Assistant Psychologist

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust; North East; Remote; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an Assistant Psychologist to join the Durham Tees Valley Mental Health Treatment Requirement (DTV MHTR) service for a three-month fixed period. The role supports adults within the Criminal Justice System, with travel across County Durham and Teesside as required.

You will work under a Forensic Psychologist to conduct eligibility assessments and contribute to intervention planning, while developing your clinical experience and research

Qualifications

• Degree in psychology
• Eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
• Post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis
• Experience of Financial Education and Social Barriers (FESB) where applicable
• Reflects on values relevant to role and demonstrates empathy towards our client group

Responsibilities

• Under supervision of a Forensic Psychologist, you will provide eligibility assessments for those referred into the service and produce assessment reports outlining proposed intervention pathways.
• Work with colleagues and partner organisations such as Probation and the courts to ensure aims and objectives of the service are met; contribute to research agenda.

Education

Degree in Psychology

Eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society

Postgraduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis

Job description

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

Assistant Psychologist

The closing date is 16 November 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Assistant Psychologist to join the Durham Tees Valley Mental Health Treatment Requirement (DTV MHTR) service within Health and Justice for a three-month fixed period. DTV MHTR is one of three community sentence treatment requirements available for individuals being considered for a community or suspended sentence. The service covers County Durham and Teesside, offering a service into six courts across the two counties. Given the geography there is a considerable amount of travel required in the post. The service is aimed at adults currently going through the Criminal Justice System, who have pled or been found guilty, whose offence meets the threshold for community sentence, and who have consented to engage (the service is voluntary). As part of the team, with compassion you will actively work to support service users to improve mental wellbeing and overall quality of life.

This post is funded by NHS England for recent psychology graduates looking to gain relevant clinical experience, who may be unable to take on unpaid voluntary work. Existing routes to gain clinical experience can be challenging to navigate and can further disadvantage aspiring clinical psychologist psychology graduates who experience financial, educational or social barriers (FESB). Eligibility for the post is detailed below.

Main duties of the job

You must have the Right to Work in the UK in order to be successfully appointed to this role. Sponsorship may be available for this role in specific circumstances in line with Home Office regulations, where applicants were granted permission as a Skilled Worker under the immigration rules in place before 22 July 2025, and have had continuous permission as a Skilled Worker since then. We recommend that you assess your eligibility before applying for this position. Visit Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations - Guidance - GOV.UK

Under supervision of a Forensic Psychologist, you will provide eligibility assessments for those referred into the service and produce assessment reports outlining proposed intervention pathways. Working alongside colleagues, partner organisations such as Probation and the courts to ensure aims and objectives of the service are met, we also have a large research agenda which you will be heavily involved in.

Applicants must have a degree in Psychology and be eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.

We have a commitment to staff development and have an excellent track record for developing our psychology workforce. Successful candidates will have good communication and interpersonal skills and demonstrate empathy towards our client group. We are keen to hear from candidates with a passion for working with adults in a forensic setting and an understanding of trauma informed and personalised care.

About us

We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care --our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.

We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.

We're committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree in psychology
• Eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
• Post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis

FESB

• Experience of Financial Education and Social Barriers

Reflective Writing

• Reflects on values relevant to role
• Reflects on experiences relevant to role
• Demonstrates awareness of client group
• Demonstrates awareness of service evaluation/research

Experience

• No substantial AP or RA experience

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

£28,392 to £31,157 a year(pro rata), per annum

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

3 months

Working pattern

Full-time,Part-time,Home or remote working