Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To provide psychological services for a correctional facility

Duties / Responsibilities :

Job requires:
1. Performing clinical duties for the institution including: planning, conducting, and/or supervising therapies and rehabilitative assessments, including crisis intervention, clinical diagnosis, differential diagnosis; interviewing offenders conducting group therapy/counselling sessions; administering, evaluating and interpreting a range of psychological tests; monitoring treatment programs and revising, when appropriate; safekeeping information, the input/retrieval of data; and preparing psychological reports on offenders for treatment programs or as required by the courts/parole board.
2. Facilitating offender psychological rehabilitation by providing consultations and education to those involved in rehabilitation programs and reintegration of offenders into the community, e.g., Ministry staff, social/health agencies; liaising with community providers and facilitating offenders post-sentence treatment referrals to other professionals/agencies.
3. Providing consultation and advice to members of institutional management team re: dangerousness of offender, susceptibility for self-harm, potential danger to staff or other offenders, recommending approaches to other treatment professionals; contributing to evaluation of overall program effectiveness for planning purposes; participating in research projects.

Staffing and Licencing :

Phd in psychology from a university of recognized standing and registration as a Psychologist with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. In designated positions job requires knowledge of advanced level oral French.

Knowledge :

Job requires knowledge of the science and practices of psychology, including a full range of psychotherapeutic and assessment techniques/tests, 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, including forensic theories, used in a correctional setting to ensure proper treatment and to provide information, interpretation and advice to institution staff. Job requires knowledge of institutional policies and procedures, and provincial/federal statutes, E.G., The Psychology Act, Regulated Health Professions Act, relating to the practice of psychology in order to evaluate program effectiveness, e.g., effectiveness of specific treatment programs, which have impact on the formulation of management treatment objectives of the facility, to report observations to manager that may affect offender program activities and to ensure proper and consistent treatment implementation. 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 knowledge of computerized offender management system and word processing software packages to input/retrieve offender data, prepare reports, evaluate psychological tests and maintain case documentation and statistics. Job requires the knowledge of research techniques, to participate in research projects. In designated positions job requires knowledge of advanced level oral French

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 to recommend treatment 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, to identify effective solutions, and to develop new alternatives in research. Job requires analytical and problem solving skills to provide crisis intervention services to offenders. Job requires oral and written communication skills to communicate information regarding psychological assessment approaches/findings and treatment/rehabilitative activities to supervising psychologist, courts, health care professionals in other disciplines, community agencies, offenders, their families and advocates. Job requires oral communication skills to conduct group therapy/counseling sessions. Job requires use of specialized technical terminology and communication skills in expressing complex findings and ideas in clear terms when communicating to Ministry staff/Parole Board, other judicial officials and offenders. Job requires discretion and sensitivity in discussing diagnosis, treatment and progress with offenders, in discussing options/problems with offenders in crisis and in dealing with families to obtain information. Job requires persuasion skills to have offenders accept treatment and encouraging offender acceptance of psychological services in the community. Job requires interpersonal skills to maintain strong working relationships with multidisciplinary staff and staff of community agencies.

Freedom of Action :

Job requires working in accordance with ministry/institution policies/guidelines, legislation and the professional standards governing the practice of psychology to provide psychological services for a correctional facility. Job requires determining and carrying out clinical responsibilities in collaboration with supervising psychologist, multidisciplinary treatment team and treatment plans. Job requires providing weekly work update to supervising psychologist who is consulted on unusual cases and situations not covered by established methods and procedures. Job requires exercising independence in direct dealings with offenders in psychological counselling sessions, crisis intervention and to develop and revise treatment case management and community reintegration plans. Job requires planning, conducting and overseeing the psychological diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitative approaches which best serve the needs of assigned offenders, within the multidisciplinary team in consultation with the supervising Psychologist, and within institutional policies and procedures.