Job summary
- Main area
- Assistant Psychologist (gender dysphoria/incongruence)
- Grade
- Band 4
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (from start date)
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 350-CC7447280
- Employer
- Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Transcend Cheshire and Merseyside
- Town
- Liverpool
- Salary
- £27,485 - £30,162 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 28/09/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Assistant Psychologist
Band 4
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Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust celebrates diversity and promotes equal opportunities; we are committed to challenging and eliminating racism and other forms of discrimination and advancing and promoting equality of opportunity in the provision of services and creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
We take positive action to support disadvantaged groups and also particularly encourage applications from ethnically diverse, disabled and LGBTQIA+ people that are under-represented in our workforce. Furthermore we welcome applications from reservists and ex-armed forces personnel as we recognise the benefits of the values, skills, training and experience that they bring to their work with us. We encourage all applicants to share their equality information with us.
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Job overview
Are you a psychology graduate passionate about inclusive healthcare and looking for a meaningful opportunity to gain clinical experience in a supportive, forward-thinking team?
We are excited to offer a Band 4 Assistant Psychologist position within our adult gender identity service, Transcend, a novel and evolving NHS service dedicated to supporting trans and gender-diverse individuals.
This role is part of an NHS England-funded initiative designed to create equitable access to clinical experience for psychology graduates who may otherwise be disadvantaged by unpaid voluntary schemes. We particularly welcome applications from individuals who may be:
- Socio-economically disadvantaged
- From ethnic minority backgrounds
- Have caring responsibilities
- Or otherwise face barriers to accessing traditional routes into clinical psychology
This initiative is fully compliant with the Equality Act 2010, and we warmly encourage applications from all eligible candidates, regardless of background.
You will receive regular supervision and access to CPD opportunities, making this an ideal stepping stone for those considering further training in clinical psychology or related fields.
Why Join Us?
- Be part of a pioneering service supporting gender-diverse adults
- Work in a team that values compassion, inclusion, and innovation
- Gain hands-on experience in a specialist NHS setting
- Make a real difference in the lives of individuals navigating gender identity and mental health
Main duties of the job
About the Role
As an Assistant Psychologist, you will:
- Support and enhance the psychological care of clients through evidence-based interventions
- Deliver direct work with clients in both individual and group settings
- Contribute to the development and delivery of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) groups
- Work closely with qualified Clinical Psychologists on research, audit, and service development
- Be an active and valued member of a multidisciplinary team (MDT)
Working for our organisation
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES
1. To support Clinical Psychologists undertaking psychological assessments of clients applying psychologically based psychometric tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.
2. To assist in the formulation and delivery of interventions involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s problems, under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist, in a community setting, as appropriate.
3. Having received instruction through supervision, to provide one-to-one consultations with service users, working autonomously within the limits of this instruction and within personal competence.
4. To use a degree of initiative and work independently with service users on planned work, and to exercise judgement based on good practice (NICE) and local operating procedures.
5. To work with potentially distressing material in relation to service users’ personal histories and presentation, including risk to self and others.
6. Preparing agreed assessment reports accurately in the accepted format.
7. Where required, to assist in the coordination and running of therapeutic groups.
8. In common with all professional psychologists, to receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines.
9. To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties through engagement with CPD opportunities and self-guided learning.
10. To contribute to the training and support of other staff.
11. To assist in the design and implementation of service development projects within the service as required.
12. To attend MDT meetings in which service developments are planned and discussed.
13. To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects.
14. To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
15. To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified professional psychologists in evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other professionals.
16. To contribute to the development and maintenance of high professional standards of practice, through active participation in training and development programmes, in consultation with the supervisor.
17. To maintain clinical record keeping and report writing in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.
18. To prepare test materials and visual aids as required.
19. To undertake specific administrative duties as required.
20. The post holder must maintain the confidentiality of information about patients, staff and other Trust business in accordance professional codes of conduct and relevant legislation such as the Data Protection Act.
21. Promote the concepts of equality of opportunity and managing diversity Trust wide.
22. Employees must be aware of the responsibilities placed upon them under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, paying due regard to health and safety in the workplace and management of risk to
maintain a safe working environment for patients, visitors and employees.
23. Maintain consistent high professional standards and act in accordance with the relevant code of professional conduct (if applicable). Employees are expected to participate in the performance review process.
24. Support the development of performance standards within the Service/Department to ensure the service is responsive to and meeting the needs of its customers.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- An honours degree in that satisfies the British Psychological Society criteria for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership
Desirable criteria
- Post graduate training in areas relevant to psychological practice, mental health and/or research design and analysis
Knowledge / Experience
Essential criteria
- Work experience in any organisation
- Experience of research methodology, data collection, analysis and report writing
- Knowledge of a broad range of psychological theories and the application of these to mental health self-harming behaviours
Desirable criteria
- Experience co-facilitating or supporting groups
- Experience designing and conducting large scale research, audit or service evaluations
- Previous experience working with service users and families
- Knowledge of Psychological Therapies, e.g. Compassion Focused Therapy
- Knowledge of NICE guidelines
- Knowledge of policies and legislation relevant to gender based services
Skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- High level communication skills – verbal and written – with professionals, service users and families
- Good time management skills
Desirable criteria
- Proficient IT skills
Values
Essential criteria
- Continuous improvement
- Accountability
- Respectfulness
- Enthusiasm
- Support
- High professional standards
- Responsive to service users
- Engaging leadership style
- Strong customer service belief
- Transparency and honesty
- Discreet
- Change oriented
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Luke Squires
- Job title
- Principal Practitioner Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0151 317 8581
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