Amy Taylor - Sheffield High School 1991 - 1998

Assistant Psychologist

My desire to practise psychology emerged at university whilst volunteering at a drop-in centre for adults with mental health problems.  Initially, I was interested in entering the field of Forensic Psychology.  However, I was reluctant to enter a specialist field of psychology so early on and decided that a career in Clinical Psychology would leave my options open.  As a Clinical Psychologist I would have the opportunity to experience working with a variety of client groups (children/adults/elderly/disabled) in a range of settings (hospitals/clinics/community).  However, I soon discovered that to gain status as a Clinical Psychologist wouldn’t be easy.  In addition to a 2:1 or above in Psychology, I needed 2-3 years work experience in a clinical setting (ideally working as an Assistant Psychologist for the NHS), in order to access a 3 year Doctoral Degree course to train as a Clinical Psychologist.

The competition for Assistant Psychologist posts is strong as jobs are few and far between.  To increase my chances, I decided to gain some practical experience in the field.  Post-graduation, I spent a year working as a learning support assistant in a residential school for teenagers with profound and severe learning disabilities.  Although hard work and extremely challenging, I found this placement equally rewarding and enjoyable.

With this experience under my belt, I found it relatively easy to find a job as an Assistant Psychologist working within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for the NHS.  Children are referred to the service for help with a variety of problems, such as eating disorders, autism, anxiety, ADHD, depression etc.  This yearlong placement aims to provide a taster of the kind of work involved, multiple learning opportunities and regular supervision from a qualified Clinical Psychologist.  I am primarily involved in the assessment of children to gain a clearer picture of the referred problem.  This includes observing children across settings (i.e. school/home/clinic) and conducting standardized psychometric tests to ascertain their strengths and weaknesses.   In terms of intervention, I have been involved in running an anger management group alongside a Clinical Psychologist and individual work with phobic clients.

I am thoroughly enjoying this placement and hope that it will equip me with the necessary skills and knowledge to access a clinical training course in the future.  The type of person who will enjoy a career in Clinical Psychology is someone who can take on a challenge, likes to learn and enjoys working with people. 

Getting into Clinical Psychology may appear to be a long and frustrating process.  However, it is important to bear in mind that both the work experience and clinical training is paid for.  You are likely to earn from 12-14K as an Assistant and around 16K as a Trainee Clinical Psychologist.  Once qualified, salaries start from 26K up to 50K (as a consultant). 

(If you are have a degree in psychology and would like a job as an Assistant Psychologist, vacancies are published in the BPS (British Psychological Society) Appointments Memorandum.  You need to be a member of the BPS to receive this publication, otherwise copies are usually held in most university psychology departments).