Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

Under the direction of the Chief Psychologist, to provide psychological services for the residents of the Ontario Correctional Institute; to consult with correctional staff re: the assessment, maintenance and treatment of residents; to contribute to the morale and effective functioning of staff by conducting in-service training programmes and consultation as required; to evaluate the effectiveness of institutional programmes.

Duties / Responsibilities :

As a member of the Psychology Department in a correctional treatment institution with 220 incarcerated male offenders, under the direction of the Chief Psychologist, the incumbent:
1. Provides clinical duties for OCI residents by performing such duties as: Providing assessment and individual therapy to residents during classification; conducting group therapy of residents for correctional treatment targets such as Criminal Thinking, Substance Abuse, Anger Management and Sexual Offender treatment; liaises with Case Managers on treatment units regarding residents' treatment plans and progress in treatment; to serve as a model for teaching correctional and other professional staff about Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) correctional treatment and therapeutic relationships; provides crisis intervention to individual residents in difficult and/or emergency situations, and brief psychotherapy to facilitate residents' involvement in group programmes; makes and communicates psychological diagnoses as required; maintains accurate records of treatment interventions provided, regularly documents and reports the progress of residents receiving psychological treatment.
2. Facilitates offender psychological rehabilitation by monitoring the case management activities of correctional staff and providing professional consultation and guidance as necessary; provides consultation and education to Correctional Officer case managers and other staff in a variety of areas such as RNR, anger control, substance abuse and treating sexual offenders.
3. Provides responsible psychological assessment services by performing such duties as: assisting in the continuing development and implementation of psychological assessment programmes; conducts individual interviews for assessment purposes, including admission interviews for classification purposes; interprets and reports test results with recommendations to aid in treatment planning and/or management strategies for residents; collects information from files and from professional and correctional staff, analyzes and collates information for preparation of classification and assessment reports on residents; prepares and presents reports to the Classification Committee, recommending proper institutional and programme placement; participates in various staff meetings, team conferences, etc., with professional and non-professional staff for purposes of assessment and classification of residents.
4. Assists in the development and implementation of professional training and development programmes by performing such duties as: promoting, arranging and supervising psychology graduate student internships and practicum placements; participating in various committees and task forces that pertain to staff training and development; acting as a consultant to front-line staff and administration regarding the management and rehabilitation of offenders.
5. Evaluates the effectiveness of institutional programmes by: consulting with administrative staff regarding their needs for further information about the effectiveness of programmes; promoting the Risk, Need and Responsivity model of correctional treatment; in cooperation with the Director of Research and the Chief Psychologist, assist with designing and carrying out research projects for evaluation of programme effectiveness; collecting and analyzing data, and preparing programme evaluation reports for publication; participating in professional psychological and correctional conferences; assisting in publicizing Ministry programmes; providing administrative and line-staff with scientific knowledge pertaining to the causes and treatment of criminality and other behavioural abnormalities, the effect of various types of rehabilitation programmes, etc.

Staffing and Licensing :

Registered as a Psychologist in Ontario.

Knowledge :

Job requires knowledge of science and practices of psychology, including a full range of psychotherapeutic and assessment techniques, to plan, conduct and co-ordinate psychological services, apply complex treatment techniques, and provide consultation and advice on diagnosis and treatment of offenders.
Job requires knowledge of forensic psychological theories, practices and procedures used in a correctional setting.
Job requires knowledge of institutional policies and procedures, and provincial/federal statutes relating to the practice of psychology.
Job requires working familiarity with research design and statistical analysis in order to evaluate program effectiveness.
Job requires use of specialized technical terminology and skills in expressing complex findings and ideas in clear terms when communicating with Ministry staff at institutional training sessions.
Job requires discretion and sensitivity regarding the discussion of diagnosis, treatment and progress with the offenders.

Skills :

Job requires analytical skills to:
Determine the most appropriate diagnostic approaches from a range of alternatives depending on offender history and current indicators; to provide diagnostic assessments based on the interpretation of tests, clinical interview and other methods;
Formulate treatment and rehabilitation programs in a multidisciplinary setting, which are best suited to enhancing the treatment of offenders and in recommending approaches to offender care; to evaluate the efficiency of treatment and rehabilitative activities or programs and to identify effective solutions.
Job requires effective interpersonal skills to maintain strong relationships with residents and staff by exhibiting relationship skills such as flexibility, interpersonal skills, empathy, respectfulness, enthusiasm, acceptance, genuineness, humour, warmth and non-blaming.
Job requires oral and written communication skills to communicate information regarding assessment approaches/findings and treatment/rehabilitative activities to supervising psychologist, health care professionals in other disciplines, community agencies, offenders, their families and advocates, and to express technical information in layman terms to offenders.

Freedom of Action :

Job requires working in accordance with ministry/institution policies/guidelines/operational plans and the professional standards governing the practice of psychology. Job requires carrying out clinical responsibilities in collaboration with multi-disciplinary treatment staff. Job requires planning, conducting and overseeing the psychological assessment, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitative approaches which best serve the needs of assigned offenders, within the multidisciplinary team in consultation with the Chief Psychologist, and within institutional policies and procedures. Job requires referring unusual problems to the Chief Psychologist.