Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To provide psychological services for a provincial correctional facility, under the direction of the Chief Psychologist.

Duties / Responsibilities :

As part of the Psychology Department, in a maximum security correctional centre with remanded and sentenced male and female offenders, under the direction of the Chief Psychologist, the incumbent:

1. Provides psychological services for the institution including: offender screening, assessment and stabilization; crisis intervention; treatment planning and provision. Provides informal and formal assessments and diagnostic impressions as per the DSM-V. Provide appropriate referrals to institutional physicians and psychiatrists, mental health nurses and other team members. Development and provision of group therapy/counselling sessions; administering, evaluating and interpreting a range of psychological tests; revising programs and procedures when appropriate; and preparing risk assessments for the Ontario Parole and Early Release Board.
2.a) Provides consultation and advice to members of institutional management team regarding risk levels of offender, susceptibility for self-harm, potential danger to staff or other offenders, recommending approaches to other staff; b) contributes to evaluation of overall program effectiveness and statistics; c) assesses suicidal offenders regarding their needs and the duration of the suicide watch; d) downgrades or terminates suicide watch.

3. Facilitates offender psychological rehabilitation by providing consultation and education to those involved in rehabilitation programs and reintegration of offenders into the community, e.g., social/health agencies; liaises

with community providers to facilitate offender post-sentence treatment referrals to other professionals/agencies.
4. Organizes and conducts research and program evaluation projects, which contribute to treatment methods or enhancements in psychological knowledge and programs. Provides research advice and guidance to management and professional staff regarding the investigation of clinical problems.

5. Provides supervision to students staff as needed.

Staffing and Licensing :

- Registration as a Psychologist or Psychological Associate in the Province of Ontario (Minimum requirement 'supervised practice' be completed) .
- Successfully complete all security screening requirements

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 knowledge of program evaluation techniques in order to evaluate program effectiveness, e.g., effectiveness of specific treatment programs, which impact the formulation of management treatment objectives of the facility, and to report observations to manager that may affect offender program activities.

Job requires knowledge of community resources/services and related regulations to make appropriate referrals, and advocate offender assessment, treatment, rehabilitation and integration into the community.

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.

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, and in dealing with the families to obtain information.

Job requires interpersonal skills to maintain strong working relationships with multi-disciplinary staff and staff of the community agencies.

Skills :

Job requires analytical skills to determine 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, interviews and other methods; to formulate treatment and rehabilitation programs usually in a multidisciplinary setting, which are best suited to enhancing the well-being of the offender and make optimum use of other available resources/services, and in recommending approaches to offender care; to evaluate the efficiency of treatment and rehabilitative activities or programs, e.g., service delivery problems or lack of offender progress, and to identify effective solutions.

Freedom of Action :

Job requires working in accordance with ministry/institution policies/guidelines/operational plans as well as Ontario legislation pertaining to the corrections 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 screening, assessment, diagnosis, stabilization, treatment and release back into the community of offenders within the institution. Job requires referring complex diagnostic, systemic or ethical problems to the Chief Psychologist.