Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Assistant Psychologist
The closing date is 24 November 2026
To work in partnership with the National Probation Service to support with the ongoing development and delivery of the community based element of the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway within Lincolnshire.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will work under the supervision of a qualified Clinical or Forensic Psychologist supporting and advising probation staff in identifying and consulting on cases that meet the entry criteria for the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) pathway; in terms of personality disorder this means cases that appear to have significant problematic personality traits.
Please see Job Description for full infomation.
Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £20.00 (standard) or £41.00 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.
You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.
About us
#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.
We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.
The health and wellbeing of our colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.
The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net-zero commitment
Job responsibilities
To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.
To undertake specific administrative duties as required.
To perform other duties of a similar kind appropriate to the banding which may be required from time to time by their Psychology Manager.
To ensure that in all aspects of professional activity (e.g. communication with service users, relatives, and colleagues as well as in the assessment, development/delivery of interventions) issues of diversity such as race, culture, identity, gender, religion, age and sexuality are sensitively considered and incorporated to reflect individual differences appropriately.
To ensure that service users are appropriately consulted about relevant aspects of their care and are empowered to express their views in a responsive environment enabling such views to be assimilated/incorporated into continued service development and improvement.
Person Specification
Values
- oAll colleagues are expected to demonstrate at interview that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust Honesty Respect Compassion Teamwork
- oAll colleagues are expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and how it applies to their role. The Trust's expectations are highlighted within our EDI Policy, and associated EDI and Human Rights legislation
Physical Requirements
- oAble to sit still for long periods in clinical settings or for report writing, however reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled individuals in line with the Equality Act 2010.
Qualifications
- o1st class or Upper second class honours degree or 2.2 plus higher degree in Psychology; and ability to demonstrate eligibility to graduate membership of the BPS.
- oFurther relevant post-graduate training (e.g. in Forensic, clinical or other applied Psychology discipline).
Training
- o1st class or Upper second class honours degree or 2.2 plus higher degree in Psychology
- oFurther awareness level training in therapeutic modalities
Experience
- oExperience of working with offenders or patients with mental health problems/ intellectual & developmental disabilities/ personality disorders.
- oExperience of working in Forensic/secure settings and mental health settings
- oExperience of MDT and multi-agency working
- oExperience of completing risk assessments
- oExperience of psychometric testing (delivery, scoring and interpretation).
- oExperience of delivering group or individual psychological work
- oExperience of supporting the development of structured group programmes.
- oExperience of conference presentations, publications or teaching/training delivery.
Knowledge
- oKnowledge of legal system or MHA (MH system
- oKnowledge and application of formulation with staff and service users
- oKnowledge of psychological theories / models which help to understand personality difficulties
- o.Knowledge of the prison/ probation system
- oKnowledge of the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway
Skills
- oAbility to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context, specifically psychological theories relevant to personality disorder and offending behaviour
- oAbility to identify risk factors and to use risk management strategies
- oExcellent communication skills; able to overcome barriers and to communicate complex, sensitive information
- oEvidence of ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively; (reflective practice / learning/ safety)
- oAbility to work independently, reliably and consistently with regular supervision;
- oAbility to maintain appropriate professional boundaries;
- oIT literacy for psychological data analysis (e.g. excel / SPSS)
- oSkills and experience in SPSS, databases/spreadsheets.
- oResearch and audit skills
Contractual Requirements
- oFlexibility to work as and where required
- oCar owner with appropriate driving licence and insurance
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.
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
£32,073 to £39,043 a yearper annum (pro rata for part time)
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