Assistant Psychologist Community Sentence Treatment Requirement

Gloucestershire Health and Care; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free car parking

27 days leave + bank holidays

NHS pension

Flexible working

Training and development opportunities

Cycle to Work and discounts

Job summary

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust in Gloucester seeks an enthusiastic Assistant Psychologist to join the Community Sentence Treatment Requirements Service (CSTR). The role works alongside the Liaison & Diversion Service to provide therapies addressing health vulnerabilities for people within the Criminal Justice System, funded by NHS England and local partners.

The post involves delivering low-level psychological interventions under supervision, developing formulations, and

Qualifications

• Upper second-class honours degree or higher in psychology.
• Evidence of training/CPD to develop knowledge and theory relevant to work in the specialism.
• Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS).
• Further postgraduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis. Experience of working with offenders.

Responsibilities

• Promote the psychological health and well-being of service users subject to CSTRs.
• Deliver low-level psychological interventions under supervision to individuals or groups.
• Carry out audit, service evaluation or research as indicated.
• Prepare test materials and undertake specific administrative duties as required.
• Assist in teaching and project work.

Skills

Mental health experience

Communication skills

Teamwork

Education

Upper second-class honours in psychology

Job description

Assistant Psychologist Community Sentence Treatment Requirement

Band 4

Main area Community Sentence Treatment Requirement Grade Band 4 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 327-26-814

Site Pullman Place Town Gloucester Salary £28,392 - £31,157 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 18/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 02/11/2026

We love what we do and we think you will, too!

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people’s own homes and in a range of other locations across the county .

We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care . We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking ‘what matters to you ’.

We’re passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and w e are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality team s in all areas of the Trust .

Our application process aims to understand each candidates knowledge, skills and experience. We have found that candidates that use AI to generate their answers can lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description.

It is really important to personalise your application to convey your individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively and for us to understand why you are applying for this role with GHC. We discourage over reliance on AI-generated applications as it will lessen your chances of success in securing an interview with us .

Job overview

Are you ready for a new and exciting challenge?

We are looking for an enthusiastic and highly motivated Assistant Psychologist to join the Community Sentence Treatment Requirements Service (CSTR) within Gloucestershire. It sits alongside our Liaison & Diversion Service to provide the best possible outcome for those individuals who are undergoing proceedings within the Criminal Justice System. This Service is funded by NHS England, Gloucestershire CCG and the Office of the Police Crime Commissioner Gloucestershire as part of the long term reducing reoffending strategy.

CSTRs are a sentencing option for the courts and will offer therapies to address the health vulnerabilities of our client group which will include primary mental health problems as well as working in conjunction with our local drug and alcohol misuse services.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a dynamic, passionate and creative team providing high quality evidence based psychological interventions to clients.

Main duties of the job

Promote the psychological health and well-being of service users made subject to CSTR’s by the criminal courts.

Under the supervision of aClinical Psychologist or Psychological Therapist, deliver low level psychological intervention to individuals, or groups of service users who may present with a range of mental health issues including depression, anxiety, trauma, personality disorders, and neurodiversity. Clients may also have a dual diagnosis.

Carry out audit, service evaluation or research as indicated.

Prepare test materials, visual aids and undertake specific administrative duties as required.

Assist in teaching, and project work.

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Working for our organisation

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people’s homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust’s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To undertake psychological assessments of clients applying psychological tests, including self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, and others involved in the client’s care, under the supervision of a qualified psychologist

To assist in developing client formulations, treatment planning and the delivering of evidence based psychological interventions.

To assist in the co-ordination and running of therapeutic groups.

To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary meetings

To assist in the design and implementation of service development projects within the service as required.

To attend meetings in which service developments are planned and discussed.

Undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.

Undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to inform best practice within the service.

To collate and report audit data in order to meet the audit requirements of the service.

To assist with the analysis, development, evaluation and monitoring of the team’s operational policies and services, through service evaluation and audit.

• An upper second-class honours degree or higher in psychology.
• Evidence of training / CPD to develop knowledge and theory relevant to work in the specialism.
• Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS).
• Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis. Experience of working with offenders.

Experience

• Experience of working with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities as an assistant psychologist or equivalent.
• Experience of using psychological assessments, formulations, risk assessments and care planning. Practical working knowledge of at least one relevant psychological approach (e.g. CBT)
• Prior experience with the service user group and experience in a clinical setting Some experience of using /manipulating Psychological test equipment for use in formal testing situations

When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:

• Free car parking at many of our sites
• 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
• A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
• A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
• Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when if you work unsocial hours
• Flexible, family friendly and agile working opportunities
• Recognition and long service awards
• Fast Track physiotherapy
• Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure and retailers.

If you are aged 16-30, you may be eligible for financial and pastoral support from the King’s Trust, with who we are in partnership with to support your first 6 months in role. We will pass on your details to the King’s Trust who will be in touch with you if you are eligible. If you would rather not be contacted, please let us know.

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.