Personal Statement: I am a self-motivated and enthusiastic Individual who possesses excellent communication skills with clients and colleagues at all levels. I am sensitive to the needs of others and I am aware and responsiveness to other people’s feelings and needs. I am approachable and I value differences and regard people as individuals. I also appreciate the value of diversity. I am proactive, capable of working under pressure and highly computer literate.

Career Objective: To obtain a place on the clinical psychology doctorate course. I want to apply my vast experience and knowledge to individual’s lives, where it will make a significant difference.

Education:

Bradford University

2013 – 2013: Psychological Therapies for Complex Cases

Leeds Metropolitan Counselling Skills in the workplace Pass

University Psychosocial Interventions in Psychosis Pass

2012- 2013:

Bradford University Bsc Psychology Upper second class degree (2:1)

2007-2010

Hanson School

2004– 2006 3 A levels A – C Psychology, English Language, Biology,

1 AS level Religious Studies

Hanson School

2002 – 2004: 12 GCSEs A* – C including Mathematic and English

Key Skills

Skills acquired:

Use of psychometric assessment – e.g. WAIS, PAI, WMS, BDI, BAI

Able to conduct audits – Essences audit under supervision of a clinical psychologist

Training and teaching- to colleagues and service users

Project developments- reminiscence therapy project developed on inpatient unit

Liaised with the multi- disciplinary team- including consultant psychiatrists, occupational therapists, social workers.

Undertaken psychological assessments and interventions- using cognitive behavioural, dialectical behavioural model and cognitive analytical therapy model

Proficient at using the following Microsoft tools: Outlook, MS Word, Excel, Access and Power Point.

Proficient user of SPSS- collected and analysed data for my thesis and audits within the workplace

Training attended

Motivational interviewing- training- to implement into 1:1 sessions

Hearing voices- training- awareness of this

Dual diagnosis- ability to train colleagues on level 1 dual diagnosis

DBT training- awareness and how to deliver in a group setting

Spirituality in mental health- awareness this coping technique.

Career History:

Employer- Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust (NHS)

Job Title- Assistant Psychologist

August 2015- Present

Salary- £22,236

Here my main role is to provide 1:1 therapy using CBT with patients who suffer from anxiety and/or depression. I also carry out groups to clients who are suffering with stress at work and/or their personal life and use skills and techniques from CBT to help with these problems. I also take an active role in the evaluations and audits that are carried out within our service. I recently presented at the monthly meeting with the feedback of the audit I carried out. I liaise with third party organisations and make referrals to more suitable organisations on behalf of clients. I co odinate and deliver one off Stress/ low mood workshops to the public, schools etc. I also facilitate promotional events to promote our service and teach the public about what we offer.

Employer- Bradford District Care Trust (NHS)

Job title- Assistant Psychologist

Sept- Feb 2014 (part time) Feb 2014 – June 2015 (Full time)

Salary£22, 236

Here I conducted psychometric assessments with older people and made adaptations for each client e.g. physical disabilities. Facilitated 1:1 sessions with clients working on their cognitions, anxieties and/or depression using CBT, psychodynamic and/or Jugian approach under clinical supervision. I also supported staff at the day centre with anxiety groups, activities and group discussions. I assisted the research team with the data collection procedure for a study which they undertook to evaluate clients experiences of the memory clinics. I also worked closely with a consultant psychologist on a research project which involved understanding the mental health of the traveling community.

Employer – Leeds Primary Care Mental Health Team (NHS)

Job title- Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner

Oct 2013- Feb 2014 (part time)

Salary £22 ph

I provided high volume, low intensity interventions for clients who suffered from mild to moderate depression and anxiety based on the cognitive behavioral model. I undertook patient-centered interviews and assessments and identified the areas where the client wished to see a change. I also made assessment of risk to the client and others, provided assisted self-help, liaised with other agencies, made referrals and provided information about services.

Employer- Primary Care Mental Health Team (NHS)

Job title- Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner

November 2012 to Sept 2013

Salary £22, 016

I provided high volume, low intensity interventions for clients who suffered from mild to moderate depression and anxiety based on the cognitive behavioral model. I undertook patient-centered interviews and assessments and identified the areas where the client wished to see a change. I also made assessment of risk to the client and others, provided assisted self-help, liaised with other agencies, made referrals and provided information about services. I facilitated a 'stresspac' and 'mood matters' group which used techniques to work on stress and depression in a group setting. I also provided guided self- help on drug and alcohol misuse both over the phone and face to face.

Employer- NHS- Forensic Service- Low secure unit

Job Title- Assistant Psychologist

May 2012- November 2012

I worked on an assessment and treatment inpatient ward of 12 males. Service users suffered from severe mental health problems. Within my role I planed and facilitated psychologically intervention groups, and workshops e.g. WRAP, DBT, dual diagnosis groups. I also delivered staff training and undertook psychometric assessments e.g. WAIS, PAI, SVR-20, BDI, BAI under supervision of a clinical psychologist. I had 1:1 sessions with service users and worked with them on anxiety, alcohol and drug misuse, self esteem issues etc.

Employer- NHS- Forensic service- Low secure unit

Job Title- Assistant Psychologist

May 2011- May 2012

I worked on a slow- stream rehab inpatient ward of 10 males who suffered from both mental health and learning disabilities. I started a new initiative on this ward using Reminiscence Therapy, which worked well with the client group, this developed into a Saturday night activity of ‘Spot the intro’ which is still ongoing as a result of the 1:1 work I started with patients. I wrote reports for each of the patients for their CPA meeting, their case discussion meetings and their psychology assessments. I also conducted 1:1 sessions with patients and ran ward based groups which were suitable for the client group e.g. relaxation group, overcoming group.

Employer- NHS- Forensic service- Low secure unit

Job Title-Mental Health Support Worker

July 2010- May 2011

Here I worked on the Rehab inpatient ward of 10 males. I worked as a key worker for one patient who I had 1:1 time with to discuss any issues they were facing. I facilitated ward based activities e.g. board games, coffee morning, wii night, film night etc. I escorted patients either on ground, local or full leave depending on their Section 17 status. I supported all patients with benefit issues, appointments, letters etc. I regularly kept up-to-date with patients care plans and inputted a note for each patient at the end of the shift. I also ran psycho-educational groups on the ward e.g. drug and alcohol awareness and relaxation.

Employer- Asian Disability Awareness Action in Bradford

Job Title- Community Support Worker

June 2008- July 2010

Here I worked with children and adults who suffered from mental health problems and learning disabilities. I liaised with their carers and families and provided them with the necessary information they required about their family members condition. I also supported clients with their benefit or housing issues and encouraged them to attend weekly group which were offered at ADAAB and in the local area e.g. healthy eating, basic fitness, well being sessions. For children we offered fun days and mentoring/homework groups and 1:1 sessions.

Employer-Guru Gobind Singh Temple

Job Title-Library Co-ordinator

Jan 2007 to June 2008

Responsibilities were to ensure the library is running efficiently. To log books that are returned and borrowed from the Library. I gained skills which were managing a library database, communicating efficiently in a team and working on my initiative as to what needed to be completed. I also managed volunteers. I was also responsible for planning, facilitating and delivering children’s Sikh history classes aged 5-11.

Employer- Loop (Yorkshire Water)

Job Title-Customer Relations Manager

May 2006 to Jan 2007

I was responsible for writing to customers in response to complaints and taking phone calls form customers, in relation to there water bills. Taking payments from customers over the phone and training new members of staff on compliant procedures. I successfully achieved all targets set. I managed to learn a range of skills on billing.

Employer- ADSA

Jot title- Sales Assistant

Sept 2005 to August 2006

I was starting University and the location was too far to travel to.

Responsibilities were looking after the Health and Beauty department in a large department store. Answering questions or queries the customers had. Making sure there were no gaps on the shelves. I learnt how to be effective at multitasking. I helped customers and gave them the best service possible.

Employer- Provident

Job title- Customer Service Advisor

August 2004 to Sept 2005

Received inbound phone calls and filled in loan application forms from customers. I also answered any questions or queries over the phone. I successfully achieved all individual targets on my calls.

Additional Information:

I volunteered on a respite unit which supervised children with complex health needs, such as sandoff disease, sanfilippo syndrome, spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy, vacterl association and Hurler syndrome. I interacted with the children and engaged in various activities with the children. I received a certificate for 'Outstanding Volunteer' from this placement which was organised by Bradford council. I extremely enjoyed my time at the respite unit and love going to visit the children whenever I get a chance.

Within the Sikh temple I found a gap for children under the age of 5 and pioneered the first children’s crèche in a Sikh Temple using funding facilities. I supervised 2 other staff members and was responsible to 16 children aged 2-5. I worked closely with the parents and encouraged child development and free play. I arranged training sessions for staff and parents on a weekend to maximise their child’s capabilities and learning strategies. From this I went on to launch a youth group (12-18) which involved the youth meeting on a weekly basis to discuss or share any issues or problems they may be facing as a teenager.

My clinical experience has provided me with an opportunity to work with people from all ages and backgrounds and has taught me to be an empathetic and patient individual. By working closely with people who were very distressed by their experiences I have learnt to be sensitive to the needs of others. Working as part of a team has made me aware and responsive to people’s feelings. I have developed skills in using and adapting a variety of psychological models which has given me a good understanding of how CBT is applied. I am able to work under pressure and can deal with peaks in workload. I use a flexible approach and use my own initiative, and will request supervision and use it effectively. I have taken ownership for my supervision and I have chosen a supervision model (5 stage cyclical Model, Page & Wosket, 1994) which best suited my learning style. I appreciate supervision as it allows me to explore different ways of working with clients and enables me to try other approaches

My language skills enable me to reach out to a much wider clientele. I speak over 3 different South Asian languages, Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi. As I am from an ethnic background myself and living in a multicultural city, I believe I have the ability to work with a culturally diverse community. I have worked with many different communities in my previous workplaces.

I am mindful of keeping a good work-life balance and I achieve this through various activities e.g. attending the gym, yoga classes and taking my dog for a walk. This allows me to manage and cope with daily life stresses. I take a keen interest in my religion. I visit the Sikh temple weekly, where I regularly play the harmonium and sing hymns. I feel this experience is extremely rewarding as I am able to see the benefits of my meditation reflected immediately from the enjoyment I receive from life. I have developed an appreciation of how psychological factors e.g. stress levels and relaxation can affect performance. I like to visit different cities around Britain and use every opportunity to visit friends and family to pursue this interest.

I would hope to explore and expand upon my knowledge of various therapeutic approaches and the ways in which they are applied in an effective manner. I would expect to gain greater appreciation of the challenges involved in working with a variety of client groups, learn how to communicate and work with such groups in a manner that is both collaborative and sensitive to their needs and develop flexible clinical skills. To develop my ability to work effectively within the guidelines of good clinical practice, develop a variety of new working methods while consolidating pre-existing ones.

References

Dr Sarah Richards (Clinical Psychologist)

Moorlands View

Lynfield Mount Hospital

Heights Lane

Bradford

BD9 6DP

Tel- 012********

Email- acsmi4@r.postjobfree.com

Jonathan Vause (Ward Manager- Forensic Service)

Moorlands View

Lynfield Mount Hospital

Heights Lane

Bradford

BD9 6DP

Tel- 012********

Contact this candidate