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 NHS Foundation Trust invites applications for a Higher Assistant Psychologist within the Northumbria Stalking Interventions Programme. The role sits in a multi‑agency team and involves formulation work, risk assessment, and supporting clinical supervision in Secure Care settings.

Applicants should hold a psychology degree (2:1 or above) and be eligible for BPS graduate membership, with experience in mental health and forensic contexts preferred.

Qualifications

• 2:1 or higher psychology degree required.
• Eligibility for graduate membership of British Psychological Society (BPS).
• Further postgraduate training in psychology, mental health practice, or research design.

Responsibilities

• Work independently under supervision within NSIP, representing CNTW.
• Collate information and produce formulations following multi-professional consultations.
• Deliver training and provide advice on engagement and mental health challenges.

Skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Research methodology

Graduate level knowledge

Education

2:1 psychology degree

G.P.S. membership eligibility

Postgraduate psychology training

Tools

SPSS

Job description

Main area Secure Care - Northumbria Stalking Interventions Programme Grade Band 5 Contract 12 months (fixed term) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 263-SCG26-109-HN

Employer Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Northgate Park/Victoria House Probation office Town Morpeth/Newcastle upon Tyne Salary £32,073 - £39,043 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 01/10/2026 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

The post is based within the Northumbria Stalking Interventions Programme (NSIP) – a multi-agency partnership including Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW), Northumbria Police, North East Probation Service, Paladin National Stalking Advocacy Service).The team provides risk assessment and management advice to health and criminal justice professionals working with people posing risks because of stalking behaviour via case discussion, formulation and a monthly multi-professional Stalking Clinic. The role involves collation of relevant information into formulation summaries, liaising with involved professionals, some joint work with perpetrators to assist assessment, provision of training in multi-agency contexts, liaison with national networks and collection and analysis of information for service evaluation purposes.

The team is based in the probation Service at Victoria House in Newcastle upon Tyne with additional desk space available in Secure Care services at Sycamore, Northgate Park Hospital, Morpeth.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will have a Psychology degree (2:1 or above) and should have experience of working with people with mental health difficulties/learning disability/personality disorder/or other disabilities. Experience of working with forensic populations is desirable.

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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This Higher Assistant Psychologist post-holder will:

• Work independently under supervision within a range of settings, representing CNTW within the multi-agency NSIP team
• Collaboratively identify and assess referrals into NSIP with the team and collate information to produce clear formulations following multi-professional consultations regarding high-risk stalking behaviours
• Use these formulations to identify risk, needs and responsivity factors important in considering a range of intervention options
• Following training, undertake structured professional judgement-based risk assessments such as the Stalking Risk Profile (SRP), Screening Assessment for Stalking and Harassment (SASH) and HCR-20
• Have direct involvement in monthly multi-agency stalking clinic, including preparing information prior to the clinic and participation in the clinic to synthesise and collate formulatory information to summarise clinic discussion
• Deliver and support training to community teams, prison teams and other agencies to raise awareness of stalking
• Provide advice to Probation Practitioners (PP) on engagement and motivational challenges linked to mental health, personality difficulties and neurodiversity.
• Support qualified members of the team to deliver reflective practice, supervision groups.
• Undertake service evaluation in relation to NSIP
• Undertake psychological assessment with stalking perpetrators as part of multi-agency assessment of stalking risk
• Receive weekly clinical supervision from a Consultant Clinical Psychologist within Secure Care.
• Maintain effective relationships with colleagues in different agencies and work to uphold the shared vision and values of NSIP

Please find attached job description for full details.

We welcome your application.

Please note - this vacancy may close early once a suitable number of applications are received.

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.
• Able to manage own stress in difficult conditions and to identify when additional personal support may be necessary
• 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.