Higher Assistant Psychologist

We are looking for a higher assistant psychologist to work in Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR) element of Community Sentence Treatment Requests in Durham and Tees Valley.

The MHTR is one of the twelve options available to magistrates and judges. Introduced in 2005, the MHTR provides a mechanism to ensure that certain offenders with mental health problems who are given a Community Order are able to access appropriate treatment.

This service is to provide the primary care element of the MHTR.

The aims and objectives of the provision of Primary Care MHTR are to:

• Reduce offending/reoffending by improving the health and social outcomes
• Provide alternatives to short custodial sentences
• Improve health outcomes
• Provide accessible service which enable engagement
• Strive for early sentencing, or as advised by the court
• Provide rapid access to appropriate and effective assessment and interventions
• Deliver services which meet the needs of individuals
• Provide evidence-based psychological interventions
• Be clinically led MHTR interventions

Main duties of the job

The main focus of the role will be to provide assessment and subsequent intervention for up to 12 sessions. Primarily, the model adopted will be cognitive behaviour therapy-based to address primary care mental health needs such as anxiety and depression.

You will work under the supervision of the Clinical Lead (Principal Applied Psychologist) and to the professional practice guidelines as directed by the Health Care and Professions Council (HCPC). In addition, you will have various development opportunities accessible through wider support and networks including regular Higher Assistant Psychologist supervision forums and Trust-led continuing professional development initiatives and training.

You will work alongside two other higher assistant psychologists as well as partner organisations such as probation, the courts, and other healthcare providers to ensure the aims and objectives of the service are met.

The role covers various courts in Durham and Cleveland, and the base can be negotiated to best suit the post holder.

The post is for 12 months.

Applicants must ensure that prior to applying, they have agreement from their current line manager that they can be released on a secondment basis.

About us

We offer a wide range of professional development opportunities and training and encourage individuals to further develop their own clinical skills and experience. We also have a large research agenda within Health and Justice and encourage individuals to pursue this.

We place a strong emphasis on professional and clinical supervision in order to support and develop individuals as part of our commitment to delivering the highest quality clinical service.

Why choose TEWV?

Our Agenda for Change staff have access to amazing staff benefits including:

• Free access to therapy and coaching which can be accessed in work time.
• Free car parking across our sites, saving you more than £300 per year compared to neighbouring Trusts.
• Access to the coveted NHS pension scheme.
• Continuing professional development opportunities including paid-for training.
• Career break scheme.
• Generous annual leave with the option to purchase more.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information about this post.

Psychologists & Psychological Therapists provide key leadership roles within the Trust. To support this, we have developed leadership profiles for each psychology band, and the profile card associated with this post is attached on NHS Jobs. You can find more information about the NHS Leadership Academy's Healthcare Leadership Model and the profiles at their website. We encourage you to look at these resources as they will play a part in the interview process.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree in Psychology
• Eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
• Numeracy, Literacy and ITQ level 2 (or equivalent)

Desirable

• Further post-graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice, youth work, work with offenders, and/or research design and analysis

Skills

Essential

• Ability to work collaboratively with members of the MDT to provide an effective service
• Ability to relate therapeutically to the needs of clients and in a way that addresses psychological resistance.
• Experience working as a psychology assistant (or equivalent).
• Experience working with people with mental ill health or learning disabilities (paid or voluntary).

Desirable

• Experience of working with a forensic population

Experience

Essential

• Experience working as a psychology assistant (or equivalent)
• Experience working with people with mental ill health or learning disabilities (paid or voluntary).
• Previous involvement in clinical audit, research, or service evaluation.
• Experience using statistical software packages e.g., SPSS
• Experience of using psychometric assessments

Knowledge

Essential

• An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental ill health or learning disabilities.

Employer details

Employer name

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Sniperly House

Lanchester Road

Durham

DH15RD

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

346-DDM-076-24