychological professions but experiencing barriers to entering?

NELFT are delighted to be recruiting to this post aimed at psychology graduates experiencing barriers to entering the psychological professions. Unlike traditional AP posts, this role is intended to support individuals who may otherwise face reduced opportunities to gain relevant experience and access postgraduate training. We're passionate about supporting local people to develop a career within psychological professions.

Based at Wood Street Health Centre with Waltham Forest CAMHS service, you'll be working with our Neurodevelopmental Assessment and Children Looked After Champions teams alongside qualified clinicians from different mental health professions. We're looking for candidates who are passionate about the wellbeing of children and young people, and ready to work with them, their families, carers and teachers.

We're keen to receive applicants from people who experience disadvantage such as first-generation graduates and care leavers; those receiving additional financial aid or with caring responsibilities. We also welcome applicants from socio-economic groups significantly under-represented in psychological professions, including ethnic groups who may experience marginalisation within the communities which we serve.

Main duties of the job

These positions widen access to disadvantaged groups:

We're looking for psychology graduates with at least a 2:2 undergraduate degree in psychology (eligible for graduate basis for registration with the BPS) or conversion Psychology Masters, interested in pursuing a career in the Psychological Professions.  Candidates do not need to have experience for these posts but do need to show an aptitude for working psychologically with people with mental health needs and an ability to be self-reflective.  Candidates meeting these criteria will be selected based on their experience of barriers to career progression (for example not being able to complete post-graduate studies or taking on honorary contracts).

Within the application form, please reflect on your life experience and the reasons that you are choosing a career within the Psychological Professions. The application process will be heavily weighted on the content of supporting information rather than on prior work experience. You will be asked to reflect on your experience of being in at least one of the following categories:

• -          Caring responsibilities -          Lived experience of mental health difficulties -          Low socio-economic background -          A person of the Global Majority

Various factors including lack of access to high quality secondary education, being in receipt of free school meals, being the first person to attend university in the family, will be considered during recruitment.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Candidates with existing master’s degrees (other than a conversion Master’s) or previous experience as an assistant psychologist (paid or unpaid) are not eligible to apply for these and will not be considered.

Please read the application guide before applying as it contains very important information on how to structure your supporting statement.

For advice and support with the application process, please contact: Sanniah Majeed, Trainee Clinical Psychologist, NELFT Workforce team ([email protected])

For more information about the role please contact: Dr Louisa Morrison, Senior Clinical Psychologist in Developmental Trauma ([email protected]) or Dr Sabiha Kalam-Polli, Senior Clinical Psychologist in Emotional Difficulties and Neurodevelopmental Assessment ([email protected]).