Assistant Psychologist

Practice Plus Group; West Tanfield; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company pension scheme

25 days annual leave (up to 28)

Wellbeing benefits

Discounts on shopping & leisure

Professional development support

24/7 employee assistance

Job summary

Practice Plus Group is hiring an Assistant Psychologist to join the mental health team at HMP Wakefield, a high-security male prison in Wakefield. You will support psychological care, run clinics and assessments, and deliver trauma-informed group interventions under supervision.

The role offers a 37.5-hour week, with a full-time schedule Monday to Friday, and a salary up to £33,510 per annum. Training and career development opportunities are provided.

Qualifications

• Holds a Degree in Psychology.
• Masters degree would be beneficial.
• Experience as an Assistant Psychologist, ideally in prison or related settings.
• Experience facilitating therapeutic groups and delivering assessments under supervision.
• Experience with evidence-based models (e.g., CBT / CFT / DBT).

Responsibilities

• Support psychological care of patients throughout their journey.
• Run clinics, assessments, and 1-1 sessions with patients.
• Triage assessments and identify patient needs.
• Prepare and deliver psychological intervention groups (trauma informed).
• Provide psychological assessment and interventions under supervision.
• Work with people with complex needs in secure environments.
• Contribute to ACCT and CSIP processes.
• Monitor and report on mental health during interventions.

Skills

Therapeutic group facilitation

Psychological assessment

CBT / CFT / DBT knowledge

Secure environment experience

Communication skills

Education

Degree in Psychology

Masters degree (beneficial)

Job description

+ MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO EVERY LIFE

We have a fantastic opportunity for an Assistant Psychologist to join the team at HMP Wakefield, a Category A / high security prison for males in Wakefield city centre.

About The Role

We have a fantastic opportunity for an Assistant Psychologist to join the team at HMP Wakefield, a Category A / high security prison for males in Wakefield city centre.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work in an everchanging, challenging environment, which is hugely rewarding! You will be a key part of the mental health team, supporting stress tolerance, harm reduction, emotional dis-regulation, trauma, anxiety and more!

Hours

This is a full time role, 37.5 hours per week.

Working Monday to Friday 08:00 - 16:00.

Salary

This position is full time, you’ll receive an annual salary of up to £33,510 per annum.

How will we support you?

• Bespoke induction, including our Introducing Health in Justice training course
• Competency framework
• Regional and national career development opportunities
• Our bespoke Learning Management System to address your learning needs
• Support from the wider team

Candidates are required to have a Legal right to work in the UK and due to the nature of the role, offers of employment will be subject to additional vetting and security checks

What you’ll be doing

• Support the psychological care of patients throughout their journey with us
• Run clinics, assessments, and 1-1 sessions with patients
• Triage assessments and identifying patient needs
• Prepare and deliver psychological intervention group sessions (trauma informed)
• Provide psychological assessment and interventions under the supervision of the qualified psychologist
• Work with people with complex needs, which can present / lead to challenging situations or behaviours
• Work within the Assessment Care in Custody Teamwork (ACCT) process, and contribute towards the Challenge, Support and Intervention Plan (CSIP)
• Monitor and provide feedback on the patients’ function and general mental health condition during the course of intervention, reporting and changes to the mental health team

If you are interested in career development, we have a wide range of opportunities for you to develop your skills and experience, which include both internal and external options for development and learning.

It doesn’t stop there

• Company pension scheme
• 25 days annual leave increasing with service up to 28 days per year, plus public bank holidays
• An extensive range of wellbeing and lifestyle benefits
• Discounts on shopping and leisure activities
• Support to grow in your role and continue your professional development
• 24/7 employee assistance helpline and financial assistance when you need it

What we’ll look for in you

The Health in Justice team at Practice Plus Group makes a real difference across over 53 prisons, young offenders and immigration removal centres. We’re the UK’s leading independent provider of NHS services to over 40,000 patients in secure environments, always putting their needs first, regardless of their background.

Practice Plus Group’s core values

• we treat patients and each other as we would like to be treated
• we act with integrity
• we embrace diversity
• we strive to do things better together

Our new Assistant Psychologist will

• Hold a Degree in Psychology
• Although not essential, a Masters Degree would be beneficial
• Have experience within a paid Assistant Psychologist role, whether in a prison, community setting, psychiatric environment
• Be experienced in facilitating patient therapeutic groups, and delivering psychological assessment, formulation and intervention in the structure of an evidence based therapeutic model (e.g. CBT / CFT / DBT)
• Experience of working within a secure environment would be a bonus, although not essential

Secure environments are one of the most challenging, yet rewarding places for healthcare professionals to work. If you’re looking for a role where you can develop your existing healthcare skills and learn something new every day in an environment that never stands still, then this could be the right opportunity for you.