Applied Psychologist - Clinical/Counselling/Forensic

Job summary

Applied Psychologist - Clinical/Counselling/Forensic

Locations: HMP/YOIs Brinsford, Oakwood and Swinfen Hall

HMP Oakwood is a large men's Category C prison, HMP/YOI Brinsford holds men from age 18-21, HMP/YOI Swinfen Hall holds sentenced young men under the age of 28.

You will be working as part of established mental health teams, working in collaboration with our primary provider, Practice Plus Group who are supportive, forward thinking and committed to Recovery based approaches.

Your role will involve making a positive difference to the lives of people in prison in the West Midlands. You will provide consultation and formulation to colleagues, as well as providing limited direct clinical work appropriate to the banding of the role.

You will work with operational managers and clinical leads to ensure that all members of multidisciplinary teams have access to psychologically informed ways of thinking about service users. There will be opportunities to develop and deliver training, as well as to lead on development of evidence-based psychological interventions within your establishment(s).

Additional tasks may include providing reflective practice spaces for teams and offering supervision to more junior psychology colleagues.

Geographically, the prisons are close together. The advertised posts will work across the prison establishments with responsibility for one or more prisons, depending on the WTE of the post.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for HCPC registered applied psychologists (we believe forensic, counselling or clinical psychologists may have the required competencies) who are passionate about social justice and reducing health inequalities.

You may have experience of criminal justice and mental health services, but we are also keen to receive applications from people with different backgrounds, as this supports diversity within our psychology team. You will have experience of delivering psychological assessments and evidence-based interventions, as well as experience of working indirectly through MDT colleagues.

You will enjoy working independently and have the skills to develop excellent working relationships with service users, colleagues and commissioners. You will have an interest in the clinical aspects of the role, and in developing your strategic and leadership skills.

The supportive Inclusion psychology team is led by a Consultant Clinical Psychologist. The team meet regularly for professional development, reflective space and collaborative projects. Working in prisons can be both challenging and rewarding, and you will have the opportunity to work with and learn from experienced prison psychologists. We will support you to access regular clinical supervision and appropriate professional development. The team is also keen to develop audit, research and service improvement activity so there will be opportunities to conceptualise and lead on relevant projects within your prison.

About us

Inclusion, created in 2002 is part of the Specialist Services Care Group of Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT). We provide caring and effective services across England, including, West Yorkshire, West Midlands, East Midlands, West Mercia, Thames Valley, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Thurrock, Essex.

We support individuals, families and communities who are affected by addiction, crime, mental health or need treatment for their sexual health. We believe that the individuals and families who use our services should receive high quality, committed and inclusive care, realising all the benefits a modern NHS organisation can provide.

We work with patients and our staff teams to achieve the best outcomes we can. We invest heavily in training and development, and the wellbeing of our people, both staff and service users is central to who we are. Here at MPFT, we are proud of the comprehensive wellbeing and lifestyle support offer available, in addition to in-house training and coaching support.

Our services are robustly governed, evidence-based, inclusive, and designed and provided in conjunction with service users. We are committed to providing the best service we can, and if you share our values, we want you on our team!