Assistant Psychologist | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust in Prestwich

We are recruiting an Assistant Psychologist to work within the inpatient Adult Forensic Mental Health Service at the Riverside Centre. We are looking for enthusiastic and motivated psychology graduates to work with people who have complex needs and behaviour that has brought them into secure services.

You will join a large team of experienced colleagues and be involved in activities that include assessment, therapeutic interventions, and support for colleagues in the wider service. You will also be involved in research/audit/QI activity in your role here.

We expect applicants to appreciate the kinds of issues and challenges faced in working with people who have mental health difficulties and problems related to offending and/or aggression and violence towards others. Histories of significant adversity and trauma, and problems with self-harm, substance misuse, and managing relationships with others are common.

Ideally, you will have prior experience in working in a forensic/secure setting and/or a service where you have supported people with complex needs. You will receive all necessary training, supervision, and support to enable you to fulfil the role effectively and maintain your own psychological and emotional well-being.

If you feel that you are ready for the opportunities, challenges, and rewards that working in a setting like this provides, then this may well be the next role for you! We look forward to your application.

To contribute to the provision of a high-quality, specialist psychology service for individuals with complex clinical and forensic needs located in male medium and low services, or the women's secure blended service based at Prestwich Hospital Site (including Riverside Centre and the Lowry Unit). The post holder will join a psychology department that comprises clinical, counselling, and forensic psychologists, and an art therapist.

The post entails working within a Multi-Disciplinary Team (including Psychiatry, Occupational Therapy, Social Care, and Nursing teams), contributing to risk assessment and formulation, and providing therapeutic interventions to inpatients. These can be provided on both an individual and group basis, all under the supervision and line management of a qualified psychologist.

The post holder will also be expected to contribute to other service-related activities – including service evaluations and audits, as required.

To undertake direct work with service users to facilitate psychological understanding of their needs and risks. To support the psychological assessment, formulation, and treatment of forensic mental health inpatients. This could be informed by one or more therapeutic approaches (e.g., schema therapy, cognitive analytic therapy (CAT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), compassion focused therapy (CFT) etc.), and be in individual or group contexts.

To be able to use and review structured professional judgement tools to develop an understanding of a service user’s risk. To attend and contribute to Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings to assist in the development of psychological formulations to support the multi-disciplinary team’s understanding of service user’s presentation, needs, and risk management plans.

To contribute to progress notes, letters, reports, risk assessments, management plans, and other clinical documents. To work with potentially distressing material in relation to service users’ personal histories and offending behaviour, as well as risks to self and others. Have an understanding of working under supervision and direction, with an awareness of professional limits.