MHTR Lead Assistant Psychologist

Job Overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen within Milton Keynes Talking Therapies Service (IAPT) to work as a Lead Assistant Psychologist within the Criminal Justice system to engage with offenders for Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTR).

The role will be to provide strategic leadership of the MHTR pathway, and provide low level psychological interventions for depression, anxiety, trauma, personality disorders and learning difficulties. There will also be the opportunity to utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the area served by the team/service.

Main duties of the job

• To undertake protocol based psychological assessments of clients applying psychological tests, including self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, and others involved in the client’s care, under the supervision of a qualified psychologist.
• To assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s problems, under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist
• To collate and report audit data in order to meet the audit requirements of the service.
• To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings where care takes place.
• To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary meetings.
  
  

Working for our organisation

We’re passionate about delivering first-class patient-centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient’s own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do.

Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people.

We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we’re hoping to find our future leaders and we’ll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career.

With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more – whatever stage of your career you're at, there's always a place for you at CNWL.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

For the full details about this role please see the attached job description and person specification.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• A Degree in psychology
• Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
  
  

Desirable criteria

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

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of working with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities as an assistant psychologist
• Experience of using psychological assessments, formulations, risk assessments and care planning
• Experience of working with people who have to potential to become aggressive and being able to respond appropriately
• Working in a healthcare setting
• Experience of MDT working and the voluntary sector
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working with offenders
  
  

Skills/ Abilities

Essential criteria

• High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
• An understanding of complex needs of a person with a diagnosis of Personality Disorders/mental illness/learning disability
• An understanding of psychology applied to healthcare
• Has training and experience of audit, evaluation and research
• Advanced keyboard skills
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Experience using IAPTUS and databases or data-analysis
  
  

Knowledge/Understanding

Essential criteria

• An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to this context
• An understanding of trauma/ label of personality disorder
• An understanding of the Criminal Justice System
  
  

Other Requirement

Essential criteria

• An ability to interact with people with mental health problems/ mild learning disabilities
• Ability to work with individuals with a history of violence and/or sexual offending
• Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team as well as independently reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals
• An ability to work as part of a team and maintain good relationships with colleagues
• Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
• Align to Trust policies and Procedure
• Ability to work within a sometimes demanding environment with patients with complex needs and being non-judgemental while being able to manage your personal wellbeing through supervision etc