Higher Assistant Psychologist

Job summary

The Forensic Secure Inpatient Services currently have a vacancy for a Band 5 Higher Assistant Psychologist. The role is a 12 month fixed term contract working within the well-established Forensic Psychology Service based in Middlesbrough.

The Forensic Psychology Service has been in existence for over 25 years and during this time it has developed a high quality evidence-based service, with a strong commitment to risk assessment, rehabilitation, relapse prevention and discharge out of forensic services.

Under the supervision of a HCPC registered psychologist, the successful applicant will provide psychological assessment and interventions (individual and group work) to support and enhance clients' psychological care. The service uses a range of psychological models to meet the multifaceted needs of men and women with a variety of mental health needs, developmental disorders and offending behaviour histories.

The successful applicant must have experience of working with people with mental health problems, developmental disorders or other disabilities. We are also looking for you to have an understanding of psychology applied to health care and an ability to apply your psychological knowledge to the mental health and learning disability context. You must be motivated, possess excellent communication skills and the ability to work individually as well as part of a multi-disciplinary team by undertaking work with service users, carers, family members and other agencies.

Main duties of the job

Takes client histories and undertakes structured and reflective psychological assessments, writing reports for review by the qualified psychologist.

Assists the qualified psychologist in the formulation of care plans.Delivers protocol-driven and broader psychological interventions in accordance with the care plan and reports progress to the qualified psychologist for further consideration. Clients present with mental ill health or learning disabilities and may display verbal aggression. May have difficult family situations of relevance.

Delivers psycho-educational sessions to client groups e.g. health and well-being, anger management, stress reduction etc.

Provides clinical advice within scope of own competency to other members of the care team e.g. regarding the implementation of a specific psychological intervention for a client.

Responsible for recognising the potential for or signs of client harm, abuse or neglect, including poor clinical practice, reporting all such concerns and taking all reasonable steps to protect the client. Responsible for identifying and reporting concerns regarding the safeguarding of children who may be at risk.

Applicants must ensure that prior to applying they have agreement from their current line manager that they can be released on a secondment basis.

In the event that permanent funding is secured for this post the successful applicant will be confirmed in post on a permanent basis.

About us

The Psychology Service is an integral component of the Trust's Forensic Secure Inpatient Services, which has recently undergone a significant transformation and development initiative.

Ridgeway comprises both of medium and low inpatient secure services that have been purpose built to manage, assess and treat both male and female service users. It provides excellent therapeutic care in a modern and secure environment. Successful applicant will have the opportunity to work with an extremely complex client group in a well-resourced and established forensic psychology team.

There is an emphasis on the importance of clinical supervision and continued professional development, which we regard as a vital part of the delivery of care. You will be part of an innovative and dynamic team which utilises an evidence-based psychological perspective. You will be offered support and encouragement to develop specialist experience and expertise, and complete some research with a view to publication.

Psychologists & Psychological Therapists provide key leadership roles within the Trust. To support this we have developed leadership profiles for each psychology band and the profile card associated with this post is attached on NHS Jobs. You can find more information about the NHS Leadership Academy's Healthcare Leadership Model and the profiles at their website. We encourage you to look at these resources as they will play a part in the interview process.