MHTR Assistant Psychologist | Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust


Company:	CNWL NHS Foundation Trust
Salary:	£28,392 - £31,157 per annum (pro rata if P/T)
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Milton Keynes, MK14 6BL
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	6 Oct 2026
Closing date:	5 Nov 2026

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Summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and compassionate Band 4 Assistant Psychologist to join the specialist Mental Health Treatment Requirements team within Milton Keynes Talking Therapies. The role offers valuable applied psychology experience supporting adults involved in the criminal justice system .

You will support psychological assessment, formulation, low-intensity evidence-based interventions, risk management and onward referral. You will also contribute to clinical records, outcome monitoring, audit, research and service evaluation.

You will work closely with service users, Talking Therapies colleagues, courts, probation, primary care and partner organisations, communicating sensitively and adapting your approach to individual cultural, communication and accessibility needs.

Regular face-to-face work is essential at the Milton Keynes Talking Therapies base, Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court and other agreed clinical, community or partner locations.

Applicants must hold a psychology degree and have relevant healthcare, mental health or care experience. You will need strong communication and teamwork skills, the ability to work independently, use supervision effectively, respond appropriately to risk and safeguarding concerns, and remain calm and flexible under pressure.

Due to the high number of applications received for Assistant Psychologist positions, this post is likely to close before the application deadline.

The Assistant Psychologist will work within the specialist Mental Health Treatment Requirements team, supporting adults involved in the criminal justice system. Under the supervision of a qualified psychologist, the post holder will:

• Support structured psychological assessments, formulations, care plans and treatment reviews.

• Deliver agreed low-intensity, evidence-based psychological interventions.

• Undertake regular face-to-face clinical work at MK Talking Therapies, Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court and other agreed locations.

• Monitor clinical outcomes and contribute to decisions about ongoing treatment, discharge and onward referral.

• Identify, record and promptly escalate risk and safeguarding concerns.

• Work collaboratively with service users, court and probation staff, GPs, carers and other partner agencies.

• Maintain accurate clinical records, correspondence, activity data and outcome information.

• Contribute to multidisciplinary meetings, audit, research, service evaluation and continuous improvement.

• Attend regular supervision, mandatory training and professional development activities.

• Work within agreed competence, professional boundaries, CNWL policies and the Trust’s values.

Milton Keynes Talking Therapies offers a supportive and inclusive working environment, regular supervision, learning and development opportunities, and valuable experience of psychologically informed care across NHS Talking Therapies and criminal justice pathways.

The Band 4 Assistant Psychologist will be part of a small specialist team delivering Mental Health Treatment Requirements within the wider Milton Keynes Talking Therapies service. The post holder will work with adults involved in the criminal justice system who may experience common mental health difficulties and additional or complex needs. Working under the supervision of a qualified psychologist, and within agreed protocols and the limits of competence, the post holder will contribute to psychologically informed assessment, formulation, intervention, care planning, review, risk management and onward referral.

Regular face-to-face working is an essential requirement of this role. The post holder will undertake in-person clinical work and attend required meetings at the Milton Keynes Talking Therapies team base, Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court and other agreed clinical, community or partner locations. Remote working may be used only where agreed and clinically appropriate and does not replace the requirement for regular on-site and direct work with service users. The post holder must therefore be able to meet the travel requirements of the role and work flexibly across locations.

The post holder will deliver agreed low-intensity, evidence-based psychological interventions for presenting difficulties including anxiety, depression and trauma-related problems, adapting their approach for people with personality-related difficulties, learning disabilities and differing communication, cultural or accessibility needs. The role requires close partnership working with service users, carers where appropriate, colleagues within Milton Keynes Talking Therapies, court and probation staff, primary care and other statutory and voluntary organisations. The post holder will also contribute to audit, research, service evaluation, data quality and continuous improvement.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical assessment, formulation and intervention

• Undertake protocol-based psychological assessments under supervision, using structured and semi-structured interviews, self-report measures, rating scales and direct or indirect observation.

• Gather and organise relevant information from service users and, where appropriate, carers and professionals involved in their care, in accordance with consent, confidentiality and information-sharing requirements.

• Contribute to psychologically informed formulations and care plans by identifying presenting difficulties, strengths, risks, goals and appropriate interventions.

• Deliver agreed low-intensity, evidence-based psychological interventions and monitor progress using routine clinical outcome measures.

• Adapt communication, assessment materials and interventions to meet individual cognitive, communication, cultural and accessibility needs.

• Contribute to treatment reviews and discussions about continuation, onward referral, discharge or other support.

• Work within agreed competence and seek timely advice whenever a presentation or decision requires senior clinical input.

This advert closes on Wednesday 7 Oct 2026

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