Assistant Psychologist - Aspiring Clinical Psychologist Scheme
| Posting date: | 27 April 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £34,186 - £37,389 per annum incl. of inner HCAs pro rata |
| Hours: | Part time |
| Closing date: | 27 May 2026 |
| Location: | Camberwell, SE5 8AZ |
| Company: | South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | 7964941/334-CLI-7803346-A |
Summary
A Vacancy at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
As part of our ongoing commitment to address issues of diversity and inclusion within Clinical Psychology, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has secured funding from NHS England to provide paid assistant psychologist experience to psychology graduates from low-income backgrounds.
The Aspiring Clinical Psychologists Access Scheme is intended to give opportunities to recent psychology graduates who are eager to develop initial clinical experience as aspiring Clinical Psychologists, who would otherwise be excluded from entering the profession through unpaid work experience.
There are 3 posts available working across different mental health services. Working for 2.5 days a week, for a duration of six months, the successful applicants will support and enhance psychological practice within the service.
The working duties of the recruited Assistant Psychologists will correspond with the generic job description attached, however, specific duties related to the allocated post will vary depending specific service the applicant is allocated to, as indicated in the post descriptions in our Information Booklet.
It is important that you check that you meet the eligibility criteria outlined below and that you follow the instructions for writing your supporting statements. Applications that do not meet these criteria or supporting statements not written in the format given will not be shortlisted.
Scheme Essential Eligibility Criteria:
1. Graduated within the last 18 months with psychology undergraduate degree (minimum 2:1 OR 2:2 with evidence of additional academic abilities) OR with a master’s degree completed only as a conversion degree.
2. Meet the criteria of otherwise being excluded from entering the profession through unpaid work experience. This could be for many reasons, such as:
a) Family being on a low income or supported by means tested benefits.
b) Receiving grants, bursaries or award via your university or government maintenance grants, that is any sum of money not required to be paid back.
c) Being a care leaver or student not supported by their family or parents.
3. Must not be salaried or post graduate trainee in university programmes
4. Must not be studying or have completed a master’s degree (with the exception of a master’s degree completed as a conversion degree for applicants with a non-psychology undergraduate degree OR a combined undergraduate MSci degree on the basis that the financial position is the same as an undergraduate degree and different from an MSc)
5. Must not have held any substantial previous paid Assistant Psychologist post or similar. This is because this scheme for candidates who have not been able to gain relevant work experience. Previous relevant paid work experience at a very limited period of employment (e.g as an assistant psychologist for less than four weeks in total), will be accepted.
We are immensely proud of our Psychology & Psychotherapy workforce which compromises over 20 different Psychological Professions and over 1200 staff. These professionals work across all of the different services and teams offered with the Trust delivering high quality, evidence-based and trauma-informed psychological therapies for some of the most diverse communities in the country. We know the importance of understanding our service users and work with them in partnership to meet their needs.
KR 1 Clinical and Client Care (service to be decided).
• To provide psychological assessments for clients under the close supervision of a practitioner psychologist.
• To provide protocol based individual psychological interventions for clients in a service within the Trust (to be determined).
• To arrange, schedule and provide protocol-based group psychological interventions for clients in a service within the Trust (to be determined).
• To assist the psychologists in the development of individual or group clinical materials or training materials.
• The post may include: To arrange, schedule and co-facilitate training to carers or employees of partner agencies in order to support the clinical work with clients.
KR 2 Contributing to team or service clinical functioning.
• To contribute to the effective working of service allocated to.
• To act in a manner that supports a psychologically informed framework for the service.
• To participate in the team or service’s delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
KR 3 Policy and service development.
• To follow policies and procedures in own area of work.
• To participate in the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.
KR 4 Care or management of resources.
• To take care of, and use carefully, the Trust’s equipment and physical resources.
• To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting supplies as needed.
• To be responsible for safe keeping of equipment or stock provided to the post holder and informing the supervising psychologist or manager when stock requires replenishing (may apply to psychometric tests, specialised stationery etc.
KR 5 Teaching and Training.
• To participate in demonstrating work methods to newly recruited Assistant Psychologists and to support their development of necessary skills.
• To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations or published articles.
• To (arrange, schedule and) co-facilitate training to employees of the Trust or employees of partner agencies in order to support service improvement.
KR 6 Record-keeping and Information Governance.
• To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
• Under the supervision of the practitioner psychologist to maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
• To maintain data bases and enter data, and perform analyses and produce reports.
KR 7 Research and development.
• To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects to inform the service Psychologist and others in the development of Trust psychology and other services, training provision and research activities.
• To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
• To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist in the development in the Trust of evidence-based practice.
• Under guidance to conduct surveys with service users and carers to gather views on service provision.
KR 8 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development.
• To receive regular clinical and professional supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines.
• To gain wider experience of professional psychology within the NHS over and above that provided within the principal service area where the post-holder is employed.
• To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties.
• To undertake personal training relevant to the post in agreement with the supervising psychologist and the manager.
KR 9 General.
• To travel to Trust and other locations as appropriate and across the Trust when required.
• To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management.
• To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations and to support others involved in such situations.
• To work flexibly which may include offering some regular commitment to late clinics or Saturday working, within the overall Job Plan.
This advert closes on Monday 27 Apr 2026
As part of our ongoing commitment to address issues of diversity and inclusion within Clinical Psychology, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has secured funding from NHS England to provide paid assistant psychologist experience to psychology graduates from low-income backgrounds.
The Aspiring Clinical Psychologists Access Scheme is intended to give opportunities to recent psychology graduates who are eager to develop initial clinical experience as aspiring Clinical Psychologists, who would otherwise be excluded from entering the profession through unpaid work experience.
There are 3 posts available working across different mental health services. Working for 2.5 days a week, for a duration of six months, the successful applicants will support and enhance psychological practice within the service.
The working duties of the recruited Assistant Psychologists will correspond with the generic job description attached, however, specific duties related to the allocated post will vary depending specific service the applicant is allocated to, as indicated in the post descriptions in our Information Booklet.
It is important that you check that you meet the eligibility criteria outlined below and that you follow the instructions for writing your supporting statements. Applications that do not meet these criteria or supporting statements not written in the format given will not be shortlisted.
Scheme Essential Eligibility Criteria:
1. Graduated within the last 18 months with psychology undergraduate degree (minimum 2:1 OR 2:2 with evidence of additional academic abilities) OR with a master’s degree completed only as a conversion degree.
2. Meet the criteria of otherwise being excluded from entering the profession through unpaid work experience. This could be for many reasons, such as:
a) Family being on a low income or supported by means tested benefits.
b) Receiving grants, bursaries or award via your university or government maintenance grants, that is any sum of money not required to be paid back.
c) Being a care leaver or student not supported by their family or parents.
3. Must not be salaried or post graduate trainee in university programmes
4. Must not be studying or have completed a master’s degree (with the exception of a master’s degree completed as a conversion degree for applicants with a non-psychology undergraduate degree OR a combined undergraduate MSci degree on the basis that the financial position is the same as an undergraduate degree and different from an MSc)
5. Must not have held any substantial previous paid Assistant Psychologist post or similar. This is because this scheme for candidates who have not been able to gain relevant work experience. Previous relevant paid work experience at a very limited period of employment (e.g as an assistant psychologist for less than four weeks in total), will be accepted.
We are immensely proud of our Psychology & Psychotherapy workforce which compromises over 20 different Psychological Professions and over 1200 staff. These professionals work across all of the different services and teams offered with the Trust delivering high quality, evidence-based and trauma-informed psychological therapies for some of the most diverse communities in the country. We know the importance of understanding our service users and work with them in partnership to meet their needs.
KR 1 Clinical and Client Care (service to be decided).
• To provide psychological assessments for clients under the close supervision of a practitioner psychologist.
• To provide protocol based individual psychological interventions for clients in a service within the Trust (to be determined).
• To arrange, schedule and provide protocol-based group psychological interventions for clients in a service within the Trust (to be determined).
• To assist the psychologists in the development of individual or group clinical materials or training materials.
• The post may include: To arrange, schedule and co-facilitate training to carers or employees of partner agencies in order to support the clinical work with clients.
KR 2 Contributing to team or service clinical functioning.
• To contribute to the effective working of service allocated to.
• To act in a manner that supports a psychologically informed framework for the service.
• To participate in the team or service’s delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
KR 3 Policy and service development.
• To follow policies and procedures in own area of work.
• To participate in the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.
KR 4 Care or management of resources.
• To take care of, and use carefully, the Trust’s equipment and physical resources.
• To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting supplies as needed.
• To be responsible for safe keeping of equipment or stock provided to the post holder and informing the supervising psychologist or manager when stock requires replenishing (may apply to psychometric tests, specialised stationery etc.
KR 5 Teaching and Training.
• To participate in demonstrating work methods to newly recruited Assistant Psychologists and to support their development of necessary skills.
• To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations or published articles.
• To (arrange, schedule and) co-facilitate training to employees of the Trust or employees of partner agencies in order to support service improvement.
KR 6 Record-keeping and Information Governance.
• To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
• Under the supervision of the practitioner psychologist to maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
• To maintain data bases and enter data, and perform analyses and produce reports.
KR 7 Research and development.
• To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects to inform the service Psychologist and others in the development of Trust psychology and other services, training provision and research activities.
• To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
• To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist in the development in the Trust of evidence-based practice.
• Under guidance to conduct surveys with service users and carers to gather views on service provision.
KR 8 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development.
• To receive regular clinical and professional supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines.
• To gain wider experience of professional psychology within the NHS over and above that provided within the principal service area where the post-holder is employed.
• To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties.
• To undertake personal training relevant to the post in agreement with the supervising psychologist and the manager.
KR 9 General.
• To travel to Trust and other locations as appropriate and across the Trust when required.
• To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management.
• To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations and to support others involved in such situations.
• To work flexibly which may include offering some regular commitment to late clinics or Saturday working, within the overall Job Plan.
This advert closes on Monday 27 Apr 2026