A Vacancy at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
An exciting opportunity has arisen, for an enthusiastic and innovative individual with experience and keen interest in mental health to join Offender Health Division atNottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
This is a unique opportunity for you to develop your skills as Integrative Counsellor/Therapist/Psychotherapist within a unique prison environment and with a diverse population of clients. The environment is challenging but is one in which a Trainee will build on their resilience, clinical experience and partner with a creative and dedicated specialist staff team including the head of healthcare, IMH Clinical Matron, specialist social workers, assistant psychologists, trainee counsellors, senior psychologists, assistant practitioners, Neurodiversity practitioner, nurses, consultant psychiatrists and Drs. We also work alongside the substance misuse, physical health, Veterans Service and prison psychology team.
The role is varied and involves supporting the psychological therapies team in completing assessments and delivering individual and group therapy. The post holder will have the opportunity to contribute to ongoing development of specialist treatment programmes as well as research and project delivery. MDT working is also an integral part of the role. Research, evaluation and writing for publication are actively supported; ongoing professional development is encouraged, and supervision considered a priority. You will be required to provide highly specialist therapeutic work within a neurobiological model to offenders within prisons as part of a Multi-disciplinary team within the remit of the psychological therapies service.
This post is paid for at band 5 level, although you will be expected to pay for your own training. You will be supported with study time to support with any university course work where possible (locally negotiated).
Please note,where a DBS is required, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £26.40 (standard) or £54.40 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.
You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.
#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.
We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.
We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.
The health and wellbeing of our colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.
The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net-zero commitment
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
• To assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a patient’s problems, under the supervision of a qualified psychologist/ counsellor.
• To assist in the running of therapeutic groups.
• To work with other staff to assess patients and review their care in preparation for multi-disciplinary reviews.
• To attend multidisciplinary meetings to provide input on case management and service delivery which is hugely valued by the team
Teaching, Training & Supervision
• To participate in appropriate training courses or updates in accordance with mandatory training requirements and Personal Development Plans.
Research & Service Evaluations & Procedures
• The duties and responsibilities of the post will be undertaken in accordance with the policies, procedures and practices of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. It is the post holder’s responsibility to ensure that they keep up to date with these policies and other policy documents.
Health and Safety
• To work within the provisions of the Trust Health and Safety Policy.
Candidate’s requirements:
• At least 30 hours of contact hours with clients within an approved placement organisation
• Be in your second or third year of training
• Post-holder should be undergoing an MSc (postgraduate) in counselling and psychotherapy or equivalent which is BACP or UKCP approved.
• Post qualification training, short courses or some experience integrative therapy/counselling
• Be enrolled on a BACP/UKCP MSc in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy or equivalent.
• Placement experience of establishing and maintaining therapeutic relationships.
We are keen to recruit trainee who wish to develop a well-rounded set of clinical skills but are also supportive in a challenging environment. Clinical supervision will be provided by a registered Psychologist/Counsellor. Part of the role includes developing your skills to be able to complete assessments, formulation, treatment planning and therapy
Any job offer will be dependent on meeting the person spec. The successful Trainee will need to have enhanced DBS clearance. Undertaking Prison Service security checks after the interview will also be necessary and prison awareness training. This process can take several months. The successful Trainee will undertake a brief induction programme to ensure they know about Prison Service processes and about the teams that they will be working with as well as feel confident in the environment. You will also be required to produce a Covering Letter from your university.
Please be advised Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has made the difficult decision to serve notice on its offender health contracts. Over the coming months, we will be working with NHS England on the transition of the services to a new provider. We still need to recruit to these valued positions and welcome your application. But, in line with our values, honesty is important, so please note that if you are successful that in time your employment would move from Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to another provider who would then be your new employer.
This advert closes on Thursday 15 May 2025
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About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .