Assistant Psychologist

Transformation Unit; York and North Yorkshire; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an Assistant Psychologist (Band 4) for a three-month, fixed-term/secondment role in the North Yorkshire and York Perinatal Mental Health Service.

The post offers supervision from a qualified psychologist, opportunities to gain clinical psychology experience within the NHS, and a supportive environment for recent psychology graduates.

Qualifications

• Psychology BSc degree with GBC
• Have not had substantial assistant psychologist or research assistant experience
• Have not started or completed a postgraduate training course (including PhDs)
• Experience of FESB to entering the profession

Responsibilities

• The post holder will join a busy perinatal mental health service covering York, Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale.
• Focus is to support delivery and evaluation of psychological wellbeing interventions.
• Shadow multi-disciplinary team members and possibly work within York Community Mental Health Services

Education

Degree in psychology

Eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society

Job description

Main area Perinatal Mental Health Grade NHS AfC: Band 4 Contract 3 months (Fixed Term/Secondment for 3 Months) Hours

• Full time
• Part time
• Home or remote working

37.5 hours per week Job ref 346-CORP-138-26

Employer Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust Employer type NHS Site Huntington House Town York Salary £28,392 - £31,157 (pro rata), per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 16/11/2026 23:59

Assistant Psychologist

NHS AfC: Band 4

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.

We won’t rest until everyone in our region has the mental health care they need, to lead their best possible life.

Job overview

We are looking to employ one full-time highly motivated, enthusiastic and values-driven assistant psychologist to join our North Yorkshire and York Perinatal Mental Health Service for three months. This is a unique and exciting opportunity to work within a specialist mental health service for women and birthing people and their infants. The successful candidate will be a highly valued member of the team. Whilst in post, the successful candidates will receive weekly supervision from a qualified psychologist, relevant clinical and research experience, and opportunities to further develop their understanding of clinical psychology within the NHS. Additional support structures will be available including peer support, supervision and an assistant psychologist buddy system.

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. Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust is passionate about increasing diversity within the clinical psychology profession and is committed to making changes to improve access to the profession.

Main duties of the job

The successful post holder will join a busy perinatal mental health covering York, Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale. The focus of the role is to support with the delivery and evaluation of psychological wellbeing interventions. The post holder will have opportunities to shadow members of the multi-disciplinary team and there may be opportunities to engage in work within York Community Mental Health Services.

Working for our organisation

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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Right to Work in the UK

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

Academic Criteria

• Psychology BSc Degree with GBC
• Have not had substantial (more than four weeks full time equivalent) assistant psychologist or research assistant experience
• Have not started or completed a postgraduate training course (including PHDs)

Experience of FESB to entering the profession that may include (but is not limited too)

• Identify as an under-represented group within the Clinical Psychology profession (e.g. ethnically minoritised background/BAME)
• Unable to take on unpaid voluntary work due to additional caring responsibilities or personal circumstances
• Have experienced discrimination in academia or in the profession
• Family being on low income or receiving benefits
• Receiving government grants whilst at university

Please note, you do not need to have experience of all the above financial, educational or social barriers to be eligible for the post. For further information, please see the attached TEWV Aspiring Clinical Psychologist Programme document.

Psychologists & Psychological Therapists provide key leadership roles within the Trust. To support this we have developed leadership profiles for each psychology band and the profile card associated with this post is attached on NHS Jobs. You can find more information about the NHS Leadership Academy’s Healthcare Leadership Model and the profiles at their website. We encourage you to look at these resources as they will play a part in the interview process.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Degree in psychology.
• Eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society

Experience

• No substantial Assistant Psychologist or Research Assistant Experience

FESB

• Experience of Financial, Educational or Social Barriers

Reflective Writing

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

Right to Work in the UK

Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the United Kingdom (UK) are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Please note that from January 2021, to work in the UK all candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship unless you have permission to work via another route. Non UK / RoI candidates wishing to apply can self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship here Browse: Work in the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) .

Please provide full and accurate details of your current immigration status on the application form. Overseas applicants applying for entry clearance into the UK must present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided in continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) . Your current immigration status will not be considered as part of the shortlisting or interview process.

Please note that not everyone needs a ‘Skilled Worker’ visa. If you are applying for a vacancy in health or adult social care, you may be eligible to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead, subject to role meeting the required conditions.

Please note: if the job you are applying for does not meet the eligibility criteria above, we will be unable to offer you sponsorship and you will need to explore whether you may be eligible to apply for an alternative immigration route which will secure your Right to Work in the UK before you apply. If you are in the UK already on a visa, please ensure you have no restrictions that would prevent you from taking this post.

AI in Recruitment

We are aware that Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is increasingly being used to generate responses for application forms. Applications for this role should be written by the applicant and if, during shortlisting, a Recruiting Manager believes AI has been used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

Employment History

When completing your application form, please ensure that you include your full employment history, in chronological order with your most recent job/employment at the top. Failure to complete your employment history in full could result in your application being rejected.

Fixed Term Posts/Secondments

If the contract type on the vacancy states 'Fixed Term' this would mean the vacancy is being advertised to address a temporary need for the duration stipulated on the advert, however, in the event that permanent funding is secured for the post the successful applicant will be confirmed in post on a permanent basis.

Internal applicants must ensure that prior to applying they have agreement from their current line manager that they can be released on a secondment basis.

Support with applications

We have computers facilities available in our libraries (Durham, Middlesbrough, and Darlington) to support applicants. If you would like to access to a laptop for your application, please contact the library team to arrange a time to visit, please email: [e-mail] . We will always endeavour to make this available however we cannot guarantee that we will be able accommodate this before the vacancy closes.

Trust Welcome Day

Here at Tees, Esk and Wear Valley Foundation NHS Trust, we want you to have a positive experience when you start your new role with us. We run a monthly face to face Trust Welcome Day and where possible, this will be your first day of employment. However, if this date is not possible, you will be required to attend a Trust Welcome Day within 4 weeks of your start date.

Equal Opportunities Employer Statement

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from individuals who have experience of mental ill health or learning disabilities. Our service users and carers tell us our staff should be consistently concerned with maintaining and improving care with pride, empathy and compassion.

Additional Information

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust is committed to the protection of staff, service users and visitors to the Trust from second hand smoke and currently operates a no smoking policy which ensures all buildings and grounds are smoke free.

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.