Clinical/Forensic/Counselling Psychologist

Job overview

Are you creative and passionate about trauma informed care? Do you want to work within an innovative community and inpatient forensic service? Do you want to be supported in your professional development within a encouraging and experienced team of Psychologists?

We're looking for a Psychologist to join our team, either as a Band 8a or in a developmental role, as a Band 7 to Band 8A. This full time role within our Inpatient Medium Secure forensic male wards - Oxford Clinic.

In our inpatient services, you will develop skills in risk assessment, MDT working and service development, alongside developing therapeutic expertise in supporting patients to maximise their potential and work towards successful and safe transition into the community.

This post attracts an annual RSU allowance payment of £1446 per annum.

We also welcome applications from candidates in the final stages of qualification.

Main duties of the job

In this role, you will provide highly specialist psychological advice, consultancy, guidance and where appropriate supervision to other members of the MDT (e.g. nursing staff) who are involved in client assessment and who provide direct intervention in individual cases and with groups of clients.

You will be supporting the development of other members of the MDT in the appropriate identification and use of psychologically informed assessment methodologies and treatment interventions as part of a client’s agreed care plan. You'll contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team’s operational policies and services, by attendance at meetings at which service developments are planned and discussed and through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.

You'll also regularly undertake R&D activity of benefit to the Team and service as a whole, including where appropriate work evaluating current psychological practice, work related to the development of innovative psychological assessment and intervention procedures and work related to the better care of people within existing care systems. Another part of the role will include project management within the Team/service as required, including complex audit and service evaluation with MDT colleagues that enhances the Team’s service provision.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Undertakes specialist psychological assessments of complex cases, assessing personality, trauma, emotional function, and other psychological characteristics relevant to the development, maintenance and understanding of the client’s needs as appropriate.

Develop complex formulations of client’s difficulties, drawing upon the findings of psychological assessments, relevant aspects of the case history and relevant psychological models, concepts and theory.

Implements complex plans for psychological treatment and/or management of the client’s presenting problems that are based upon highly specialist knowledge and an appropriate conceptual framework, that employ psychological procedures and practices having an evidence base for their efficacy and/or an established theoretical basis for their use.

Maintains a case load of clients for interventions, the size of which is determined in the light of service needs and objectives and delivers psychological treatments and therapeutic/management interventions to fidelity, protocol guidelines or appropriate professional standards.

Develop and deliver therapeutic groups as appropriate, including for example group approaches to the management of emotions, psycho-educational groups to understand and support self-management of symptoms and problems, and other semi structured group interventions. Acts as therapist or co-therapist (with other qualified psychologists, Assistant Practitioners, or other designated clinicians) as appropriate.

The ability to travel independently between sites within the Trust is essential for this role.

We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the “supporting statement” element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.

The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview, and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.