Assistant Psychologist

Transformation Unit; Sefton; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

The Assistant Psychologist will join the Community Mental Health Team at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, working under supervision to support psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for adults in the community.

Under a qualified psychologist, you will contribute to direct clinical work, group interventions and service development, while gaining regular supervision and professional development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Honours degree meeting BPS criteria for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership.
• Postgraduate training in areas relevant to psychological practice, mental health and/or research design and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Assist in psychological assessment, formulation and intervention within the Community Mental Health Team.
• Deliver protocol-driven and low-intensity psychological interventions under supervision.
• Contribute to audit, research and service development projects.
• Work closely with multidisciplinary colleagues and receive regular clinical supervision.

Skills

Excellent interpersonal skills

High level communication skills

Education

Honours degree meeting BPS criteria for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership

Postgraduate training in relevant psychology practice, mental health or research

Job description

Main area Adult Community - Mental Health Services Grade Band 4 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 350-MHC8316292

Employer Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Hartley Hospital Town Southport Salary £28,392 - £31,157 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing Today at 23:59 Interview date 20/11/2026

Assistant Psychologist

Band 4

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Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust celebrates diversity and promotes equal opportunities; we are committed to challenging and eliminating racism and other forms of discrimination and advancing and promoting equality of opportunity in the provision of services and creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

We take positive action to support disadvantaged groups and also particularly encourage applications from ethnically diverse, disabled and LGBTQIA+ people that are under-represented in our workforce. Furthermore we welcome applications from reservists and ex-armed forces personnel as we recognise the benefits of the values, skills, training and experience that they bring to their work with us. We encourage all applicants to share their equality information with us.

Using AI to support your application

AI can be a useful tool to support the preparation of your application. However, all information submitted must be accurate, truthful and reflect your own skills, experience and achievements. Applications should include personal examples demonstrating how you meet the person specification. Applications that appear mostly or fully generated by AI, without clear personal examples linked to the person specification, may be rejected.For tips and guidance, please refer to our applicant guidance.

Identity verification

Candidates attending interview will be required to provide original photographic identification where available. Where suitable photographic identification is not available, a photograph will be taken at interview for identity verification purposes. Successful candidates will also be required to complete digital identity and right to work checks via TrustID, including facial recognition and image matching technology, to verify their identity throughout the recruitment and onboarding process. Identity verification will also be undertaken on the first day of employment in line with NHS employment check requirements.

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Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and motivated Assistant Psychologist to join our Community Mental Health Team (CMHT).

Working under the supervision of a qualified Clinical Psychologist, the successful candidate will support the delivery of psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for adults experiencing a range of mental health difficulties within the community. The role will involve working closely with service users, carers and multidisciplinary colleagues to promote recovery-oriented, psychologically informed care.

This is an excellent opportunity for a psychology graduate seeking to develop their clinical, research and service development skills within a supportive and innovative community mental health setting. The post holder will contribute to direct clinical work, group interventions, audit, service evaluation and quality improvement initiatives, while receiving regular clinical supervision and opportunities for professional development.

The successful applicant will join a well-established multidisciplinary team and wider psychology network, contributing to the delivery of evidence-based psychological care and the continued development of psychologically informed services.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will assist qualified psychology staff in the delivery of psychological assessment, formulation and intervention within the Community Mental Health Team. This will include direct clinical work with service users, facilitation of psychological groups, development of clinical resources, administration and scoring of outcome measures, and contribution to audit, research and service improvement projects. The post holder will work closely with multidisciplinary colleagues and receive regular clinical supervision from a qualified psychologist.

Working for our organisation

This is an exciting opportunity to join a well-established Community Mental Health Team within Mersey Care. We are committed to delivering compassionate, recovery-focused care and recognise the important contribution that psychology makes to understanding and supporting people experiencing mental health difficulties.

You will be part of a supportive multidisciplinary team and a wider psychology service that values curiosity, learning and innovation. The successful applicant will receive regular supervision and have opportunities to develop clinical, research and service development skills while contributing to meaningful improvements in the lives of service users and their families.

We are proud to be an inclusive employer and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued and able to thrive. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and are dedicated to supporting the wellbeing and professional development of our staff.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Assistant Psychologist will work as part of the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), supporting the delivery of psychologically informed assessment, formulation, intervention, and service development activities under the supervision of a qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist.

The post holder will contribute to the provision of high-quality, evidence-based psychological care for adults experiencing a range of complex mental health difficulties. Working within a multidisciplinary team, they will support the integration of psychological thinking into routine clinical practice and contribute to the ongoing development of psychologically informed services.

Clinical Responsibilities

• Assist qualified psychologists in the assessment of service users experiencing a range of mental health difficulties, including gathering psychological, clinical and risk-related information.
• Support psychological formulation by collecting, analysing and presenting relevant information from interviews, psychometric measures, clinical records and MDT discussions.
• Deliver protocol-driven and low-intensity psychological interventions, guided self-help, psychoeducation and psychologically informed support under the supervision of a qualified psychologist.
• Co-facilitate therapeutic groups, workshops and psychologically informed interventions for service users and carers.
• Administer, score and interpret psychological outcome measures and questionnaires as directed by a supervising psychologist.
• Maintain accurate, timely and comprehensive clinical records in accordance with Trust and professional standards.
• Monitor service user progress and provide feedback to the supervising psychologist and wider MDT.
• Participate in duty and triage processes where appropriate to the needs of the service.

Multidisciplinary Team Working

• Work collaboratively with psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, support workers and other professionals within the CMHT.
• Attend and contribute to multidisciplinary meetings, care planning reviews and case discussions.
• Assist in promoting psychologically informed approaches across the team and wider services.
• Support colleagues in considering psychological factors that may influence engagement, risk, recovery and treatment outcomes.

Audit, Research and Service Development

• Assist in clinical audit, service evaluation and quality improvement projects.
• Collect, analyse and present data to support service development initiatives.
• Contribute to the development of clinical resources, information leaflets, group materials and outcome monitoring systems.
• Participate in projects aimed at improving patient experience, outcomes and access to psychological interventions.

Communication and Professional Responsibilities

• Communicate effectively and sensitively with service users, carers, families and professionals, including in situations where information may be complex or distressing.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and partner agencies.
• Prepare written reports, summaries and presentations as required.
• Work within professional, ethical and organisational policies and procedures.
• Ensure confidentiality and information governance standards are maintained at all times.
• Participate in regular clinical supervision and training opportunities.
• Maintain an awareness of current developments in psychological practice and community mental health services.

Teaching and Training

• Support the delivery of psychoeducational sessions and psychologically informed training activities within the CMHT.
• Contribute to the development of resources that enhance psychological knowledge and skills amongst team members.
• Assist in raising awareness of psychological approaches and interventions across the service.

Person specification

Qualifications

• An honours degree in that satisfies the British Psychological Society criteria for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership
• Post graduate training in areas relevant to psychological practice, mental health and/or research design and analysis

Experience

• Work experience in any organisation
• Experience of research methodology, data collection, analysis and report writing
• Experience co-facilitating or supporting groups
• Experience designing and conducting large scale research, audit or service evaluations
• Previous experience working with service users and families

Skills

• Excellent interpersonal skills
• High level communication skills - verbal and written - with professionals, service users and families

Knowledge

• Knowledge of a broad range of psychological theories and the application of these to mental health self-harming behaviours
• Knowledge of Psychological Therapies
• Knowledge of NICE guidelines
• Knowledge of policies and legislation relevant to gender based services

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Please note: new entrants to the NHS will commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.

The Trust expects all post holders who require an enhanced DBS for their role and work in Children's & Young People services to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £15 per year and maintain registration. Trans applicants who require a DBS check and do not want to reveal details of their previous identity can contact the DBS Sensitive Applications Team (01516761452 or email [e-mail]) with their application number once they have completed their DBS application form. The team can prevent any previous identity showing on the DBS Certificate, unless the applicant has a conviction under their previous details in which case this will need to be disclosed.

Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

The Trust uses TrustID digital identity verification, including facial matching technology, to confirm that identity documents belong to the individual attending interview and commencing employment.

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.