Intern Psychologist - Cancer Support Team & Specialist Pain Service

Location: Wellington & Multiple Locations across the district

Contract: Permanent, Part Time 

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is dedicated to serving all New Zealanders. Through integration and collaboration, we’re building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity, sustainability, whānau-centred care, and excellence. 

About the Role

We are excited to offer an opportunity for an intern psychologist enrolled in a postgraduate Health Psychology programme to join Te Whatu Ora, Capital, Coast & Hutt Valley in 2027. This unique role will see the successful applicant working across two specialist services, with 0.4 FTE in the Allied Health Oncology Service and 0.4 FTE in the Pain Management Service. 

The Allied Health Oncology Service includes Social Workers, Psychologists, Dietitians, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, and Speech-Language Therapists who work alongside nursing and medical colleagues to support people receiving treatment for cancer and complex blood disorders. The Pain Management Service is an interdisciplinary team that supports people living with persistent pain to improve their wellbeing, functioning, and quality of life through a biopsychosocial approach to care.

This internship offers the opportunity to develop specialist health psychology skills while supporting people and their whānau to navigate the challenges associated with cancer, persistent pain, and other long-term health conditions.

Key responsibilities include

• Working with people affected by cancer and/or persistent pain to strengthen coping, adjustment, and engagement with treatment and self-management strategies.
• Developing skills in psychological assessment, formulation, and intervention through a supervised clinical caseload across both services.
• Participating in individual supervision with a Consultant Health Psychologist and peer supervision with multidisciplinary colleagues.
• Contributing to service development, quality improvement, and health promotion activities.
• Working collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams to provide high-quality, evidence-informed care to clients and their whānau.

About You

We are looking for someone with a passion for this work, who is able to work flexibly and adaptably across two settings and services, while maintaining their workload and learning requirements. You will be registered with the New Zealand psychology board under an intern scope of practice and be enrolled in an approved post graduate programme in health psychology. We strongly encourage applicants from all backgrounds who share our values to apply and would greatly appreciate seeing applicants from our Māori and Pacific communities. 

The successful applicant will have the following skills and attributes

• Minimum of a bachelor's degree in psychology or equivalent;
• Currently registered as part of a post graduate level vocational training programme in psychology;
• Registration with NZ Psychologist Board, with Intern Psychologist Scope of Practice;
• Current annual practising certificate.

Working at Health New Zealand 

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is ‘the weaving of wellness’. We're dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand. 

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Health New Zealand are committed to being good employers and honouring our equal employment opportunity obligations. We embrace diversity and welcome application from all people, including all gender identities, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and disability. A workforce that is diverse and inclusive means that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We are pro-equity health organisation, with a particular focus on Māori, Pacific Peoples, and the Disability Community. 

How to Apply 

To apply please click “apply now.” All applications must be submitted through our online careers’ portal.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact Philip.Adamson@tewhatuora.govt.nz

We will review applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process, before the closing date of this advertisement.

Position description Apply now

Share