Aspiring Psychologist Scheme - Assistant Psychologist Placement

Job description

Job responsibilities

We have four aspiring psychologist roles available and are offering 1 assistant psychologist role in each of the services below: HMP/YOI Isis (South-East London) The Sheppey cluster (Kent) The Bracton Centre (Dartford) The Integrated Community Pathways Services (ICPS)

HMP/YOI IsisHMP/YOI Isis is a Category C/Young Offenders prison that houses young men between the ages of 18-27 years old who have been sentenced. The Psychological Therapies Service at HMP/YOI Isis works within the wider Integrated Mental Health Team, which is a multidisciplinary team, comprising psychologists and psychotherapists, psychiatrists, nursing staff and occupational therapists. The Psychological Therapies Service provides psychological assessment, psychological formulation and psychological interventions (group or individual) for young men who would like to engage with the service and improve their mental health. The team work within a trauma informed care model which includes supporting prison colleagues by providing teaching, training and consultation.

Sheppey Sites

The integrated mental health teams within Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust offer a trauma informed and needs led service that intends to provide rapid and easy access to a range of low and high intensity interventions for differing degrees of mental health need among prisoners across the Isle of Sheppey establishments: HMP Elmley (a local remand prison serving the Kent courts) and HMP Swaleside, offering long term high security for over 800 men. The services operational model comprises of a phased based approach, offering structured and time limited evidence-based psychological interventions to those with mental health problems. The IMHT has the expertise to provide consultation and advice on the delivery of a range of mental health psychological services for service users ranging from self-help literature to medium term group interventions designed to, for example, raise awareness and coping skills for behaviours and emotional instability typically associated with personality disturbance. It includes self-help, guided self-help, psychoeducational workshops, short- and medium-term group work, and individual psychological therapies and counselling.

The Bracton CentreYou will be based at the Bracton Centre, a medium-secure mental health service for people who have harmed others and whose mental health needs is associated with their risk toother people. Your role will be varied, including contributing to psychological and violence risk assessments and reports, outcome measures, co-facilitating psychology psychoeducation groups and contributing to multi-disciplinary clinical meetings, as well as other duties. You will have opportunities to observe qualified psychological therapists deliver case consultations and reflective practice sessions in the service. There are a number of assistant psychologists, students and trainees in the local service and the wider department with peer support opportunities including reflective practice. Depending on your working days, you will have opportunities to benefit from programmes of teaching and training available to pre-qualified psychologists, the wider psychology department and the Bracton Centre.

The Integrated Community Pathways Services (ICPS)This post offers an exciting opportunity for an assistant psychologist with an interest in working with people with offending history and complex personality difficulties to work inpartnership with colleagues within Probation Service London (PSL) as part of the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway.The Integrated Community Pathways Services (ICPS) are teams of psychologists, psychotherapists, clinical practitioners and probation practitioners that provides both directand indirect support to people on probation presenting with complex personality difficulties and a high risk of harm to others with the joint aims of reducing offending and improving psychological wellbeing.The post holder would have the opportunity to support qualified psychological therapists with offering consultation and developing formulations for probation practitioners managing people with complex difficulties, participate in assessments and co-deliver psychological interventions. The OPD pathway also has a strong focus on service user involvement and post holders would have the opportunity top work alongside people with lived experience in developing and delivering the service offer.Services are offered Pan-London and placements could therefore be arranged with consideration to the geographical preference of applicants however travel across London forappointments would be required. Travel expenses will be reimbursed as per trust policy (please note that home-to-base commute is not covered as a travel expense).

Please note: Candidates successful at interview will undergo NHS and additional HMPPS checks; full clearance is required prior to starting the role.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION, PLEASE READ:

All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting in order to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of the pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.

You will need to provide:

Proof of right to work documentation

Proof of ID, needs to include 1 photographicID

Proof of address documentation

Non-UK passport holders will need to have correct documentation (right to work in the UK) and a Home office Share code.

Address History:

5 years address history will be needed.

Applicants that are not UK Passport holders who provide less than 5 years UK address history will need to provide a Police Certificate which must be in English from where they resided previously.

Applicants who are UK Passport holders who have lived abroad for a period of more than six months during the last three years will need to provide a certificate of good conduct or an overseas police check in English from the countries resided in or visited.

In order to assist you in obtaining a Police Certificate, guidance can be sought from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

If the country you have resided in is not listed here, you can obtain the necessary information by contacting the relevant Embassy or High Commission for that Country. Their contact details can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en).

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• 2:1 or above awarded for a BPS accredited psychology undergraduate degree
• BPS graduate membership or eligible for membership

Experience

Essential

• Identify as being part of a social group that is currently underrepresented in clinical psychology, for example, familial/generational financial hardship/socioeconomic disadvantage, carer, ethnic minority background, living with a disability and significant mental health challenges. Please note this list is non exhaustive.
• Limited direct and/or paid clinical experience. Please note working as a support worker/healthcare assistant does not count as direct clinical experience.

Skills, Abilities, Knowledge

Essential

• An understanding of underrepresentation of certain social groups within clinical psychology/mental health, relating to equality, diversity, inclusion and equity of service user and clinicians within services
• High levels of communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be emotive
• Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance.
• An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems/offending behaviour or learning disabilities.
• An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context.
• An understanding of psychology applied to health care
• An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines
• An interest in working within forensic settings with individuals with mental health problems.

Desirable

• Experience using computers for databases or data-analysis
• High standard of report writing

Effort and Environment

Essential

• Frequent concentration required when assessing clients, writing up reports and when undertaking client sessions.
• Contribute to therapy service working with emotionally demanding clients.

Other

Essential

• A desire to explore a career in professional psychology i.e. clinical psychology
• An ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively

Desirable

• Able to travel throughout the catchment area, without unnecessary delay

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Various sites, please see advert for details

London

DA2 7AF

Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)