Higher Assistant Psychologist

Cumbria,-Northumberland,-Tyne-and-Wear-Nhs-Foundation-Trust; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Lease cars

Childcare schemes

Staff discounts

Season tickets for travel

Cycle to work scheme

Job summary

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) is seeking a Higher Assistant Psychologist (Band 5) for the OPD Pathway. The role supports psychological assessment and interventions, training delivery, and research activities across the North East region.

It is a full-time, 18-month fixed-term post. The post offers development opportunities within CNTW and requires a 2nd class honours degree in psychology with eligibility for BPS membership.

Qualifications

• 2nd class honours degree in psychology or higher.
• Eligibility for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS).
• Postgraduate training in relevant areas of psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Assist in delivery of psychological assessment and interventions under supervision.
• Produce assessment and intervention reports.
• Contribute to training and workforce development initiatives.
• Engage in local research activities and OPD service evaluation.

Skills

Communication skills

SPSS

Education

2nd class honours degree in psychology

Graduate membership of British Psychological Society

Postgraduate training in psychology/mental health/research design

Tools

SPSS for Windows

Job description

Main area Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway Grade Band 5 Contract 18 months (fixed term) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 263-SCG26-137-JW

Employer Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site St Nicholas Hospital Town Gosforth Salary £32,073 - £39,043 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 20/11/2026 23:59

Higher Assistant Psychologist

Band 5

Hello!

We are so delighted you are considering coming to work with us at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW).

We know the power of looking into an organisation, one you might want to work in, or one where you are going to get help, and being able to say, ‘I’ve seen somewhere I can fit in and be myself.’ We’re on a journey to make the Trust an inclusive employer, representative of the community we serve and we want more of our community to consider applying for jobs with us.

Opportunities for you

Spanning east to west coasts from Northumberland to Cumbria and from the Scottish Borders down to Middlesbrough we’ve got exciting new opportunities available at every level and in every area.

We offer flexible working, helping work fit around family and caring responsibilities, or training and development needs and there’s lots on offer in the way of benefits, such as, lease cars, childcare schemes, staff discounts, season tickets for travel and a cycle to work scheme. All this in a vibrant workplace supported by the following staff networks.

• Cultural diversity staff network
• Disabled staff network
• LGBT+ staff network

We also have a number of staff support groups which are open to any staff to attend. These Include:

• Armed Forces and Veterans Staff Network
• Mind, Health and Wellbeing Community
• Menopause toolkit and cafes and staff carer support group

We offer fantastic personal development opportunities through our Collective Leadership Programme and other Organisational Development initiatives. Whatever you are looking for, you will be joining a supportive, friendly team, offering varied and interesting roles, with opportunities for career progression.

We’re always seeking to improve as an organisation. Do you want to be part of that?

Please note that it is a requirement of this Trust that all external applicants pay for their own DBS certification if a DBS check is required for the post. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first monthly pay

Job overview

This post is based within the North East and Cumbria Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway. The OPD Pathway is a joint strategy and network of services commissioned and delivered by NHS England and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Services (HMPPS) for people who present a high risk of physical or sexual violence, and have risk factors and problematic behaviour associated with personality difficulties.

The post-holder will primarily support services in the North East region, however our delivery model operates across the North & South of Tyne, Durham/Tees Valley and North, West and South Cumbria, and is comprised of Psychologists, Psychological Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Specialist Probation Practitioners and Officers, and staff in support/assistant roles.

The main tasks within this post will include carrying out psychological assessment and intervention, assisting in delivery of staff training and consultation and participation in research, data collection, audits and service evaluation.

Main duties of the job

The post holder’s main duties are to assist in the delivery of psychological services in the pathway; providing psychological assessment and specific interventions under the supervision of a qualified Clinical Psychologist, working independently within the limits agreed with the psychology supervisor.

The post holder will produce assessment and intervention professional reports.

The post holder will support the service in the delivery of training and workforce development initiatives.

The post holder will utilise research skills for audit, literature reviews, service development and other research initiatives within the pathway or wider service.

The post holder will receive direct weekly management and clinical supervision from a Senior, Principal or Consultant Clinical Psychologist.

The post holder will perform delegated tasks within guidelines provided by the supervisor, will receive regular clinical supervision and will seek additional supervision and guidance where required.

The post-holder will provide compassionate care that is based on empathy, kindness, respect and dignity.

Working for our organisation

We aim to attract and retain a diverse, talented and committed workforce, who are caring and compassionate, and therefore able to meet the demands of the modern NHS now and in the future. In return we can offer a dynamic working environment in which to build a career.

NHS Employees identified as at risk of compulsory redundancy and those eligible for the NENC Re-Deployment careers hub will receive prior consideration.

The post is primarily across Northumbria, Durham and Cleveland, with occasional work into Cumbria and can involve regular travel to probation offices and Approved Premises within the area, as well as within the local communities. As a wide geographical area this can present some challenges, but to assist with these demands, we support remote working and flexible working requests for example carrying out some duties (where appropriate) via TEAMS or other online platforms.

The post offers a number of CPD opportunities and we actively encourage personal and professional development via supervision, CPD and training activities.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post-holder would contribute to two OPD community pathway services; a P sychologically Informed Consultation service (PICS) and Intervention service (Rebuilding Lives).

PICS is a service that provides formulation based support and consultation to HMPPS staff members, as well as workforce development activities aimed at enhancing staff confidence and knowledge around personality difficulties.

Rebuilding Lives is a psychologically and socio-occupationally informed intervention service. The overall aim of the OPD pathway is to help reduce risk of reoffending, by helping the individual to understand the factors that have contributed to their behaviour, and develop alternative life skills and coping strategies.

This Higher Assistant Psychologist post-holder will:

• Work independently under supervision within a range of settings, representing CNTW within the multi-disciplinary team and across the OPD partnership.
• Attend and contribute to multi-disciplinary referral and case discussion meetings, collaboratively identifying suitable service candidates, and using ongoing psychological formulation to identify needs and intervention plans.
• Complete referral assessments and providing suitability feedback to the MDT, alongside qualified / registered practitioners.
• Engage service users / people on probation in psychologically informed interventions, under supervision, to support community integration and risk reduction.
• Develop and deliver training across the partnership agencies to support workforce development initiatives and increase knowledge and confidence when working with personality difficulties.
• Work alongside qualified / registered practitioners to provide advice to Probation Practitioners (PP) on engagement and relational challenges linked to personality difficulties and risk, using psychological formulation approaches.
• Provide written reports and summaries following interventions and consultations, to communicate psychological needs and recommendations.
• Undertake and contribute to local research activities and OPD service evaluation.
• Receive weekly clinical supervision from a Clinical Psychologist and designated supervision as required.
• Maintain effective relationships with colleagues across different agencies and work to uphold the shared vision and values of OPD.

In addition to the essential qualifications and criteria described, due to the nature of the setting and client group, experience of direct community based clinical work with a forensic population is desirable, as well as experience in research and evaluation.

Given the geographical spread of the service, a current driving licence is desirable but not essential if the travel requirements can be met by the successful applicant.

Please find attached job description for full details.

We welcome your application.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

• 2nd class honours degree, or higher, in psychology.
• Eligibility for graduate membership of British Psychological Society
• Further post graduate training in relevant areas of psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis

Knowledge and Experience

• Paid or unpaid work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities
• Experience as an assistant/research psychologist
• Knowledge of evidence based practice
• Experience of paid work in direct care provision.
• Experience with client group relevant to post
• Experience of psychometric test administration and interpretation
• Experience of providing individual or group interventions.

Skills and Competencies

• High level of communication skills (written and oral), including an ability to communicate and work in highly emotive circumstances.
• Ability to communicate sensitive information to clients, carers and colleagues.
• An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems and other disabilities.
• Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health / cognitive impairment / disability context.
• Computer literate, including use of databases & data analysis, e.g. SPSS for Windows.
• Demonstrates graduate level knowledge and experience of research and research methodology
• An understanding of psychology applied to healthcare
• A high standard of report writing.

Personal Characteristics

• An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
• An ability to interact appropriately with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
• Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals by supervisor.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
• Ability to manage own stress in difficult conditions and to identify when additional personal support may be necessary
• Ability to meet the travel demands of the post
• A desire to explore a career in applied Psychology

Please note, due to changes implemented by the Government to the UK immigration policy, individuals who require a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa may no longer be eligible for sponsorship where the UKVI salary threshold is not met or if the occupation is not included in the updated Immigration Salary List (ISL). Applicants must check their eligibility to be employed in any role they are interested in applying for, prior to completing an application for employment. Any applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be progressed.

Please ensure to check out all of the supporting documents linked to this advert, for useful information about working for us, information from our Chief Executive and much more.

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.

Application numbers

Please be aware this vacancy may close earlier than the stated closing date, should an appropriate number of applications be received.