Specialist Psychologist, Psychological Therapist or Psychotherapist

Job overview

This maternity cover post is within a lively and supportive psychology department and includes two service areas where there is an association between service users’ mental health difficulties and the criminal justice system.

The majority of the week is based in the inpatient forensic psychological therapies department at the Bracton Centre, with sessions at the psychology community service at the William Morris Centre (also DA2 7AF). At the Bracton Centre, the postholder will be part of a multi-disciplinary forensic team on a secure ward, providing a service to inpatients with forensic and mental health needs.

The post holder will have clinical sessions at the community psychology service based at the William Morris Centre. This psychological assessment and intervention service specialises in working with people in the community who are seeking interventions to address the traumas and interpersonal and emotional issues that underpin their risk of harm to others.

We would consider applications from those approaching qualification and those seeking secondment opportunities to widen their experiences.

Forensic experience is not necessary but the post suits candidates who are interested in working with complex presenting situations and are keen to learn and develop a variety of skills to assess, intervene and support other professionals.

Main duties of the job

Core parts of the role include direct and indirect psychological interventions, working with support networks, providing psychological perspectives in clinical meetings, leading on structured risk management tools and providing psychological consultation. There are opportunities for joint work with other psychological therapists through the therapies programme, as well as supervising and managing an assistant psychologist.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To clinically deliver psychological assessments and interventions to a caseload of inpatient and community service users.
• Provide highly specialist psychological therapy assessments, formulations and interventions for distress and risky behaviours.
• To offer psychological advice and consultation to multi-disciplinary colleagues and other agencies that promotes patient, carer and staff safety and wellbeing.
• With support from the Inpatient Psychology Lead and line manager, to promote psychological and trauma informed approaches to care.
• Responsibility for supervising and professionally managing assistant psychologists.
• Enable all service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by contributing to a psychologically safe environment.
• To undertake delegated tasks pertaining to governance and service developments relevant to the role.
• To work autonomously with professional guidelines and the overall framework of the team’s policies and procedures.
• To utilise research skills for audit, research, and policy and service development within the forensic directorate.
• To champion the Trust’s vision and values.
• Participate in service outcome monitoring.
• To undertake psychometric and neuropsychological testing and test interpretation as appropriate.
• To produce reports, in a timely manner, that convey complex information in ways that are understandable to the recipients of the reports.
• To communicate, in a highly skilled and sensitive manner information that may be contentious or highly distressing.