Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust
Service: Adult Forensic Psychology (Offender Personality Disorder Pathway)
Post: Higher Assistant Psychologist (band 5)
The Adult Forensic Psychology Service within CNTW NHS Foundation Trust provides recovery-focused psychological services to mentally disordered offenders across mental health, learning disability, and personality disorder pathways, both within in-patient and community settings.
We are looking to recruit a band 5 Higher Assistant Psychologist to work across the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) pathway - both within Rothbury (inpatient medium secure ward) and a local Approved Premises (AP) PIPE (Psychologically Informed Planned Environment).
Main duties of the job
The role involves assisting in the assessment and provision of psychological interventions to patients and also undertaking relevant psychometric administration and scoring (including risk assessment tools). The post holder will support clinically related administration, conduct audits, develop audit and/or research projects, and engage in teaching and project work.
The successful candidate will be able to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams and should have experience of working with people with mental health problems, personality disorder, or other disabilities. Experience of working with forensic populations and use of risk assessment tools is desirable.
Previous experience as an Assistant Psychologist or Research Assistant is essential for consideration at Band 5 posts.
About us
We aim to attract and retain a diverse, talented, and committed workforce, who are caring and compassionate, and therefore able to meet the demands of the modern NHS now and in the future. In return, we can offer a dynamic working environment in which to build a career.
Job responsibilities
Rothbury unit is a medium-secure, specialised Personality Disorder inpatient service for male offenders that provides a period of stabilisation and therapeutic assessment and formulation of offending risks and personality difficulties. Under the supervision of the Senior Clinical Psychologist, the successful applicant will assist the multidisciplinary team on the ward in various ways, including facilitating groups, providing individualised therapy and assessments, and developing in-depth formulations.
A PIPE is a Psychologically Informed Planned Environment and the Approved Premises PIPE of the Northeast provides accommodation to high-risk offenders on statutory orders to engage with them in order to reduce their likelihood of re-offending and resettle them safely back into the community. Under the supervision of the AP PIPE Clinical Lead, the successful applicant will assist with facilitating structured and unstructured groups, motivate the AP PIPE residents to engage with the PIPE regime, and support PIPE staff members with psychologically informed practice.
Please find attached job description for full details.
We welcome your application.
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
* Upper 2nd class honours degree, or higher, in psychology.
* Eligibility for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
* Further postgraduate training in relevant areas of psychology, mental health practice, and/or research design and analysis.
Knowledge and Experience
* Paid or unpaid work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
* Experience as an assistant/research psychologist.
* Knowledge of evidence-based practice.
* Experience of paid work in direct care provision.
* Experience with client group relevant to the post.
* Experience of psychometric test administration and interpretation.
* Experience of providing individual or group therapy.
Skills and Competencies
* High level of communication skills (written and oral), including an ability to communicate and work in highly emotive circumstances.
* Ability to communicate sensitive information to clients, carers, and colleagues.
* An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems and other disabilities.
* Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health/cognitive impairment/disability context.
* Computer literate, including use of databases & data analysis, e.g., SPSS for Windows.
* Demonstrates graduate-level knowledge and experience of research and research methodology.
* An understanding of psychology applied to healthcare.
* A high standard of report writing.
Role/Team Specific Requirements
* An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
* An ability to interact appropriately with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
* Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
Personal Characteristics
* Able to manage own stress in difficult conditions and to identify when additional personal support may be necessary.
Additional Requirements
* Able to meet the mobility of the post.
* A desire to explore a career in applied psychology.
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.
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