Cathartic Consulting | Essendon, Melbourne

Full-time, Part-time or Contractor Opportunities Available

Are you a psychologist looking for a varied role combining psychological practice with opportunities to undertake forensic assessment and intervention? Do you have forensic experience, or an interest in developing your skills in forensic psychology, while continuing to work therapeutically with a diverse range of clients and presentations?

Cathartic Consulting is a boutique psychology practice located in Essendon, Victoria. Our team provides high-quality clinical, educational, organisational and forensic psychology services to children, adolescents, adults, families, schools, government agencies and organisations.

We are seeking a Psychologist who is interested in maintaining a diverse general clinical caseload while also undertaking forensic work. 

About Cathartic Consulting

At Cathartic Consulting, we believe psychologists do their best work when they are supported to develop broad clinical skills, pursue their professional interests and maintain a sustainable workload.

Our clinicians work across assessment and intervention with children, adolescents and adults, and we work collaboratively with each psychologist to develop a caseload that reflects their interests, strengths, experience and career goals.

Our general clinical work encompasses a broad range of presentations, including anxiety, depression and mood-related difficulties, trauma, attachment difficulties, emotional regulation, interpersonal and relationship difficulties, neurodivergence, adjustment difficulties, stress, complex forensic/mental health concerns and dual diagnosis. We have a strong focus on trauma-informed practice, including EMDR, and support clinicians to develop their therapeutic skills through supervision, consultation and professional development.

Forensic psychology also forms an important part of our practice. Our clinicians undertake forensic assessment and intervention across community and justice settings, including work with individuals presenting with complex psychological, behavioural and offending-related needs.

Our forensic work includes psycholegal assessment and report writing, assessment of violence, sexual offending and stalking risk, intervention addressing offending behaviour, and work with court-referred and justice-involved clients.

Clinicians are supported through supervision and consultation, with opportunities to progressively develop competencies in forensic assessment, risk formulation, intervention and psycholegal report writing.

About the Role

This position offers the opportunity to maintain a varied caseload incorporating general psychological therapy alongside forensic assessment and intervention within a supportive and well-established private practice.

The balance of clinical and forensic work will be developed collaboratively and will reflect your experience, competencies, professional interests and career goals.

Depending on your experience and interests, your role may include:

• Individual psychological therapy with children, adolescents and adults
• Evidence-based intervention for a broad range of clinical presentations
• Trauma-informed psychological intervention, including EMDR for appropriately trained clinicians
• Psychological assessment and diagnostic formulation
• Psychological assessment of forensic and court-referred clients
• Forensic risk assessment and formulation
• Assessment of violence, sexual offending, stalking and other offending behaviours
• Psycholegal assessment and report writing
• Case formulation and treatment planning for clients with complex clinical and forensic presentations
• Individual psychological intervention with forensic clients
• Offence-focused and offence-related intervention
• Intervention addressing emotional regulation, substance use, trauma, interpersonal difficulties and other factors associated with offending and rehabilitation
• Working with clients subject to bail, community-based orders or other justice-related supervision
• Court-referred work, including clients participating in programs such as the Court Integrated Services Program (CISP)
• Liaison with legal practitioners, courts, government agencies and other relevant stakeholders
• Review and integration of collateral, legal and clinical information
• Providing evidence in court and other legal proceedings, where required.

The nature and complexity of forensic work allocated will reflect each psychologist's experience and demonstrated competencies. Psychologists who are newer to forensic practice will be supported to progressively develop their skills through appropriate supervision and consultation.

What We Offer

• Flexible work arrangements
• Full-time or part-time opportunities
• Contractor opportunities for suitably experienced practitioners
• Administrative support from a dedicated administration team
• Consistent clinical referrals and established referral pathways
• Established forensic and psycholegal referral pathways
• A varied caseload incorporating general clinical and forensic work
• Flexibility to develop the balance of clinical and forensic work according to your interests and experience
• Individual supervision
• Forensic case consultation and peer review opportunities
• Professional development support
• Opportunities to develop expertise in forensic risk assessment and formulation
• Opportunities to develop psycholegal assessment and report-writing skills
• Opportunities to develop expertise in EMDR and trauma-informed practice
• Exposure to a diverse range of clinical and forensic presentations
• Opportunities to pursue areas of clinical and forensic interest and specialisation
• Beautiful consulting rooms in Essendon
• A warm, collaborative and values-driven team culture
• Opportunities for career progression, leadership and supervision

About You

To be successful in this role, you will:

• Hold General Registration as a Psychologist with AHPRA
• Enjoy general clinical work and be interested in maintaining a diverse therapeutic caseload
• Have forensic experience and/or a genuine interest in developing competency in forensic assessment and intervention
• Demonstrate strong clinical reasoning, formulation and psychological intervention skills
• Have an interest in psychological assessment and report writing
• Be comfortable working with clients presenting with complex psychological, behavioural and interpersonal difficulties
• Demonstrate excellent interpersonal and professional communication skills
• Be committed to evidence-based practice and ongoing professional development
• Demonstrate sound professional judgement, boundaries and ethical practice
• Value clinical excellence, integrity and client-centred care
• Be interested in working with a diverse range of presentations and client groups

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualifications or training in forensic psychology
• Forensic endorsement or eligibility to undertake a registrar program in forensic psychology
• Previous experience working with forensic or justice-involved clients
• Experience conducting forensic risk assessments
• Experience with structured professional judgement and/or actuarial risk assessment instruments
• Experience providing intervention addressing offending behaviour
• Experience preparing psycholegal or court reports
• Experience working within correctional, court, youth justice, forensic mental health or other justice-related settings
• Experience working with trauma, substance use, personality difficulties, neurodivergence or complex mental health presentations
• EMDR training or an interest in undertaking EMDR training
• Training in CBT, Schema Therapy or other evidence-based therapeutic approaches

Previous forensic experience is highly regarded but is not essential for psychologists with strong clinical foundations and a genuine interest in developing their forensic practice.

Why Join Cathartic Consulting?

At Cathartic Consulting, we believe that great clinicians thrive when they feel supported, valued and connected. We provide opportunities for psychologists to develop broad clinical capabilities while also pursuing particular areas of professional interest.

This role provides a unique opportunity for psychologists who want to continue working as general clinicians while developing or extending their forensic practice. You will not be expected to maintain an exclusively forensic caseload. Instead, we work collaboratively with clinicians to develop a varied caseload that reflects their interests, experience, competencies and professional goals.

Psychologists undertaking forensic work have access to experienced forensic practitioners for supervision and consultation, with opportunities to develop their capabilities across assessment, intervention, risk formulation and psycholegal report writing.

Whether you are an experienced forensic practitioner looking for a role that also allows you to maintain a general clinical caseload, or a psychologist interested in developing forensic expertise alongside your clinical practice, we would love to hear from you.

To Apply

Please submit your CV and a brief cover letter outlining your interest in the position, your general clinical experience, any relevant forensic experience, and areas of clinical or forensic practice you are particularly interested in developing.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received.