Clinical/Forensic or Counselling Psychologist

Job overview

We have a wonderful opportunity for a dynamic and motivated psychologist to support in the delivery and supervision of Primary Mental Health Treatment Requirements for a 12-month fixed contract to cover maternity leave. This is a part-time position of  30hrs a week which can be flexible within the needs of the service.

The successful postholder will be joining the Cambridgeshire Liaison and Diversion service who access and support vulnerable people within the criminal justice system.

The service delivers Primary Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTR) for adults within the demographic area.

The post holder will  be the lead psychologist for the service, provide supervision to the assistant psychologists completing structured assessments of offenders who the courts are considering placing on a primary MHTR order.

Please note for this role you will be required to travel independently around the county meeting strict time deadlines. You will need to hold a full UK driving licence* and have use of a vehicle. You cannot use public transport for this role as this is not a reliable form of transport and will not allow you to meet service needs. Please confirm in your application that you meet the specified criteria.

Main duties of the job

Supervision will typically take place over the  of the assistant psychologists by phone or video call following the assistant completing the assessment. There will also be opportunity for the post holder to hold their own small caseload of 1:1 therapeutic work.

The post holder will need to consider the appropriate use, interpretation, and integration of complex data from a variety of sources to help the assistant determine suitability for the offender to be offered a MHTR.

The post holder would also be expected to hold clinical responsibility for and supervise the delivery of 1:1 psychological interventions comprising the MHTR provided by the assistant psychologists. Additionally, the postholder would be expected to undertake risk assessment and risk management of offenders prior to them commencing manualised treatment programmes with an assistant psychologist.

To exercise full responsibility and autonomy for the treatment of and discharge of offenders receiving manualised treatment under MHTRs, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and interventions are communicated with the assistant psychologist providing the treatments.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities

• To formulate risk and clinical need in collaboration with team members.
• To formulate plans for the psychological treatment and/or management of offenders based upon appropriate conceptual frameworks of risk management, mental health, family systems and individual psychological functioning.
• To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about risk management and treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical, developmental, and systemic processes that have shaped the offender.
• To provide expertise and specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to  offenders’ formulation, diagnosis, and treatment plan.
• To provide clinical expertise to the Liaison and Diversion Service, providing a high quality, specialist applied psychology service to offenders.
• To manage risk and improve outcomes for offenders by providing weekly supervision to assistant psychologists who will be working with offenders to offer them psychological treatment under Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTRs) ordered by the courts as a part of a Community Order.
• To be available to discuss referrals for MHTRs with an assistant psychologist on three days of the working week.

• To hold a small case load of direct 1:1 therapeutic work with service users who have received a MHTR who may have more complex needs or may require treatment input that cannot be delivered by an Assistant Psychologist.
• To provide consultation and clinical expertise to colleagues in the Liaison and Diversion service to encourage a psychological approach in their work and to facilitate their professional development, reflective capacity and the effective and safe delivery of Liaison and Diversion Services.
• To utilise research skills for audit, service development and research, particularly with respect to evaluating the MHTRs and monitoring outcome for the interventions provided by the assistant psychologist.