Assistant Psychologist

Job summary

This initiative aims to screen and evaluate individuals with mental health issues who have exhibited stalking behaviours, applying appropriate interventions to decrease their risk to a point where additional measures are deemed unnecessary or unbeneficial. Working alongside Durham Police, this initiative will engage a multi-faceted approach involving collaboration among law enforcement. By fostering a coordinated response, the initiative aspires to enhance the safety and well-being of the Durham community, ensuring a proactive stance against stalking and harassment and its associated harms by:

Increasing the ability of practitioners in the partner agencies to recognise stalking behaviours

Increasing the ability of practitioners in the partner agencies to respond effectively when stalking is identified

Increasing early intervention for those whose identified mental health contributes to the offending behaviour,

Intervening effectively with those who perpetrate stalking behaviours to support them in changing their behaviour while also holding them to account

Enhancing communication and relationships between partner agencies to respond effectively to the risk, harm and vulnerability posed by stalking cases

Main duties of the job

We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic psychology graduate with a keen interest in the application of applied psychology to the criminal justice arena to support the delivery of a new pilot programme within County Durham aimed to support the reduction of stalking and harassment for those with a mental health or learning disability condition. We are particularly looking for someone with proven research/evaluation skills and also excellent presentation and written communication skills.

Based within the Liaison and Diversion Team in Darlington Police Station, you will help to develop a screening tool and process for practitioners to refer to the D-SIP service and help to manage and provide reports for referral data through regular audit and evaluation. You will support the registered applied psychologist in the provision of psychological intervention to service users through the administration and interpretation of psychometric assessment and assistance in the case formulation and care plan. You will have an opportunity to deliver protocol-driven psychological intervention under supervision. In addition, you will have various development opportunities accessible through wider support networks, including regular assistant psychologist supervision and training forums and Trust led continuing professional development initiatives and training.

About us

We offer a wide range of professional development opportunities and training and encourage individuals to further develop their own clinical skills and experience. We have a large research agenda within the Health & Justice Service and you will be encouraged to contribute to research proposals, publications and presentations at local and national conferences.

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.

We place a strong emphasis on professional and clinical supervision in order to support and develop individuals as part of our commitment to deliver the highest quality clinical service.