Band 7/8a Specialist Clinical Psychologist - OPD Pathway - ArdenleighNHS

Job summary

Community Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway Services "It was a pleasure to work with you. I found our conversations very invigorating, and it restored my faith in why I not only trained as a Probation Officer, but why I am still at it" (Feedback from a Probation Practitioner working with OPD services)

Would you like to receive feedback like this and be part of a service that is highly valued and genuinely makes a difference? If so, we would love to hear from you.

We are recruiting for:

0.8 WTE Permanent Practitioner Psychologist (Band 7/8A)AFFIRM, Community CORE OM, Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway Service

If you would prefer a full-time post, we currently have vacancies within other teams across the Secure Care and Offender Health Directorate and would be happy to consider a split role.

AFFIRM is a dynamic and innovative multidisciplinary team of psychologists and specialist probation practitioners working in partnership to support community probation services across Birmingham, Coventry and Warwickshire, and the Black Country.

We provide consultation, formulation, training and supervision to probation staff working with individuals who present with complex needs, significant risk, histories of trauma, and personality difficulties. Our aim is to support practitioners to work in a psychologically informed way, developing effective therapeutic relationships, improving engagement, and reducing the risk of future harm to self and others.

Main duties of the job

About the Role

This is a rewarding opportunity to apply psychological thinking within criminal justice settings and contribute directly to improved outcomes for people on probation, practitioners, and services.

We are particularly interested in hearing from psychologists who:

• Enjoy working with complex presentations where clinical need and risk management intersect.
• Value collaborative, multidisciplinary working.
• Are passionate about sharing psychological knowledge and influencing systems and practice.
• Want to enhance the psychological mindedness of services and support staff wellbeing.
• Have an interest in working with people who have experienced adversity, trauma, social exclusion and offending behaviour.

Why Join Us?

AFFIRM sits within the Secure Care and Offender Health Directorate of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, giving successful applicants access to a large and supportive network of psychological practitioners working across both NHS and Criminal Justice settings.

You will join a team committed to reflective practice, innovation, professional development, and making a meaningful impact on some of the most complex and marginalised individuals in our communities.

Job description

For further information about the main responsibilities please view the attached job description and person specification.

Psychology recruitment (youtube.com)

We highly recommend you submit your application as soon as possible, this post may close earlier than the indicated closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received.

About us

Welcome to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our 4000 clinical and support staff help us to improve mental health wellbeing and meet the needs of the 70,000 people we serve each year. We provide a range of mental healthcare services across Birmingham and Solihull, as well as specialised services nationally. We also offer medical, nursing and psychology training and are proud of our international reputation for both research and innovation.

Our population is culturally diverse, characterised in places by high levels of deprivation which create an increasing demand for our services and a necessity for us to make sure everyone can access the help they need. We are a team of compassionate, inclusive and committed people working together to provide excellent care to support our community. If you are looking for a place to belong, where you can make a real difference to people's lives, join our team where our warm welcome is waiting for you.