Job summary
- Main area
- Assistant Psychologist
- Grade
- Band 4
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (The role supports some remote working opportunity.)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 364-A-9949
- Employer
- Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Coombewood Centre
- Town
- Rayleigh
- Salary
- £28,392 - £31,157 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 17/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Assistant Psychologist
Band 4
Our Trust cares for more than 100,000 patients at any one time across our community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex and parts of Bedfordshire and Suffolk.
We want you to be part of our journey of transformation, where our patients and their families are at the heart of everything we do and to achieve our vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care.
You’ll be part of a Trust where you will be supported to be your authentic self and be the best you can be, where we will help you to grow, develop and thrive.
The Trust is recognised by the University of Essex and is a top provider of apprenticeships for people looking to be an assistant practitioner, senior health care support worker (CAP). Our trailblazing CAP apprenticeship won a national HSJ Award.
We are also recognised as a Veteran Aware Trust and holder of gold accreditation from the Ministry of Defence Employment Recognition Scheme. Our services are highlighted as an exemplar of good practice, producing the best care for more than 3.500 armed forces veterans in the past seven years.
We have been shortlisted and won national awards. We are an inclusive organisation and Level 3 Disability Confident Leader Trust.
We are constantly innovating and looking for new ways to deliver care, such as using technology to enhance patient care and working with partners to launch new services such as the Basildon Mental Health Urgent Care Department, virtual hospitals and falls response cars.
Join us and you’ll do the best work of your life – and make a difference to other people’s lives. What we do together, matters.
Job overview
Adult Community Psychological Services (South East Essex)
The South East Essex Trauma Alliance
1.0wte Assistant Psychologist (band 4) 1 year FTC. Based across Southend, Rochford and Rayleigh and Castlepoint. The role supports some remote working opportunity.
The South East Essex Trauma Alliance is an exciting and innovative whole-system facing initiative led by Psychological Services in EPUT. Our aim is to collaborate with local organisations to develop trauma informed thinking to improve the safety and quality of local resources working with people with experiences of trauma. It launched in May 2021 and is firmly established to enhance and develop trauma informed/responsive principles of practice across 30 local healthcare and wider community settings. This is part of a national agenda to head towards benchmarks in trauma-informed care.
Main duties of the job
The Assistant Psychologist role is creative and diverse. You will be involved in a range of interesting tasks and projects, which brings considerable variety to the role. This includes developing and maintaining strong and supportive relationships with local organisations and service providers, encouraging and assisting these to work towards signing up to and embracing the Trauma Alliance and its values. You will undertake initial and annual Trauma Informed Practice reviews with teams and organisations, which includes co-facilitating reflective conversations and collecting qualitative data indicating the level of trauma informed thinking and practice across partner agencies and services.
You will support qualified colleagues to organise and deliver reflective practice spaces, and be involved with the co-facilitation of introductory trauma related training modules to the local system. You will use your psychological knowledge and creativity to produce psychoeducational one-page Becoming Trauma Responsive Together newsletters and reflective Bitesize presentations which are delivered to the Trauma Alliance membership of various local professionals. You will regularly liaise with other professionals and those with lived experience to co-produce material with their expertise.
Working for our organisation
Valuing you. Recognising your dedication. At EPUT, we look after you.
- Receive supervision and support to help you fulfil your potential.
- Join an inclusive EPUT community and connect with others through engagement events and equality or champion networks.
- If you need help, we provide mental health and wellbeing services, occupational health advice and counselling.
- We run recognition awards to recognise staff's hard work and dedication.
Benefits
- 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years’ service.
- Excellent pension of up to14.5% of your pensionable pay.
- Staff discounts include Blue Light Card, NHS discount offers, and staff benefits.
- Season ticket loans are interest-free to cover the cost of travelling to and from work via tram, rail, or bus.
Work that wraps around your needs
- Flexible working: available from day one for most roles.
- Job share: Applications for job shares are welcomed.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for a detailed list of responsibilities.
Person specification
Education/Qualification
Essential criteria
- Degree from a BPS accredited course in psychology (2:1 and above).
- Entitlement to Graduate Membership of the British Psychological Society.
Desirable criteria
- Further post-graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, health practice and/or research design and analysis.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Ability to communicate well with people with complex mental health problems.
- Graduate level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex multivariate data analysis as practical within the clinical fields of psychology.
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for people with mental health problems.
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
- Kerry Mayers
- Job title
- Head of Service
- Email address
- [email protected]
List jobs with Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust in Allied Health Professions or all sectors



