Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

Under general supervision of the Deputy Superintendent Programs, provides a wide variety of psychological services for male and female adult offenders related to the diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of treatment programmes at the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre.

Duties / Responsibilities :

Provides treatment services for male and female adult offenders by:

Planning, conducting or supervising individual or group therapy or programmes that reflect correctional best practices for
offender rehabilitation and address offender risk factors for criminal offending.

Utilizing a wide variety of psychological procedures, assess offender functioning including suicidality, personality functioning,
cognitive impairment, and differential diagnosis, and making treatment and other program recommendations and devising
behavioural management strategies for an offender compatible with institutional resources and security.

Administering, evaluating and interpreting a range of psychological tests to help formulate treatment and other program
recommendations and behavioural management strategies for an offender compatible with institutional resources and
security.

Providing consultation and education to other institutional staff about offender rehabilitation and behaviour including sharing
the treatment recommendations with other treatment and program providers, sharing behavioural management strategies
with other staff including correctional staff, and informing others of an offender's susceptibility for self harm or potential risk
of harm to others. Assist in staff training concerning psychological activities, clinical and correctional psychology, and
behavioural management.

Evaluating the psychological treatment programs in a systematic fashion and adjusting programs based on the results. Also
providing guidance to senior management and other treatment providers concerning program evaluation and research. This
included maintaining knowledge of current best practices with respect to clinical, correctional and forensic psychology.

Maintaining accurate and confidential records of all psychological assessments, individual and group treatment interventions according to the standards established by the College of Psychologists of Ontario.


Performs other Psychological Services by:
Providing group leadership to psychometrist including providing training and guidance.

Establishing work priorities and assignments.

Identifying problems and following up with corrective action.

Designing and conducting evaluations of treatment and administrative programs.

Preparing a variety of evaluative reports as required by the Centre.

Assisting in supervision of University placement students.

Preparing clinical reports for the Ontario Parole Board.

Staffing and Licencing :

Registration as a Psychologist in the Province of Ontario

Knowledge :

Job requires knowledge of the practice of psychology including a full range of assessment and psychotherapeutic techniques to plan, conduct and co-ordinate psychological services, apply complex treatment techniques, and provide consultation and advice on diagnosis, treatment, and management of offenders. Job also requires knowledge of forensic psychological theories, practices and procedures used in a correctional setting. Job requires knowledge and application of gender specific assessment and treatment modalities for female offenders. Job requires knowledge of provincial statues relating to the practice of psychology. Job requires knowledge of program evaluation techniques.

Responsible on a full-time basis for all psychological services at the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre

Plans, organizes, implements and evaluates a full range of psychological services.

Provides psychological therapies to correctional clients.

Skills :

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to communicate information, in both verbal and written formats, regarding assessment findings and treatment activities to other treatment providers, offenders, and other correctional staff, including the ability to express complex findings in clear terms. Also, in communicating with offenders, to convey psychological results with sensitivity and discretion and adjusting feedback to match the cognitive ability of the offender.

Job requires analytical skills to determine the most appropriate diagnostic and assessment approaches depending on offender gender, history, and current functioning, to formulate treatment and rehabilitation programs, and to evaluate the efficiency and efficacy of treatment programs.

Job requires computer skills to operate Windows applications, word processing, databases, e-mail, and the internet to communicate, input/retrieve data, prepare reports and case documentation, and compute statistics,

Job requires considerable judgement in dealing with highly confidential and sensitive information.

Freedom of Action :

Job requires working in accordance with ministry/institutional policies, relevant provincial statutes (e.g. the Psychology Act, Regulated Health Professions Act, the Personal Health Information Protection Act, the Health Care Consent Act), and the practice and ethical standards governing the practice of psychology established by the College of Psychologists of Ontario. Job requires carrying out clinical responsibilities in collaboration with other institutional health care providers, program providers, correctional staff, and senior management.