Polly Williams

Experience

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  ActionSpace

  Jun 2011 - Jun 2011

  Honorary Assistant Psychologist

  I undertook an unpaid work placement alongside a clinical psychologist working for the charity, ‘ActionSpace’. The charity carries out art workshops for adults with complex learning disabilities, such as autism. My role was to observe the service users and collect data noting their behaviour, interaction with others and ability to make their own decisions. I would then report my findings back to the clinical psychologist each day, and we would analyse them together. This placement helped me to develop skills in observation, data collection and presentation; and improved my knowledge of complex learning disabilities. Show less

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  University of Bath Alumni Telethon

  Mar 2013 - Apr 2016

  Team Supervisor

  Whilst studying at university, I worked as a telethon fundraiser, raising money to support the Alumni Fund. My role involved telephoning alumni and speaking with them about their time at university and giving them information about the projects that the Alumni Fund supports, before asking them to make a donation. I worked on five telethons, and during my final telethon I was promoted to team supervisor. This involved running the calling sessions and giving advice and feedback to the fundraisers. Working as a fundraiser helped me to develop skills in forming persuasive arguments and negotiation. Show less

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  Developing Health & Independence

  Nov 2013 - May 2014

  Student Volunteer

  Whilst studying at university I volunteered at the Developing Health and Independence (DHI) charity centre, in Bath. My role was to meet with a group of students each week to organise and facilitate leisure activities for people who had been excluded from society; mostly people who were homeless or drug/ alcohol dependent.

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  Park Royal Centre for Mental Health

  Sept 2014 - May 2015

  Honorary Assistant Psychologist

  During my third year of study at university, I undertook a placement working for the Offender Care Service Line, an organisation that provides health care to people at different levels within the Criminal Justice System. My role was predominantly that of an Assistant Psychologist. Park Royal Centre for Mental Health, Park Royal: I worked at Park Royal for two days a week, as part of the Therapies Team, on a low-secure forensic ward, as well as a step-down rehabilitation unit, for male patients with severe mental illness and complex needs. My role involved: shadowing psychological assessment and therapy sessions; collating data, concerning history of violence, for formulating service user HCR-20 assessments; attending ward round; developing staff and service user feedback surveys for improving the service; facilitating group leisure activities; writing notes onto JADE, regarding service user engagement, following group and individual sessions; and using a tool called ‘Toe-By-Toe’ to teach basic literacy skills to service users. Show less

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  Hendon Magistrate's Court Liaison and Diversion Team

  Sept 2014 - May 2015

  Honorary Assistant Psychologist

  During my third year of study at university, I undertook a placement working for the OCSL, an organisation that provides health care to people at different levels within the Criminal Justice System. My role was predominantly that of an Assistant Psychologist. Hendon Magistrate’s Court, Hendon: I worked for Hendon Magistrate’s Court Liaison and Diversion service, for one day a week, helping to divert those with mental illness away from the Criminal Justice System. My role involved: screening the court list for people with possible mental health concerns, by searching their records on JADE; carrying out mental health assessments with those who had been flagged up in the initial screening; writing up assessments into reports to be shared with solicitors and magistrates; sitting in court whilst the findings of the team’s assessments were presented to the magistrates; documenting the outcome of the hearing onto JADE; liaising with mental health services that clients were known to, and updating them on the court outcome; and liaising with services to make new referrals for clients with no previous contact. Show less

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  HMP Woodhill

  Sept 2014 - May 2015

  Honorary Assistant Psychologist

  During my third year of study at university, I undertook a placement working for the OCSL, an organisation that provides health care to people at different levels within the Criminal Justice System. My role was predominantly that of an Assistant Psychologist. HMP Woodhill, Milton Keynes: At HMP Woodhill I worked as part of the Mental Health Team for 1-2 days a week. My role involved: shadowing psychology sessions, as well as initial assessments facilitated by psychiatric nurses; formulating mental health summaries for prisoners who presented with particularly complex behaviours, through gathering historical information from SystemOne, as well as liaising with community mental health teams to obtain collaborative information; and co-facilitating a ‘Coping with Trauma’ group with the team’s clinical psychologist, for prisoners suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder. Show less

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  HMP Woodhill

  Jul 2015 - Sept 2015

  Healthcare Assistant

  HMP Woodhill is a Category A, high secure, male prison. Last year I was employed at the prison as a Healthcare Assistant. My role involved: attending handover; transporting medication, charts and referral documentation across the prison; preparing charts and medication on the prison wards; acting as a secondary signatory and distributing medication to prisoners; making prisoner referrals using SystemOne, the prison clinical record computer system, to relevant healthcare teams; carrying out primary health assessments; being on call to assist with medical emergencies; working on the prison inpatient unit; and providing feedback and formulating prisoner care plans during Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) meetings. Through working as a Healthcare Assistant I have gained clinical experience in carrying out basic observations, including blood pressure and oxygen saturation. In addition, I have improved my knowledge of a range of medical conditions, and familiarised myself with the medications prescribed to treat those conditions. Show less

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  HMP Woodhill

  Sept 2016 - Dec 2016

  Assistant Psychologist
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  HMP Woodhill

  Jan 2017 - Sept 2018

  Associate Mental Health Practitioner
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  Sweet Tree by Browns

  Sept 2018 - now

  Operations Manager

  I work for a small, home-grown business. My role is broad and varied (as it tends to be in small businesses). • Working closely with online retailers to maintain relationships and support the growth of sales. • Heavily involved in product development and design. • Resident photographer. • Website maintenance- front-end layout and design. • Contribution to company image and branding through photography and ideas published across multiple platforms.