Higher Assistant Psychologist

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

Job summary

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Higher Assistant Psychologist for the OPD pathway. The role involves assisting in psychological assessment, delivering interventions under supervision, and contributing to research and staff development.

Based across the North East and Cumbria, it offers opportunities for CPD, supervision, and collaborative work with multidisciplinary teams in a challenging, forensic-enabled setting.

Qualifications

• High level communication skills (written and verbal).
• Graduate member of BPS or eligible with psychology degree.
• Knowledge of evidence-based practice and research methods.

Responsibilities

• Assist in psychological assessment and intervention under supervision.
• Produce assessment and intervention reports for the pathway.
• Support staff training and workforce development initiatives.
• Engage in research activities, audits and service evaluation.
• Receive weekly clinical supervision from a Clinical Psychologist.
• Maintain professional relationships across agencies and contribute to partnership aims.

Skills

Communication skills

Graduate membership

Research knowledge

Psychology knowledge

Education

2:1 honours degree in psychology

Eligibility for graduate membership of BPS

Tools

SPSS for Windows

Job description

Higher Assistant Psychologist

Band 5 | Agenda for change | Fixed term, 18 months | Full-time

Salary: £32,073 to £39,043 a year per annum

Location: St Nicholas Hospital, Jubilee Road, Gosforth, NE3 3XT

Closing date: 20 November 2026

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.

About us

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.

Job responsibilities

The post-holder would contribute to two OPD community pathway services; a Psychologically 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.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• 2nd class honours degree, or higher, in psychology.
• Eligibility for graduate membership of British Psychological Society

Desirable

• Further post graduate training in relevant areas of psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• 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

Desirable

• 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

Essential

• 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

Desirable

• A high standard of report writing.

Personal Characteristics

Essential

• 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

Essential

• 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

Desirable

• A desire to explore a career in applied Psychology

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust

St Nicholas Hospital, Jubilee Road, Gosforth, NE3 3XT, United Kingdom

Website: https://www.cntw.nhs.uk/careers/

For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Psychologist Dr Attilio Colosi, [e-mail], 07483486932

Reference number: 263-SCG26-137-JW