Psychological Therapist - HMP Send

Overview

Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust is a Top Employer Award Winner and works in partnership to provide responsive and dependable primary care, mental health, intellectual disability and substance misuse services to diverse communities. We are recruiting a highly motivated, innovative and enthusiastic Psychological Therapist to join our Mental Health Team at HMP Send, delivering a wide range of therapies and trauma informed systems of care.

You will join an established MDT including nursing, psychiatry, assistant psychologists, clinical psychologists, art therapy, occupational therapy and neurodiversity practitioners and contribute to high quality group and individual therapies and inclusive pathways of care.

We are keen to recruit a confident and compassionate Psychological Therapist with expertise in delivering high intensity therapy, experienced with complex needs, and a passion for supporting vulnerable populations. You will work with a range of professionals within the MDT and with wider prison staff, integrating diverse approaches to achieve the best outcomes. A clinical interest in trauma informed approaches and working with complex psychological needs is advantageous.

Joining CNWL’s Health & Justice Directorate means becoming part of a large department of psychologists and psychological therapists delivering mental health and OPD services across London, Surrey, Kent and Bucks. We offer active CPD opportunities, research forums and ongoing supervision, career progression, and a culture of collaboration and development.

• Provide specialist psychological assessments using a range of data sources (psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, observations, and interviews) with clients and, where appropriate, family or others involved in care.
• Formulate and implement plans for formal psychological treatment and management of clients’ mental health problems based on an evidence-based framework across care settings.
• Deliver a range of psychological interventions for individuals and groups, adapting formulations across teams while maintaining provisional hypotheses.
• Evaluate and decide on treatment options considering theoretical and therapeutic models and factors related to historical and developmental processes.
• Exercise autonomous professional responsibility for assessment, treatment and discharge of clients managed by psychologically based standard care plans.
• Provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing to formulations, diagnoses and treatment plans.
• Attend seclusion and segregation reviews, recovery team meetings and safer custody meetings as appropriate and provide psychological input on management and referrals.
• Undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and advise on psychological aspects of risk with other professionals.
• Act as care coordinator where appropriate, initiating, planning and reviewing care plans under enhanced CPA with clients, carers and referring agents.
• Communicate assessment, formulation and treatment plans sensitively and monitor progress during uni- and multi-disciplinary care.
• Maintain high standards of clinical record keeping (electronic and manual), report writing and professional self-governance in line with codes of practice and Trust policies.
• Collaborate with colleagues and prison staff to develop evidence-based and effective prison-based services.

• Receive regular clinical supervision from a suitably qualified psychological therapist and, where appropriate, other professionals.
• Develop skills in professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision for MDT staff and supervise Band 6 psychological therapists, assistant/graduate psychologists, and trainees as appropriate.
• Contribute to pre- and post-qualification teaching of applied psychology and psychological therapy.
• Provide advice, consultation and training to staff across agencies and settings where appropriate.

• Contribute to development, evaluation and monitoring of team policies and services using research, service evaluation and audit.
• Advise management on psychological and organisational matters requiring attention.
• Manage workloads of Band 6 therapists and junior staff within service policies and procedures.
• Attend clinical and professional meetings as negotiated, within and outside the prison, as time constraints allow.
• Collaborate with prison colleagues and health/third-sector partners to develop peer-led, service-user facilitated education and treatment programs.

• Utilise theory and evidence-based literature to support practice in individual and team work.
• Undertake research and provide research advice to staff; lead or contribute to complex audits and service evaluations.
• Familiarise with and comply with Trust requirements on research governance.