Employer Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Mary Seacole Town Birmingham Salary £27,485 - £30,162 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 30/11/2025 23:59
Band 4 Assistant Psychologist - Acute Inpatients
Band 4
Please note that this post may close earlier than the indicated closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Job overview
We are seeking a motivated and compassionate Band 4 Assistant Psychologist to join our multidisciplinary team within acute inpatient mental health wards, including male and female Acute, and male PICU. This role offers a valuable opportunity to support the delivery of high-quality psychological care to individuals experiencing acute episodes of mental illness.
As an Assistant Psychologist, you will work under the supervision of qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologists, contributing to clinical administration, psychological assessment, formulation, and intervention planning. You will assist in delivering evidence-based interventions—both group and individual—as well as supporting the ongoing evaluation of therapeutic outcomes.
This position requires full-time on-site working Monday to Friday. Flexibility regarding start and end times can be discussed. Please consider if applying that while there are risk mitigation and staff support systems in place this position will involve direct working with a patient group that can be highly emotive and present with risk to themselves and others.
The post is ideal for psychology graduates seeking hands‑on experience in a fast‑paced, acute care setting and looking to pursue further training in professional psychology.
Main duties of the job
* Support the delivery of psychological assessments and contribute to formulation discussion
* Assist in planning and facilitating structured therapeutic groups and 1:1 interventions under supervision.
* Collect, score, and interpret psychological outcome measures and service‑user feedback.
* Contribute to clinical risk assessments and ward‑based reviews where appropriate.
* Participate in audit, service evaluation, and research activities to support service development.
* Support in the completion of clinical administration, development of therapeutic materials, patient progress tracking and referral management.
* Work collaboratively with a range of professionals (nursing, psychiatry, OT, social work, etc.) as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Working for our organisation
Welcome to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our 4000 clinical and support staff help us to improve mental health wellbeing and meet the needs of the 70,000 people we serve each year. We provide a range of mental healthcare services across Birmingham and Solihull, as well as specialised services nationally. We also offer medical, nursing and psychology training and are proud of our international reputation for both research and innovation.
Our population is culturally diverse, characterised in places by high levels of deprivation which create an increasing demand for our services and a necessity for us to make sure everyone can access the help they need. We are a team of compassionate, inclusive and committed people working together to provide excellent care to support our community. If you are looking for a place to belong, where you can make a real difference to people’s lives, join our team where our warm welcome is waiting for you.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For further information about the main responsibilities please view the attached job description and person specification.
We highly recommend you submit your application as soon as possible, this post may close earlier than the indicated closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Person specification
Qualifications
* Upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology
* Entitlement to graduate membership of the BPS
* Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and /or research design and analysis
Experience
* Experience of work with people with mental health problems or disabilities or other relevant problems or disabilities (eg learning i=disabilities, organic impairment)
* Experience of working with people with serious mental illness (eg psychosis, personality disorder)
* Experience of working in MDT, particularly within adult mental health
* Experience of delivering psychological groups
* Experience of working in an inpatient setting, particularly within adult mental health
* Experience of working as an honorary or paid assistant psychologist
Our Trust is committed to treating individuals fairly and ensuring they have the same opportunities to fulfil their potential, even if this means doing things differently for different people sometimes. We are working hard to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity within Birmingham and Solihull and that our services meet the needs of all diverse service users and carers.
The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. As part of our safe recruitment practice pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. As part of the selection process you may be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, however all cases of criminal record history are dealt with on a case by case basis.
Please note, if applicable for your role you will be required to cover the cost of your DBS certificate. This will be deducted from your salary over 3 months. You will also be required to sign up to the DBS Update Service before commencement with the Trust. The Trust will reimburse this. You will be contractually obliged to maintain your subscription.
All successful applicants will be required to complete the Trust’s induction programme. The Fundamental (Statutory and Mandatory) training will be in an e-learning format. You will be required to complete training modules online (approx. 9-14 hours depending on post) by the end of your second week with us.
If you are successful at the shortlisting stage of the recruitment process we may contact you via email to advise you of the interview details. Please ensure you access your email account from which you applied regularly once the position has closed. Our selection process may involve more than one interview or assessment.
Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the United Kingdom (UK) are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. However, please ensure that you check if this role meets the eligibility criteria for sponsorship. Non UK /Republic of Ireland candidates wishing to apply can self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship here Browse: Work in the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The minimum salary threshold for a Health and Social Care is £25,000 and for the Skilled Worker route is £38,700. If the starting salary for this role is below this, we will not be able to provide sponsorship.
Relocation expenses may be reimbursed subject to eligibility. The policy provides for reimbursement up to £8,000.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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.
Application numbers
We highly recommend you submit your application as soon as possible, this post may close earlier than the indicated closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received.
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