Job Overview
This is an exciting opportunity to join an Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Service. The service provides an OPD outreach service to men within HMP High Down and a specialist residential Psychologically Informed Planned Environment (PIPE) unit for men with learning disabilities. The services form part of the national Men's OPD pathway and will be a national first.
You will be joining a staff team that includes psychologists, a neurodiversity practitioner, occupational therapist, a Speech & Language therapist, prison officers and an Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner. We are seeking a compassionate & enthusiastic assistant psychologist with an interest in working within a specialist prison learning disability / personality disorder service.
This is a London Pathways Partnership (LPP) service, with CNWL as the lead provider. LPP is a consortium of 5 NHS Trusts working in partnership to deliver a network of services to complex and high-risk service users in London & the Southeast. LPP deliver integrated services, primarily within the OPD pathway across London community & within several local prisons, thus ensuring a supported prison to community pathway. LPP also have an active staff development programme which may include training & accredited supervision in specialist therapies provision. We actively support research and have close relationships with academics from several local universities
Main duties of the job
* To support the work of senior psychological therapists and work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team supporting and enhancing the psychological wellbeing of residents within the OPD services in HMP high Down.
* To assist in the day to day running of the Progression PIPE and Outreach service, including facilitating group skills and social-creative sessions and contributing to multi-disciplinary meetings.
* To undertake projects relating to service development and evaluation.
* To set up databases, spreadsheets and using advanced IT skills in evaluation audit and research.
* To support assessment and treatment interventions undertaken by the service as appropriate to level of competence and training.
* To undertake direct and indirect clinical work as required under live or regular supervision from qualified applied HPC registered Psychologist.
* To plan, organise and co-lead social, creative and psycho-educational groups and activities under supervision according to a plan agreed and reviewed through regular supervision by a qualified applied HPC registered Psychologist and/or Psychological Therapist.
Working for our organisation
By joining LPP and CNWL you will be joining a large department of psychologists and psychological therapists that provide an array of mental health and OPD services across London and the home counties. Our staff are dynamic and welcoming and the networking and CPD opportunities are central to our services ethos. We have active research forums and promote our services and work through academic and clinical forums. All staff receive regular supervision and are supported with career aspirations and progression.
Excellent staff benefits, our benefit packages are amongst the best in London and include:
* Health and wellbeing services
* Season ticket loans
* Cycle to work scheme
The trust also values its staff and you are entitled to become a member of MyTrustBenefits. MyTrustBenefits is an online portal for all CNWL staff, as well as their family and friends. It offers over 1400 discounts at hundreds of retailers nationwide. Save money on your weekly food shops, toiletries, cosmetics, cinema, meals out, holidays, travel and entertainment. You can also access free online courses on a variety of topics, professional and personal, ranging from business management, languages, law and teaching.
HMP High Down is in easy reach of London and the surrounding areas. The prison offers free use of onsite leisure facilities and free parking for all staff.
Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
* To undertake assessments and interventions (for example neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect observations and semi-structured interviews of clients, family members and others involved in the clients care), as appropriate to level of training, competence and under live or regular supervision from a qualified practitioner Psychologist.
* To assist in the development of psychologically based frameworks of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service.
* To formulate and deliver care, training or research plans within settings where there may be a hostile atmosphere, challenging behaviour or high levels of expressed emotion.
* To conduct literature searches, collate audit and outcome evidence, analyse relevant data and produce reports to inform and enhance care delivered by the service.
* To assist in the coordination and running of therapeutic groups, training or research projects
* If required, to compile risk histories to inform care plans, risk and crisis plans.
* To work with other team members to improve care, training and research practices and the quality of life of clients.
* To attend and contribute to multi-disciplinary meetings.
* To support the delivery of evidence based psychological interventions for clients.
* To carry out other clinical and administrative tasks as appropriate to the post holder's grade.
* To be up to date with both de-escalation, physical breakaway and PMVA techniques appropriate to the service environment.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
* Honours degree at 2:1 or above in Psychology, or equivalent. Eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartership with the BPS
Desirable criteria
* Further post graduate training in relevant area of professional psychology, health and social care practice, and / or research design and analysis
Knowledge/Experience
Essential criteria
* Relevant clinical and research skills
* Experience of working as part of a team
* Basic knowledge of databases, research skills and methodology
* Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a health context
Desirable criteria
* Experience of working with people with complex needs
* Experience of working with people with disabilities, in a health or Mental Health setting and or work with people with complex needs
* Experience of the use of psychometric tests
* Experience of group work and individual therapeutic contact
Skills
Essential criteria
* To have highly developed IT skills and good working knowledge of statistical packages
* To be able to communicate effectively under pressure and maintain a high degree of professionalism at all times
* High standard of report writing
Abilities
Essential criteria
* Ability to tolerate occasional exposure to verbal abuse and hostility
* Ability to use a PC
* To sit for extended periods of time in constrained positions in order to complete PC -based projects and other project tasks