Specialist or Highly Specialist Applied Psychologist inDurham inDurham PUBLISHED MON 9 DEC 2024

An exciting opportunity has emerged for an Applied Psychologist or Highly Specialised Applied Psychologist to join the Enhanced Reconnect Service in Health & Justice Services. The role involves working within a psychology led multidisciplinary team to support prison leavers with complex health needs in overcoming barriers to accessing healthcare services upon their release from custody. The post holder will work in both prison and community settings across the North East to support people in the final months of their sentence and up to a year post-release.

This role is in the Enhanced Reconnect Service, based at Lanchester Road Hospital and covering the whole of the North East. The service is one of four national pilots supporting prison leavers assessed as presenting high risk of harm with complex health needs linked with their offending. The service prioritises individuals convicted of terrorism-related offences and those identified as at risk of extremism. One of the national pilot objectives is to address health needs that if left unmet could lead to extremist behaviours. The postholder will work closely with probation/prison colleagues and will form excellent working relationships with health and care services across the area.The role involves direct assessment and formulation, as well as supporting psychological thinking in the wider system. The postholder will lead on the care of a small number of individuals, supporting their transition from prison to community. Therapeutic intervention is delivered with the aim of supporting individuals to access healthcare services, rather than replacing existing provision. Supervising other professionals forms part of the role. The postholder will be a key member of the leadership team supporting the Trust values of compassion, respect, and responsibility.The successful candidate will contribute to service development through audit, service evaluation and research. The post also offers excellent opportunities for peer support/ supervision and teaching/ training opportunities.

About us

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information to ensure that you meet the role criteria before applying.

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 Academys 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.

We welcome applications from staff who are currently coming to the end of their training in Clinical or counselling psychology that on successful completion will achieve the required qualification and registration with HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist.

Trainee counselling psychologists are eligible to apply for and to be shortlisted for interview and to be offered qualified posts when they are in their 3rd year of the doctoral training and have the following confirmed as completed by the university. This information may be requested prior to interview:

a. All clinical competencies.b. 80% of the 450 supervised clinical practice hours (360 hours)

Trainee clinical psychologists are eligible to apply for and to be shortlisted for interview and to beoffered qualified posts when they are in their third year of training, as they will have completed their core clinical competencies by this stage of the course.