Assistant Psychologist

We are looking for an Assistant Psychologist to join the Support to Succeed (STS) Team, the community part of the offender personality disorder (OPD) pathway in Devon.

The OPD pathway is based in prison and probation, with NHS and HMPPS staff working to increase the wellbeing and reduce the risk of those screened into the pathway, whilst improving the knowledge and attitudes of the wider workforce.

STS offers support to probation staff through consultation, formulation and training and psychologically-informed intervention and risk management (IIRMS) for those leaving prison, including a hub service with activities and psycho-education/skills groups. IIRMS is a growing and evolving service, allowing opportunities for the successful applicant to support service development in this post.

The role will include developing/facilitating psycho-educational and/or skills-based groups, as well as providing psychologically-informed & relational support to people on the IIRMS caseload, consultation & training for probation practitioners, and discrete pieces of psychological intervention.

This is a cohesive and enthusiastic team including a Probation Practitioner, Psychologists, Assistant Psychologists, Social Worker, a Peer Support Worker, Support Time and Recovery Worker & admin support. Space is protected for supervision, reflective practice and training, including both whole-team training and the opportunity to undertake training in specific areas of interest relevant to the service.

Main duties of the job

You will possess a 2:1 Bachelors Degree (with Honours) in Psychology or an equivalent qualification and significant post-graduate experience working as an Assistant Psychologist in a mental health, forensic or care setting.

Flexibility in approach is important as is the ability to work as part of a team. You will have some knowledge/experience of group work and individual therapeutic contact & be able to demonstrate your capacity to apply psychological knowledge in a health, mental health or offence context.

You will need to be enthusiastic, forward thinking & emotionally resilient with a passion and commitment to supporting people with personality difficulties.

The post holder will work closely with colleagues in the wider OPD pathway & will be embedded within Devon's Secure Services Directorate. There will be opportunities to receive training with the wider assistant & trainee psychologist group.

We offer an excellent supervision/PDR structure, with Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities & a supportive & collaborative working environment. Below is some feedback from a recently appointed colleague: Working in this team makes me feel valued and appreciated, with a good sense of team morale. We are supportive of each other and valued for our individual skills, experience & psychological understanding. Working with this client group can have its challenges but it's made easier by being in such a well-connected team, where there is always room to grow.

About us

About Devon Partnership Trust

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do.

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trust's core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile, making time for people, challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part-time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for further details regarding this role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Honours degree at 2:1 or above in psychology and the qualification renders the applicant eligible for graduate membership of the BPS or a BA or BSc (Hons) in modular studies incl. psychology & related fields.

Desirable

• Further post graduate training in relevant area of professional psychology, health and social care practice, and / or research design and analysis.

Experience

Essential

• Significant Assistant Psychologist experience in a related setting.
• Relevant clinical and research skills.
• Experience of working as part of a team.
• Basic knowledge of databases, research skills and methodology.
• Experience of group work and individual therapeutic contact.
• Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a health, mental health and offence context.

Desirable

• Experience of working with people with complex needs.
• Experience of working with people with personality problems, preferably in a mental health or forensic setting.
• Experience of the use of psychometric tests.
• Experience working within the Criminal Justice System e.g. prison or probation.
• Experience of teaching health, prison or probation professionals.
• Lived experience of mental health issues.

Skills

Essential

• Communication Skills
• To be able to communicate effectively under pressure and maintain a high degree of professionalism at all times.
• To be able to provide and receive complex sensitive or contentious information in a potentially highly emotive atmosphere.
• High standard of report writing.
• Analytical & Judgement Skills
• Ability to integrate complex data, make evaluations, produce psychological formulations and contribute to decisions.
• To assimilate complex information and use reflective/analytic thinking, to apply psychological perspectives in work in a criminal justice setting.
• Planning & Organising Skills
• Organisation and time management skills.
• Ability to be flexible and cope with multiple demands. Capable of using initiative and organise work to agreed goals.
• Ability to work independently and know when to ask for and use supervision, identifying when there is need for advice and using supervision at agreed intervals.
• Small-scale project management skills.
• IT Skills
• Information technology skills. To have highly developed IT skills and good working knowledge of statistical packages.

Desirable

• Ability to work independently within defined occupational procedures and use initiative.
• Ability to work as a member of a team.
• Ability to tolerate ambiguity, and maintain own morale and motivation in challenging service delivery contexts.

Employer details

Employer name

Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Address

National Probation Service

Nicholson Road

Torquay

TQ2 7TD

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

C9369-24-0831