Assistant Psychologist in North East

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

Assistant Psychologist

The closing date is 16 November 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Assistant Psychologist to join the Durham Tees Valley Mental Health Treatment Requirement (DTV MHTR) service within Health and Justice for a three-month fixed period. DTV MHTR is one of three community sentence treatment requirements available for individuals being considered for a community or suspended sentence. The service covers County Durham and Teesside, offering a service into six courts across the two counties. Given the geography there is a considerable amount of travel required in the post. The service is aimed at adults currently going through the Criminal Justice System, who have pled or been found guilty, whose offence meets the threshold for community sentence, and who have consented to engage (the service is voluntary). As part of the team, with compassion you will actively work to support service users to improve mental wellbeing and overall quality of life.

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.

Main duties of the job

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

Under supervision of a Forensic Psychologist, you will provide eligibility assessments for those referred into the service and produce assessment reports outlining proposed intervention pathways. Working alongside colleagues, partner organisations such as Probation and the courts to ensure aims and objectives of the service are met, we also have a large research agenda which you will be heavily involved in.

Applicants must have a degree in Psychology and be eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.

We have a commitment to staff development and have an excellent track record for developing our psychology workforce. Successful candidates will have good communication and interpersonal skills and demonstrate empathy towards our client group. We are keen to hear from candidates with a passion for working with adults in a forensic setting and an understanding of trauma informed and personalised care.

About us

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.

Job responsibilities

Please provide a supporting statement with your application using the following guidance:

1 A statement confirming how/that you meet the Academic and FESB criteria for the role:

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
• Do not have family support
• Grew up in an area that has a low level of engagement in higher education (POLAR4 quintilehttps://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/young-participation-by-area/)
• 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.

2. A personal statement that answers the following questions (500 words maximum):

• Why you are interested in pursuing a career in clinical psychology
• How your values and experiences have influenced you to be a suitable candidate for this post
• What you hope to gain from this post

  Please note: There is no requirement to have prior clinical experience when applying for this post. Although you may wish to reflect on personal/lived experience, it is not a requirement that you do so. Please only include information in your application form that you feel comfortable to share.

  Interview

  Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust is piloting virtual multiple mini-interviews using the SAMMI platform. Candidates who have been shortlisted for this vacancy may be invited to complete their interview using SAMMI. To complete your interview, you will be required to have access to laptop or computer with audio and video functionality. For more information on the SAMMI platform, please see the attached document Virtual Multiple Mini Interviews: applicant information. By applying for this post, you are agreeing to take part in an interview using SAMMI.

  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 Academys 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
  • Post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis

  FESB

  • Experience of Financial Education and Social Barriers

  Reflective Writing

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

  Experience

  • No substantial AP or RA experience

  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.

  Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

  £28,392 to £31,157 a year(pro rata), per annum

  Contract

  Fixed term

  Duration

  3 months

  Working pattern

  Full-time,Part-time,Home or remote working

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