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Job requirements
Requirements from the employer’s person specification. These describe the role, not your personal match.
Essential
12 listedRequirements the employer expects applicants to meet.
- Skills and Competencies
High level of communication skills (written and oral), including an ability to communicate and work in highly emotive circumstances.
- Skills and Competencies
Ability to communicate sensitive information to clients, carers and colleagues.
- Skills and Competencies
An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems and other disabilities.
- Skills and Competencies
Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health / cognitive impairment / disability context.
- Skills and Competencies
Computer literate, including use of databases & data analysis, e.g. SPSS for Windows.
- Skills and Competencies
Demonstrates graduate level knowledge and experience of research and research methodology.
- Skills and Competencies
An understanding of psychology applied to healthcare.
- Knowledge and Experience
Paid or unpaid work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
- Knowledge and Experience
Experience as an assistant/research psychologist.
- Knowledge and Experience
Knowledge of evidence based practice
- Education and Qualifications
Upper 2nd class honours degree, or higher, in psychology.
- Education and Qualifications
Eligibility for graduate membership of British Psychological Society.
Desirable
6 listedAdditional qualities the employer would prefer.
- Skills and Competencies
A high standard of report writing.
- Knowledge and Experience
Experience of paid work in direct care provision.
- Knowledge and Experience
Experience with client group relevant to post.
- Knowledge and Experience
Experience of psychometric test administration and interpretation.
- Knowledge and Experience
Experience of providing individual or group interventions.
- Education and Qualifications
Further post graduate training in relevant areas of psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Higher Assistant Psychologist post to provide 6 months maternity leave cover with the Intensive Positive Behaviour Support Service (IPBS within the Specialist Children and Young People’s business unit. IPBS comprises of services for young people with a learning disability and autistic young people who may present with distress behaviours and/or mental health presentations that increase their risk of hospital admission.
This post is to work across both the learning disability and autism pathways utilising both Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and lifeworld approaches to deliver trauma informed care. The Higher Assistant Psychologist post within the team is a highly valued, varied and responsible role that supports service evaluation, assessment and interventions delivered under the supervision of experienced Clinical Psychologists. There are additional opportunities to deliver training to partner agencies. A high level of professional support and continuing professional development will be available to the postholder.
Main duties of the job
To support the assessment and formulation of casework for service users who have substantial and complex needs.
To deliver prescribed psychological interventions under the supervision of experienced Clinical Psychologists.
To oversee data collection and analysis that often involves complex behavioural information and support the development of collaborative, evidence based, person centred support plans.
Deliver individualised training for person centred support plans to all key stakeholders involved in the service user’s care.
Contribute to clinical governance of service pathways by overseeing the bespoke review tool used within IPBS.
To support a wide range of service evaluation and research projects designed to build the evidence base for interventions that support young people with learning disabilities or autism who are experiencing significant mental health difficulties and distress behaviours.
Maintain effective clinical working relationships with members of the multi-disciplinary clinical team(s) into which the postholder works. Frequent liaison will also take place with other agencies including Education, Social Care and Third Sector services.
To provide compassionate, neuro-affirming care that is based on empathy, kindness, respect and dignity.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
IPBS is a multi-disciplinary team which aims to support young people in their communities, enhancing the community offer at times of increased need as indicated by the Dynamic Support Registers in each locality. IPBS work across the full CNTW footprint, and as such is a very busy, dynamic team, interfacing through a well-established PBS Clinical Network with each of the Learning Disability Teams within the locality areas of North Cumbria, Northumberland, North Tyneside, Newcastle and Gateshead, Sunderland and South Tyneside. The team has close working relationships with Children and Young People’s Inpatient Services at Ferndene. The team also sits with the Provider Collaborative initiative, established with the aim of working across the Integrated Care Board footprint of the North East, which means close links are also set up with other Mental Health and Learning Disability Trusts within the region.
Please find attached job description for full details.
Advertising date : 27th August 2026
Closing date : 10th September 2026
We welcome your application.
Please note - this vacancy may close early once a suitable number of applications are received.
Applicant requirements
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.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Higher Assistant Psychologist with Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is listed as a Band 5 Psychologist role. The advertised salary is £32,073 - £39,043 per annum pro rata. The contract type is 6 months (Fixed Term). The application deadline is 10 Sep 2026.
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