Assistant Psychologist/Research Assistant
Job overview
We are looking for an innovative and motivated Assistant Psychologist/Research Assistant to work in the Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR) Service.
The MHTR Service aims to improve the opportunities for an individual who is in the Criminal Justice System to access psychological therapies/intervention. The MHTR is a Community Treatment Order: a form of diversion within rather than away from the criminal justice system, but outside custody.The service treatment aims to offer an individual the opportunity to access and engage in individualised psychological therapies therefore improving health and social outcomes and address the underlying cause of offending behaviour.
If you would like a challenge and the opportunity to be an inclusive, creative clinician, this job may be for you.
Main duties of the job
This is a new development within Notts Healthcare and is a great opportunity to work in a developing service for service users within the criminal justice system, creating the best opportunity for supporting their engagement with services and helping to break the cycle of offending.
The MHTR service comprises of a team of psychologically informed practitioners, led by an accredited psychologist (Clinical Lead). This role will include supporting and working alongside service users in a collaborative, therapeutic partnership and participation in the development and provision therapeutic activities/psycho-educational programmes and self-management interventions under the supervision of the Clinical Lead Psychologist.
In this role, the Assistant Psychologist/Research Assistant will support the team to undertake screening. The role will also include signposting to relevant third-party organisations and so the post holder will be required to make links within the local community.The post holder will complete clinically related administration and assist with clinical research and evaluation project work under the guidance of the Clinical Lead. As part of this role the post holder will also be involved in service development and promotion of service and supporting the delivering training and awareness of the MHTR.
Working for our organisation
#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
Alongside this post, the service has 2 practitioner posts (Specialist Mental Health Practitioner and a Senior Assistant Psychologist), supported by the Clinical Lead. The team are based within the Magistrates Court (primarily) and Westminster House (team base for the Liaison and Diversion Services of which this service sits within).
Referral - Help to make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the service referral protocols, signpost/refer unsuitable service users on to the relevant service or back to the referral agent as necessary.
Active engagement – To work with a small number of people with mild to moderate common mental health problems in the self-management of their recovery through delivery of formulation driven care plans, the provision of psychological therapy and the evaluation of interventions, under supervision.
Service evaluation – Support data collection and analysis, for both clinical and service evaluation, as required. This will include collecting and reviewing a variety of data such as psychometric scores, interview data, historical information, literature searches.It may also involve data analysis and report writing under supervision. This role will cover a number of services across the Community Forensic Services.
Appointed applicants will have access to robust clinical and managerial supervision and career development opportunities. The service is committed to ensuring the staff in the team are well equipped to work with the complex service users accessing the service and so training is well supported and there is a range of access to robust supervision.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- Degree in Psychology at 2:1 or above, conferring BPS Graduate Basis for Registration
- Research and evaluation skills
- Post-graduate qualification in psychology-related field e.g. MSc in forensic psychology.
- For candidates with 2:2 degree have completed a postgraduate course or have significant clinical experience.
Experience
Essential criteria- Experience of using computer systems.
- Experience of working with individuals of all ages within a healthcare/social care setting.
- Experience and understanding of working in team setting, liaising with colleagues, other agencies and services.
- Experience working with individuals who have offended.
- Knowledge and experience of working alongside criminal justice systems.
- Experience of planning and delivering a range of therapeutic interventions.
Knowledge / Skills
Essential criteria- Demonstrates an awareness of wide range of vulnerabilities inclusive of mental health/LD needs.
- Knowledge and understanding of psychological assessment, formulations, risk assessment and care planning within a mental health setting.
- Knowledge and understanding of planning and delivering psychologically informed interventions with working knowledge of at least one relevant psychological approach (e.g. CBT, DBT etc.).
- Demonstrates an understanding of cultural and diversity needs of individuals.
- Understanding, and experience of, the importance of maintaining boundaries in the workplace.
- Awareness of the MHTR Service
- Awareness of the interface of the Health, Social Care and Criminal Justice Systems.
- Knowledge of working with applied psychological models (e.g. CBT, CFT, DBT, Systemic)
- The closing date given is a guide. We reserve the right to close the post early once we have received a sufficient number of applicants, so we advise you to submit your application early to prevent disappointment.
- We will be requesting references by email. Please ensure you include email addresses and contact numbers for your referees to avoid delay in the recruitment process.
- The Trust believes in treating everyone with dignity and respect and encourages applications from all sectors of the community. We guarantee an interview to candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum essential criteria.
- Communication regarding your application will be sent via email therefore, please ensure you regularly check your spam/junk folder.
- In submitting an application form, you authorise Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to confirm from your previous or current NHS employer and other prior employers; previous NHS service details and personal data held about you. This data will be transferred using NHS Electronic Staff Record and third party systems via an automated process and only used for the purposes of obtaining and maintaining accurate employment records, should you be appointed to the post. Should you require any further information please refer our Privacy Policy shown on the Trust website, please click here for more information.
- For eligible posts, DBS disclosures are mandatory before commencement of employment. If you are in a position that is deemed a regulated adult and/or child care role, you will not be able to start your employment until we have received a satisfactory DBS Disclosure. The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Convictions which would otherwise be considered as 'spent' will also be checked as part of an Enhanced DBS Disclosure.