Job vacancy: Assistant Psychologist- PMHTR, Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Radlett

Job summary

Main area: Clinical and Forensic Psychology
Grade: Band 4
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week (In Radlett office on Thursdays; St. Albans up to two other days; remote working otherwise)
Job ref: 367-LD&F-9624

Employer: Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: 3 Bowlers Green, Radlett, Hertfordshire. WD7 9HQ
Town: Radlett
Salary: £28,860 - £31,671 per annum, pro rata inclusive of 5% HCAS (min £1,303 max £2,198)
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 15/08/2025 23:59
Interview date: 12/09/2025

Assistant Psychologist- PMHTR

Band 4

Values Based Screener

At Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust we are looking for people to join us who share our values and those of the NHS. Before your application can be considered please take part on our online values questionnaire, which you can find below. When you have finished you will be sent a 'completion code' by email, which will be valid for 6 months and required to submit your application form.

http://hpft.recruitforvalues.co

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The core work of an AP in the PMHTR is delivering low-intensity psycho-educational interventions for service users who are under a community-based court order.

If you are working full time, you can expect to have approximately 15 service users on your personal caseload who will be seen weekly or fortnightly, in sessions that are held in-person, by video, or by telephone (depending on the needs and preferences of the service user and our service).

This work will primarily be CBT-based, with future development possible in adding elements of ACT, CFT, and DBT-based interventions.

In addition to the one-to-one working, we are also in the process of developing our DBT-informed skills group for Emotional Coping Skills. This is a six week protocol with a rolling admission that is currently being administered virtually.

In the future, we will seek to develop a hybrid running of this group, which you would be a part of. We are very excited about our group programme, as it is the first of its kind, and we would be particularly interested to hear from candidates who value group working.

In order to ensure that the right service users--and as many as possible--are being referred into our service, we have to work consistently to ensure that other teams in Probation and Liaison and Diversion services understand who we are and what we do.

Therefore, part of your role will be in making presentations about our work and having useful conversations with our colleagues.

We have recently added a Peer Support Worker to our team and are currently developing a Support Clinic which will provide access to the peer support worker for practical, casual support, as well as an AP for additional skills work.

For a more detailed description, please see attached JD and PS.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

A first or upper second-class honours degree in Psychology or related subject
Evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable criteria

Further post-graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis

Experience

Essential criteria

Experience of working with people with physical or mental health problems who may at times have the potential to respond to staff with hostility and aggression. Being able to respond to hostility and aggression in a professional manner
Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers, and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance.
Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in reports, letters, and other health correspondence to service users and their referrers
Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to mental health context.
Interest in working with forensic populations

Desirable criteria

Experience of working in forensic mental health services.
Experience of working with offenders, including people who may have committed violent and/or sexual offences.
Demonstrable experience within a mental health setting.
Understanding of current NHS/Social Care policies and practices relating to mental health.
High standard of reporting writing.

Knowledge

Essential criteria

An understanding of psychology applied to adult mental health problems.
An understanding of low intensity interventions related to anxiety, depression, and other common difficulties.

Desirable criteria

An understanding of the criminal justice system
An interest in developing a career as a professional psychologist

About us

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is rated by the Care Quality Commission as an Outstanding provider of mental health and learning disability services. In 2021, we won the prestigious Health Service Journal award for Mental Health Trust of the Year, with the judges saying they were “blown away” by our people’s achievements and that everything they saw “sings and hums”. This year, our staff rated us the 4^th best mental health and learning disability trust to work for out of all 52 trusts in the country. Our staff tell us that they are proud to be part of the HPFT team, proud of the standard of care we provide and proud that service users are our top priority. Our people tell us they feel supported though a great development, wellbeing and work-life balance offer and a highly compassionate, values-driven culture. We are equally proud of our staff, who live our values of being welcoming, kind, positive, respectful and professional so that together we provide great care and great outcomes for our service users and carers.

If you would like to join a team to be proud of and you share our values and passion for great care and outcomes for our service users and carers, we would love to hear from you.

Additional Information

HPFT is committed to being an equal opportunities employer and in order to reflect the diversity of its population, positively encourages applications from all areas of the community. We aim to be a representative organisation with regards to age, disability, ethnicity, gender, beliefs and sexual orientation and are fully committed to equality, diversity and human rights and encourage applications from all sections of the community including users of mental health services.

The Trust is committed to helping staff balance work and home life and welcomes applications from candidates wishing to work part-time or under flexible working arrangements.

Infection Control

All our staff will need to comply with current Infection Prevention and Control measures which could include wearing a mask on all our Trust sites and in all roles

AI Usage Guidance

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) can aid you in completing your application, these tools cannot fully grasp the context of requirements of the job you’re applying for, nor can they accurately reflect your skills, knowledge and experience. Please ensure you have tailored your application before submitting it.

For further information, please refer to the Trust’s guidance on AI usage document which can be found below.

Visa and Immigration

Candidates who require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the United Kingdom can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for this position by assessing their circumstances against the criteria specified on the Check if you need a UK visa - GOV.UK website. We would encourage all applicants to review the criteria carefully to understand their eligibility for sponsorship. Those who are on a visa will be issued with Fixed Term Contract in line with your visa end date.

Mindful employer. Being positive about mental health.

Stonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name: Dr Jess McCloskey
Job title: Clinical Lead, Principal Clinical Psychologist
Email address: [email protected]
Telephone number: 07816 118611
Additional information: I would be happy to arrange a short video conversation to discuss the post once you have been shortlisted and invited for interview, if you would like - just email me in advance and we can find a good time

List jobs with Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in Allied Health Professions or all sectors

Apply online now Alert me to similar vacancies

Find jobs in...

Featured jobs:

Senior Autism Assessor for Children and Young People (ADOS and/or ADIR trained) - Remote (Employed)

Time commitment: Full-time employment is preferred, though we can also offer part-time (minimum of 3 days per week).

Location: This is a fully remote role; however, you must permanently reside in the UK throughout your employment with Paloma.

The Opportunity

Paloma Health has developed a new gold-standard autism assessment pathway and our own Patient Record software system, which allows us to offer:

An exceptional service and timely assessments, as well as clear strengths and needs-based outcomes, regardless of whether an autism diagnosis is made.
High assessor role satisfaction by improving the experience of delivering assessments. For example, we are building an AI tool to streamline diagnostic report writing, which we know is a pressure of the role.

You will be a Senior Assessor within our multidisciplinary assessment team, delivering:

Remote developmental histories and child observations (via video calls)
Peer MDT diagnostic decision-making, with the support of the senior clinical MDT where required
Tech-enabled outcome report writing
Outcome calls with parents and families (via video call)

As a Senior Assessor, you have the opportunity to focus on delivering direct care. Furthermore, if you have the relevant experience and skills, you can take on an additional responsibility. We limit this to one responsibility to allow for focused time on that topic, rather than having your time stretched too thinly. When taking on an additional responsibility, your case volume is reduced, making time available for this focused time.

For Senior Assessors, additional responsibility options include supporting more complex cases, ensuring quality assurance, providing training, facilitating family engagement, and contributing to pathway development.

About you, and how we will support you

From a cultural perspective, you are:

Comfortable working in a dynamic environment and embracing change
Excited about using new technologies in your role
Always looking for ways to improve our staff and patient experience

We commit to supporting your development and well-being, including:

The Paloma Clinical Academy programme supports all clinicians at all stages of their careers to develop (e.g. to our additional responsibility Senior Assessor roles) and cross-skill (e.g. into ADHD when we launch that service).
1 protected day per month for assessor team training, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), clinical supervision and reflection.
Quarterly development conversations with clear career progression pathways.
Clear weekly timetables that support a role mix across appointments, documentation, development, and team building.

For full details please click below.

Autism Assessor for Children and Young People (ADOS and/or ADIR trained) - Remote (Employed)

Time commitment: Full-time employment is preferred, though we can also offer part-time (minimum of 4 days per week).

Location: This is a fully remote role; however, you must permanently reside in the UK throughout your employment with Paloma.

The Opportunity

Paloma Health has developed a new gold-standard autism assessment pathway and our own Patient Record software system, which allows us to offer:

An exceptional service and timely assessments, as well as clear strengths and needs-based outcomes, regardless of whether an autism diagnosis is made.
High assessor role satisfaction by improving the experience of delivering assessments. For example, we are building an AI tool to streamline diagnostic report writing, which we know is a pressure of the role.

You will work as a member of a multidisciplinary assessment team, delivering:

Remote developmental histories and child observations (via video calls)
Peer MDT diagnostic decision-making, with the support of the senior clinical MDT where required
Tech-enabled outcome report writing
Outcome calls with parents and families (via video call)

From a cultural perspective, you are:

Comfortable working in a dynamic environment and embracing change
Excited about using new technologies in your role
Always looking for ways to improve our staff and patient experience

We commit to supporting your development and well-being, including:

The Paloma Clinical Academy programme supports all clinicians at all stages of their careers to develop (e.g. to our Senior Assessor role) and cross-skill (e.g. into ADHD when we launch that).
1 protected day per month for assessor team training, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), clinical supervision and reflection.
Quarterly development conversations with clear career progression pathways.
Clear weekly timetables that support a role mix across appointments, administration, development, and team building.

For full details please click below.

ADOS Autism Assessor for Children and Young People - Exeter/South West England

ADOS Autism Assessor for Children and Young People, based in our Exeter clinic

Time commitment: Full-time employment is preferred, though we can also offer part-time (minimum of 3 days per week) or a self-employed role (again a minimum of 3 days per week).

Location: This role is in-person based at our Exeter, Devon clinic.

The Opportunity

Paloma Health has developed a new gold-standard autism assessment pathway and our own Patient Record software system, which allows us to offer:

An exceptional service and timely assessments, as well as clear strengths and needs-based outcomes, regardless of whether an autism diagnosis is made.
High assessor role satisfaction by improving the experience of delivering assessments. For example, we are building an AI tool to streamline diagnostic report writing, which we know is a pressure of the role.

You will work as a member of a multidisciplinary assessment team, delivering:

In-person child observations at our Exeter clinic
Peer MDT diagnostic decision-making, with the support of the senior clinical MDT where required
Tech-enabled outcome report writing
Outcome calls with parents and families (via video call)

From a cultural perspective, you are:

Comfortable working in a dynamic environment and embracing change
Excited about using new technologies in your role
Always looking for ways to improve our staff and patient experience

We commit to supporting your development and well-being, including:

The Paloma Clinical Academy programme supports all clinicians at all stages of their careers to develop (e.g. to our Senior Assessor role) and cross-skill (e.g. into ADHD when we launch that).
1 protected day per month for assessor team training, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), clinical supervision and reflection.
Quarterly development conversations with clear career progression pathways.
Clear weekly timetables that support a role mix across appointments, administration, development, and team building.

For full details please click below.

Job summary

Employer heading

Assistant Psychologist- PMHTR

Band 4

Values Based Screener

Job overview

Main duties of the job

Working for our organisation

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

Experience

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

Knowledge

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

About us

Additional Information

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

Documents to download

Further details / informal visits contact

Find jobs in...