Position overview
An exciting opportunity exists for entry into the psychology internship program within the Division of Mental Health, Justice Health, and Alcohol & Drug Services (MHJHADS).
Interested persons will have completed (or be nearing completion of) a five-year sequence of accredited study in psychology, deeming them eligible to apply for entry into a one-year internship pathway to general registration as a psychologist (the "5+1 internship pathway to general registration")
The successful applicants will be employed as a Psychologist Level 1 - Intern Psychologist, to be a member of multidisciplinary mental health teams, with exposure to other services within the Division as part of the overall internship program.
MHJHADS provide health services directly and through partnerships with community organisations. The services provided range from prevention and treatment to recovery, maintenance of wellbeing and harm minimisation. The participation of people accessing our services, their families and carers is encouraged in all aspects of service planning and delivery. The Division works in partnership with a range of government and non-government service providers to ensure the best possible outcomes for clients.
The Division delivers services at a number of locations, including hospital inpatient and outpatient settings, community health centres, detention centres, and other community settings including people’s homes. These services include (and are not limited to):
- Alcohol and Drug Services
- Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services
- Community Mental Health Services
- Justice Health Services
- Mental Health Inpatient Services
Psychology interns will, under close professional supervision, provide a range of assessment and treatment services to assist people in the ACT that present with mental health concerns. Psychology Interns will also be provided with supervision to meet Psychology Board of Australia standards for working towards general registration as a psychologist. The role is an internship comprising a 1-year graduate program.
Key Responsibilities
Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Provide appropriate assessment and interventions using established principles, techniques, and methods, across a number of clinical areas, including completing clinical and administrative data collection and evaluation to standard.
- Work collaboratively as part of your work area team, and with consumers, carers, significant others, GPs, and other service providers in therapeutic goal setting and in recovery planning process.
- Participate in clinical supervision, continuing professional development and performance management.
- Complete clinical records and administrative data collection to standards.
- Make active contributions in education programs and teaching and training for areas of clinical service delivery.
- Make active contributions in the implementation of clinical governance activity, quality improvement projects, research programs, and health promotion in areas relevant to service.
- Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.
Competencies
Specific competencies include but are not limited to the following.
- Ability to develop critical thinking skills and form defensible conclusions based on evidence and sound judgment.
- Ability to manage confidential and sensitive information.
- Work with a wide variety of people.
- Adapt quickly to a changing environment.
- Commitment to achieving positive outcomes.
- Good verbal and written communication skills.
- High standard of ethical practice in line with CHS and the relevant professional association or Board standards, such as maintaining patient confidentiality and making sound decisions.
- Problem solving and negotiation skills.
Qualifications
Essential
- Eligibility for Provisional Psychologist registration with the Psychology Board of Australia via the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) under the 5+1 pathway
- Willingness and commitment to participate in all components of a psychology internship program, including clinical supervision
Desirable
- Current Australian Driver’s licence.
Experience
Essential
- Nil
Desirable
- Experience or knowledge of the CHS Exceptional Care Framework, Clinical Governance Framework, and all other related frameworks
Prior to commencement
Appointment to this position is conditional on being granted and retaining appropriate clearances:
- Pre-employment National Police Check.
- Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.
- Comply with CHS credentialing and scope of clinical practice requirements for allied health professionals.
Important information
All employees are required to:
- All employees are required to:
- Adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct
- Act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
- Comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.
CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates, and contingencies.
What you Require (Key Selection Criteria)
These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience.
- Ability to work collaboratively to provide clinical assessment and interventions of a psychological nature to people with moderate to severe mental health problems in a community setting.
- A commitment to the evaluation of clinical services through quality initiatives, and to contribute to planning and development of the service to meet the needs of the clients.
- Understanding of and ability to work effectively within the Psychology and multi-disciplinary teams and collaborate with other service providers to ensure effective patient outcomes.
- Demonstrated effective oral and written communication skills, including the ability to use a range of information technology applications to maintain clinical documentation and data collection.
- Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, work, health and safety (WH&S) and the positive patient experience. Displays behaviour consistent with CHS’s values of reliable, progressive, respectful and kind.
Work environment description
The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the ACT Public Service is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.
| Administrative | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Telephone use | Frequently |
| General computer use | Frequently |
| Extensive keying/data entry | Occasionally |
| Graphical/analytical based | Occasionally |
| Sitting at a desk | Frequently |
| Standing for long periods | Occasionally |
| Psychosocial demands | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Distressed People e.g. Emergency or grief situations | Frequently |
| Aggressive & Uncooperative People e.g. drug / alcohol, dementia, mental illness | Frequently |
| Unpredictable People e.g. Dementia, mental illness, head injuries | Frequently |
| Restraining e.g. involvement in physical containment of clients/consumers | Never |
| Exposure to Distressing Situations e.g. Child abuse, viewing dead / mutilated bodies; verbal abuse; domestic violence; suicide | Frequently |
| Physical demands | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Distance walking (large buildings or inter-building transit) | Frequently |
| Working outdoors | Occasionally |
| Manual handling | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Lifting 0 - 9kg | Frequently |
| Lifting 10 - 15kg | Occasionally |
| Lifting 16kg+ | Never |
| Climbing | Never |
| Running | Never |
| Reaching | Occasionally |
| Kneeling | Occasionally |
| Foot and leg movement | Occasionally |
| Hand, arm and grasping movements | Occasionally |
| Bending/squatting | Occasionally |
| Bend/Lean Forward from Waist/Trunk twisting | Occasionally |
| Push/pull | Occasionally |
| Sequential repetitive movements in a short amount of time | Occasionally |
| Travel | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Frequent travel – multiple work sites | Occasionally |
| Frequent travel – driving | Occasionally |
| Specific hazards | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Working at heights | Never |
| Exposure to extreme temperatures | Never |
| Operation of heavy machinery e.g. forklift | Never |
| Confined spaces | Never |
| Excessive noise | Occasionally |
| Low lighting | Never |
| Handling of dangerous goods/equipment e.g. gases; liquids; biological. | Never |
| Slippery or uneven surfaces | Occasionally |
Directorate: Canberra Health Services
Division: Various
Business Unit: Canberra Health Services
Position number: P63571+ Multiple
Position title: New Graduate Psychology Intern
Classification: Psychologist Level 1
Location: Canberra Health Services
Reporting relationships:
Direct Manager: Senior Director of Allied Health
Manager +1: Various
Canberra Health Services (CHS) is focussed on the delivery of high quality, effective, person-centred care. We provide acute, sub-acute, primary and community‐based health services, to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and surrounding regions. More information can be found on the CHS website.
Our Vision: creating exceptional health care together
Our Role: to be a health service that is trusted by our community
Our Values: Reliable, Progressive, Respectful and Kind