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Clinical/Counselling/Forensic Psychologist - Forensic Psych Services
The closing date is 24 May 2026
Band 8a Clinical/Counselling/Forensic Psychologist Posts x 0.9 wte (33.75hrs p/week)
This is a split post to provide a qualified psychology service to people on the inpatient forensic wards at Brockfield House (0.4wte) and Edward House (0.5wte) in Essex.
This post is open to newly qualified psychologists (Band 7). If appointed at Band 7, the post-holder will be supported to work through a preceptorship programme towards Band 8a level.
An excellent opportunity has arisen for a HCPC Registered Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical, Counselling or Forensic) to join the multidisciplinary teams at Brockfield House and Edward House. These are our medium-secure and low-secure forensic inpatient units in Essex providing secure services to adult males and females. This post includes working across both medium and low secure male and female wards, as required.
The teams at both units provide effective clinical risk management, and support the recovery pathway for service users with forensic histories and significant risk profiles. The post-holder will be providing psychological assessments as well as individual and group treatments to service users presenting with a range of complex mental health difficulties and criminogenic need.
Main duties of the job
The role sits within the wider Forensic Psychological Services Department which comprises clinical, counselling and forensic psychologists, trainee psychologists, assistant psychologists and psychology undergraduate placement students. EPUT's Secure Services operate across Essex, Bedfordshire and Luton. Video conferencing facilities between sites are also used to assist departmental communication.
About us
BENEFITS AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
- Excellent Training and CPD opportunities for career development
- Season Ticket Loans
- NHS discounts for staff
- Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
- The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
- Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
Day One Flexible Employer, the Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment.
As well as applicants from the UK, we encourage overseas candidates to apply for this role. We welcome diversity within our organisation. We can offer guidance for candidates coming from overseas about settling into working in the UK and we have a programme to provide a 'buddy' for you, i.e. a member of the Psychological Services Care Unit who has also emigrated to join us at EPUT and can guide you through as you settle into your new home. We understand that, as an overseas candidate, you will have gone through excellent training in your country of origin and we encourage you to join us.
Job responsibilities
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES CLINICAL
- To provide specialist psychological assessments of inpatients on the forensic wards based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients and others involved in the clients care. The post-holder will also be responsible for the safe use of any equipment used during assessments (e.g. test batteries).
- To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems and employing evidence based practice.
- To be responsible for implementing a range of highly specialised psychological interventions for people on the forensic unit; families and groups, within and across teams, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
- To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
Please see full 'Job Description' and 'Person Specification' attachments for full details of the role.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
- Professional training in psychology
- Postgraduate training including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by HCPC.
- HCPC Registered as practitioner psychologist
- Knowledge of models of forensic psychology, including theories and models of offending, risk assessment (including Structured Professional Judgement approaches), and knowledge of theories of offence related therapy
Skills/experience
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- Experience of providing teaching and training to mental health staff around topics pertinent to working with offenders and/or adults with learning disabilities.
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience in the administration and interpretation of Structured Professional Judgement risk assessments (including the HCR-20, RSVP and SARA), as
- Experience of providing clinical supervision to staff carrying out group and individual work with forensic mental health or forensic learning disability patients.
- Experience of initiating and taking an active role in service-development
Personal
- The ability to create and maintain effective relationships within the clinical team and with a range of professionals.
- Team Player, inspirational to others, ability to negotiate 'win win' situations.
- Ability to work independently
- Confident and approachable.
- Personal experience of mental health problems.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
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