Job summary
Are you looking for the next step or a new challenge?
We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Senior Clinical or Forensic Psychologist with experience in Adult Mental Health Services to join our Integrated Mental Health team at HMP The Verne and HMP Portland. You will be part of a wider team of Clinical Psychologists, Assistant Psychologists, Mental Health Nurses, Substance Misuse Nurses, and Consultant Psychiatrists. We operate as an integrated team and aim to work in partnership with discipline staff and colleagues within the prison offering Trauma-Informed therapeutic interventions to best support our male residents and help minimise risk and re-traumatization levels.
The role will be to support the IMHT with assessment and interventions for complex patients, offer consultation/reflective practice to the team and clinical supervision to the assistant psychologists. The direct clinical work includes undertaking psychological assessments, supporting complex multi-disciplinary formulations and delivering psychological interventions for cases of complexity.
You will be required to work 30 hours at HMP Portland and 7.5 hours at HMP the Verne.
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will be expected to have a broad understanding of trauma and its impact not only on service users but also staff and the organization as a whole.
As the proposed model is psychologically and trauma informed, it is essential that the post holder has the necessary clinical skills and experience to support senior staff and the organisational skills to engage and work with other stakeholders within the complex environment of a prison.
All clinical work will be undertaken in line with psychological therapies model. In doing so, you will be responsible for adhering to the relevant Practice Plus Group policies and professional ethics and standards and will be accountable for your professional and clinical actions.
The successful candidate must be registered with the HCPC and hold a DPsych in Clinical Psychology or equivalent in Forensic Psychology. As the successful candidate you'll have post-qualification experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the life span and presenting with the full range of clinical severity in a variety of care settings such as outpatient, criminal justice, in-patient forensic mental health and residential care settings. You'll also be able to evidence an active interest in prison/forensic mental health.
You will also be required to utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the area served by the team/service.
About us
We are the Health in Justice Market leader, providing healthcare services to offenders across the country. When you’re part of the Practice Plus Group team, you don’t just have a job. You have a career. We work with you to help you grow in your role and take your career in the direction you want to go. If you want to move up the ladder, we’ll support you. If you just want to stay in your role, that’s fine too. We’ll help you be the best you can be.
We are passionate about what we do and our core values are:
∙ We treat patients and each other as we would like to be treated
∙ We act with integrity
∙ We embrace diversity
∙ We strive to do things better together.
If this resonates with you then we’d like to hear from you!
Please note that this role is subject to Practice Plus Group Terms & Conditions and offers of employment are subject to right to work in the UK, references, an enhanced DBS check, and prison vetting.
HMP The Verne has a capacity of 580 and is a male adult prison. HMP/YOI Portland the population of 505 males reflects a younger population whose index offences are extremely varied and often complex and acute.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This post requires an experienced qualified psychologist with knowledge and
experience to support the development and embedding of a trauma-informed mental
health service model within HMP ...
Research shows that males coming into prison have multiple unmet social,
emotional and mental health needs and high-risk behaviours that have persisted
over time. Although they may meet the
diagnostic criteria for multiple disorders, their needs and risks can be best
understood as arising within the context of traumatic life events and disrupted
relationships, often beginning in childhood.
These needs and risks can best be supported by using a psychologically
informed approach to support the mental health team and the discipline staff in
their day-to-day work with the residents. Supporting these relationships and
upskilling frontline professionals in their daily interactions will enable the
residents to acquire the skills necessary to manage their own emotions and
behaviour more effectively. This
approach focuses on supporting both mental health and discipline staff in
working collaboratively through developing awareness of trauma processes and
how this impacts both residents and professionals interpersonally as well as on
how this contributes to the maintenance of maladaptive and/or risky behaviours.
This approach does not preclude the use of specialised interventions, or
existing processes and roles within the current mental care health pathway, but
integrates these into a more comprehensive pathway that also includes the
discipline staff and other professional groups within the different settings.
The role focuses on offering support to the integrated mental health
team in the form of training, reflective practice/ clinical supervision, case
consultations & clinical supervision of Assistant Psychologists.
The role also includes core duties within the mental health team such as
undertaking assessments, supporting complex multi-disciplinary formulations and
delivering psychological interventions for cases of great complexity. To
support the current psychological therapies plan and assist the integrated
mental health team in the overall development of the availability of evidence
based therapies.
The role involves the delivery and oversight of both on a 1:1 and
group-intervention as part of the Trauma Informed ‘Making Sense’ Programme.
To deliver teaching and training to healthcare staff and prison staff as
required.
To contribute to the development of audit, service evaluation and
research profile as appropriate
You will also;
Provide expert clinical advice
and outstanding evidence based care, listening and acting on
patient feedback so that care is personalised and informed by what matters to
them. You will also provide supervision
of the day to day delivery of mental health therapies and lead on development
of clinical practice and the implementation of the mental health pathway.
Deliver non-judgemental care by leading the team to deliver care
that is safe, high quality, patient centred whilst meeting CQC requirements
following our policies, procedures and always considering safeguarding.
Inspire excellence in your colleagues by pro-actively leading and motivating the team recognising
that our workforce is our most valuable asset.
You will provide professional leadership to ensure we provide a service
that people can trust, feel safe within and feel proud of.
Promote best practice, clinical supervision, evidence based care and
continuous quality improvement embedding a culture of reflection and shared
learning.
Share knowledge, skills and expertise to ensure safe care and support your clinical and non-clinical colleagues to do
a great job
Job description
Job responsibilities
This post requires an experienced qualified psychologist with knowledge and
experience to support the development and embedding of a trauma-informed mental
health service model within HMP ...
Research shows that males coming into prison have multiple unmet social,
emotional and mental health needs and high-risk behaviours that have persisted
over time. Although they may meet the
diagnostic criteria for multiple disorders, their needs and risks can be best
understood as arising within the context of traumatic life events and disrupted
relationships, often beginning in childhood.
These needs and risks can best be supported by using a psychologically
informed approach to support the mental health team and the discipline staff in
their day-to-day work with the residents. Supporting these relationships and
upskilling frontline professionals in their daily interactions will enable the
residents to acquire the skills necessary to manage their own emotions and
behaviour more effectively. This
approach focuses on supporting both mental health and discipline staff in
working collaboratively through developing awareness of trauma processes and
how this impacts both residents and professionals interpersonally as well as on
how this contributes to the maintenance of maladaptive and/or risky behaviours.
This approach does not preclude the use of specialised interventions, or
existing processes and roles within the current mental care health pathway, but
integrates these into a more comprehensive pathway that also includes the
discipline staff and other professional groups within the different settings.
The role focuses on offering support to the integrated mental health
team in the form of training, reflective practice/ clinical supervision, case
consultations & clinical supervision of Assistant Psychologists.
The role also includes core duties within the mental health team such as
undertaking assessments, supporting complex multi-disciplinary formulations and
delivering psychological interventions for cases of great complexity. To
support the current psychological therapies plan and assist the integrated
mental health team in the overall development of the availability of evidence
based therapies.
The role involves the delivery and oversight of both on a 1:1 and
group-intervention as part of the Trauma Informed ‘Making Sense’ Programme.
To deliver teaching and training to healthcare staff and prison staff as
required.
To contribute to the development of audit, service evaluation and
research profile as appropriate
You will also;
Provide expert clinical advice
and outstanding evidence based care, listening and acting on
patient feedback so that care is personalised and informed by what matters to
them. You will also provide supervision
of the day to day delivery of mental health therapies and lead on development
of clinical practice and the implementation of the mental health pathway.
Deliver non-judgemental care by leading the team to deliver care
that is safe, high quality, patient centred whilst meeting CQC requirements
following our policies, procedures and always considering safeguarding.
Inspire excellence in your colleagues by pro-actively leading and motivating the team recognising
that our workforce is our most valuable asset.
You will provide professional leadership to ensure we provide a service
that people can trust, feel safe within and feel proud of.
Promote best practice, clinical supervision, evidence based care and
continuous quality improvement embedding a culture of reflection and shared
learning.
Share knowledge, skills and expertise to ensure safe care and support your clinical and non-clinical colleagues to do
a great job
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- DPsych in Clinical Psychology or equivalent in Forensic Psychology
Experience
Essential
- Full HCPC registration
- Proven post-qualification professional experience in Clinical/ Forensic Psychology
- Experience working with Forensic Mental Health patients
- Experience working with psychological Trauma
- Excellent communication skills
- Team Player
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- DPsych in Clinical Psychology or equivalent in Forensic Psychology
Experience
Essential
- Full HCPC registration
- Proven post-qualification professional experience in Clinical/ Forensic Psychology
- Experience working with Forensic Mental Health patients
- Experience working with psychological Trauma
- Excellent communication skills
- Team Player
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
