A clinical or counselling psychologist is required to work in the National Violence Reduction Unit (NVRU) within the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise, Co. Laois.
The NVRU provides a psychologically informed service to prisoners who display high levels of violence and are experiencing mental distress. The unit has a multidisciplinary team that works together to assess and support these prisoners.
The successful candidate will be responsible for delivering bespoke psychological interventions based on the individual needs of each prisoner. They will also contribute to the development of care and management plans and provide supervision and support to operational staff.
Key Features
The NVRU has several key features, including:
* A significantly enhanced role of the psychology service in the day-to-day management of the unit
* A physically environment that supports relational security and reflective space for staff
* Provision of psychological assessment and intervention to clients residing on the unit
The appointed psychologist will receive supervision, support and line management from the senior psychologist. They will also have access to administrative office facilities, consulting rooms and fully networked computer facilities.
Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT) approaches are a key feature of the unit, both in terms of psychological intervention and systemically. The psychologist will also have an opportunity to engage in assessment and intervention in separate areas of the prison estate.
Essential Qualifications and Competencies
Candidates must:
1. Be eligible for graduate membership of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) or the British Psychological Society (BPS)
2. Hold a postgraduate professional qualification in Clinical Psychology recognised by PSI, or hold a postgraduate professional qualification in Counselling Psychology recognised by PSI
In addition to the above, the following are desirable but not essential requirements:
1. Experience in addressing emotional, mental health and/or offence-related difficulties with a forensic or inpatient population
2. Experience of working with people who have experienced trauma, and working with people who have personality difficulties;
3. Experience of providing consultation, education, guidance and support to multidisciplinary colleagues;
4. Further therapeutic or research qualifications