Assistant Psychologist

Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Northampton; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an Assistant Psychologist for the NHS Talking Therapies service in Primary Care Adult Mental Health. The role involves supporting high‑quality assessment and therapy delivery, with hybrid working after a training period and a requirement to be in the office at least three days per week.

The post is Grade Band 4, fixed term for two years, 37.5 hours per week, with a salary in the £28,392–£31,157 p.a. pro rata range.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate Psychology degree (2:1) required.
• Postgraduate training in mental health preferred.

Responsibilities

• Undertake comprehensive psychological assessments for adults referred to the service and develop assessment/formulation skills.
• Assess presenting difficulties, evaluate treatment options within NHS Talking Therapies, manage clinical risk, guide patients to the right care pathway.
• Deliver structured psychological interventions under supervision; co-facilitate groups, webinars, and digital programmes like SilverCloud.

Education

Undergraduate Psychology degree (2:1)

Further postgraduate training in mental health

Job description

Main area NHS Talking Therapies - Primary Care Adult Mental Health Grade Band 4 Contract Fixed term: 2 years (Full time) Hours

• Full time
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week (Hybrid working will be considered once training period is complete, but must be able to work minimum 3 days a week in office) Job ref 270-TH244-MH-B

Site Lotus House Town Northampton Salary £28,392 - £31,157 pa, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 16/10/2026 12:00

Job overview

The Assistant Psychologist role is an integral part of the NHS Talking Therapies service, supporting the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based care. We're looking for someone who is naturally curious, compassionate and motivated to learn. Someone who enjoys working with people, values evidence-based practice and wants to develop into an outstanding psychological practitioner. If you are passionate about improving access to mental health care and eager to develop your clinical skills within a supportive and ambitious service, we'd love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

The primary focus of the role is to undertake comprehensive psychological assessments for individuals referred to the service (adults with mental health difficulties) and therefore offers excellent experience in developing assessment and formulation skills with a wide range of presentations. Working under the supervision of Senior Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners and the wider clinical team, the post holder will assess and identify the presenting difficulties, evaluate the most appropriate treatment option (within NHS Talking Therapies or external to the service), identify and manage clinical risk, and support patients to access the most appropriate care pathway with compassion.

Alongside assessment work, the post holder will support with delivering a variety of structured psychological interventions under appropriate clinical supervision. This may include co-facilitating psychoeducational groups, delivering webinars, supporting patients using digital treatment programmes such as SilverCloud and engaging in community initiatives.

Working for our organisation

NHFT is an integrated primary care and mental health trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in both hospital settings and out in the community. Because we put the person at the centre of all we do, we focus on delivering care that is as easy to access as possible. This means many of our services can be provided at home, work or in schools. We also provide health services to various prisons and detention centres in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information on the advertised role, please refer to the job description located under the Supporting Documents heading. This includes the full person specification.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Undergraduate Psychology degree (minimum 2:1)
• Further postgraduate training in mental health

Experience, Skills & Attributes

• Evidence of working in a mental health service and maintaining good emotional resilience
• Demonstrates high standards in written communication and clinical record keeping
• Highly motivated and enthusiastic
• Experience of, or interest in assessing complexity and clinical risk
• Experience co-facilitating groups, webinars or workshops

We are an equal opportunities employer, which aims to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons from all backgrounds.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.