Assistant Psychologist at the Penitentiary Medicine and Psychiatry Service

Psychosocial

Assistant psychologist at the Penitentiary Medicine and Psychiatry Service

The Penitentiary Medicine and Psychiatry Service (SMPP) of the Psychiatry Department of the CHUV is recruiting a 70% assistant psychologist, under an open-ended contract, starting April 1, 2026.

The position is split across two sites, with specific missions:

The Orbe prisons, for psychological and psychotherapeutic follow-up of incarcerated persons

The Balier Outpatient Clinic, located at the Cery Hospital (Prilly), dedicated to psychotherapeutic care under medico-legal mandate for patients followed in the community who have committed sexual offenses

Interventions and conferences regularly take place at different sites; therefore, geographical mobility is required, as well as the availability of a personal vehicle

Context

The Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) is one of the 5 Swiss university hospitals. Thanks to its collaboration with the Faculty of Biology and Medicine of the University of Lausanne and EPFL, it plays a leading role in medical care, medical research, and education.

The Penitentiary Medicine and Psychiatry Service (SMPP) is attached to the Psychiatry Department of the CHUV. Its mission is to meet all somatic, psychiatric, and psychological health needs of the Vaud prison population.

The service professionals intervene directly in the canton’s penitentiary institutions and provide two main types of care:

• psychological support related to prison life,
• specialized follow-ups under medico-legal mandate, in connection with judicial and penitentiary authorities.

The SMPP also includes a specialized outpatient consultation dedicated to therapies under medico-legal mandate for persons who have committed sexual offenses.

Mission

• You provide supportive psychotherapeutic follow-ups and follow-ups under medico-legal mandates, individually, in co-therapy or group therapy, with incarcerated persons
• You participate in specific therapeutic activities with patients presenting mental disorders, notably in psychiatric units
• You provide psychotherapeutic care under medico-legal mandates to patients followed in the community, accused or convicted of sexual offenses
• You actively participate in unit meetings
• You take part in internal and external multidisciplinary networks
• You write reports for judicial and penitentiary authorities (justice, penitentiary service, psychiatric experts, lawyers, insurance, etc.), under the responsibility of your hierarchical superior.

Profile

• You hold a Master’s degree in psychology, obtained in Switzerland or recognized by the Confederation
• You have a strong interest in forensic psychiatry and psychology
• You show a pronounced interest in caring for persons with complex issues, notably related to behavioral clinic
• You demonstrate rigor, analytical skills, and a sense of responsibility in a demanding institutional framework
• You are comfortable working in an interdisciplinary team and in contexts with strong ethical and medico-legal dimensions.

We offer

Becoming a collaborator of the Lausanne University Hospital means benefiting from:

• Top-tier social benefits, 20 days paternity leave and 4 months maternity leave (with the possibility of an additional month of breastfeeding leave)
• Regular salary progression adapted to responsibilities
• A 13th salary and 25 days of vacation per year
• A right to at least three days of training per year, with access to a varied offer within the CHUV Training Center and partner training centers of the State of Vaud
• Facilitated access to one of the 500 furnished apartments offered in the surrounding neighborhoods for people relocating to Switzerland from abroad
• Social, cultural, and economic benefits offered to members of the H-Oxygène association
• Benefits offered within the mobility plan (discounts on public transport subscriptions, promotion of "Mobility" vehicles, and discounts on the purchase of electric bikes)
• Quality hotel-style company restaurants in each hospital building with preferential rates.

Contact and application submission

Since all our applications are processed electronically, please apply exclusively online by clicking the APPLY button at the bottom of the announcement.

If you have difficulty applying, you can consult our procedure on how to apply online. If for technical reasons you cannot apply online, please contact our Recruitment Unit, which will assist you in your process, either by email at e.recrutement@chuv.ch or by phone at 021 314 85 70

As part of the recruitment process for this position, if hired, you will need to provide an original criminal record extract. You will also be asked to present your original diplomas and an identity document.

The CHUV applies the highest quality standards in its recruitment processes. Furthermore, committed to promoting diversity among our collaborators, we pay attention to different life paths and do everything possible to ensure equal treatment and avoid any discrimination. We look forward to receiving your application.

We kindly ask placement agencies to note that applications submitted directly on our recruitment platform by them are not accepted and cannot be invoiced. Thank you for your understanding.