Practitioner Psychologist

Are you an experienced Psychologist looking to take the next step in your career? If so, join Chadwick Lodge in Milton Keynes. This is an opportunity to change lives for the better and help some of the most vulnerable people in society.

This is an exciting and unique opportunity to become involved in a pilot service implementing Trauma Informed Care and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) with women who have complex needs and require help to manage their internal processes in a safer way.

The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of CFT in a female forensic service, and if successful, duplicate the service in other environments requiring an effective evolutionary, bio-psycho-social and trauma informed therapeutic approach. There will be significant opportunity to engage in Research, and Chadwick lodge has links to both Birmingham and Nottingham Universities.

You will be a qualified HCPC Registered Practitioner Psychologist within our well-established 39 bed female forensic service, which encompasses medium and low secure care. You will be welcomed into a friendly and supportive team of qualified, ‘in training’ and Assistant Psychologists, each of whom have training within a variety of different psychological frameworks.

You will have ideally, at least 2 years post qualification experience of supervising others and working with forensic clients. It is an excellent opportunity if you are looking to step up to a more senior level and has an interest in helping to develop the CFT pathway. Ideally you will have training in CFT, however full training to advanced practitioner level will be provided if not. Other treatment models are also utilised within the service which support the service users towards recovery (i.e. CBT, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, DBT and EMDR).

This is an on-site position, and full-time hours (37.5 per week) are preferable, although part-time hours or some flexible working arrangements will be considered.

 As a Psychologist you will be:

• Holding a caseload of clinical work, including carrying out individual and group psychological assessment and intervention and developing formulations.
• Offering specialist clinical advice including the assessment of care needs and the development, implementation, and evaluation of programmes of care within the service.
• Attending relevant meetings to contribute to clinical care and service user progressions, including liaison with external professionals (including commissioners and CMHTs) as part of the MDT / CPA process.
• Taking a lead in collaborative risk assessment and management for individual patients, supporting input from other members of the MDT.
• Facilitating reflective practice sessions for ward teams, and debrief sessions where required.
• Supervising junior members of the department, including Psychologists in Training and Assistant Psychologists.
• Maintaining highest standards of clinical governance, ethical practice, and data protection.

 To be successful in this role, you'll need:

• Have BPS recognised psychology degrees
• Be HCPC registered
• Have Chartered Psychologist status and appropriate post-graduate qualifications
• Be an approved supervisor within the guidelines of the BPS and relevant division
• Have understanding of evidence-based psychological practice
• Have experience of applying psychological knowledge to a forensic/clinical setting 
• Be experienced working with clients with cognitive deficits
• Have previous experience of conducting research and project working

Where you will be working:

Location: Chadwick Drive (off Saxon Street), Eaglestone, Milton Keynes,

Buckinghamshire, MK6 5LS

You will be working at Chadwick Lodge and Eaglestone View, a medium and low secure services providing specialist treatment programmes for service users who have been detained under the Mental Health Act (1983) and have a history of offending behaviour.

The service offer a broad spectrum of evidence-based therapeutic interventions, involving service users at every stage. The hospital’s consultant-led multidisciplinary team has a wealth of clinical and research experience in forensic psychiatry. All programmes are designed to reduce the risk of re-offending and to maximise the potential and enhance the quality of life of each service users.

Chadwick Lodge secure services care for service users with complex and enduring mental illness who need to achieve stability in order to benefit from multidisciplinary interventions, helping them move on to community settings whenever possible.

What you will get:

• Annual salary of £51,000-58,000 DoE
• The equivalent of 33 days annual leave (inc Bank Holidays) – plus your birthday off!
• Free meals and parking
• Wellbeing support and activities to help you maintain a great work-life balance.
• Career development and training to help you achieve your career goals.
• Pension contribution to secure your future.
• Life Assurance for added peace of mind.
• Enhanced Maternity Package so you can truly enjoy this special time.

There is also a range of other benefits including retail discounts and special offers and much more.

About your next employer

You will be working for an established, stable and agile company with over 8,000 employees and a unique approach to the delivery of care. With a network of over 90 services across England and Wales covering Mental Health, Neurological, Learning Disabilities & Autism, Children & Education, there is opportunity for you to grow and move.