Job Summary
We are seeking an enthusiastic Assistant Psychologist, who is able to recognise and reflect upon personal and societal bias along a range of dimensions and differences. We are committed to increasing diversity within clinical psychology. As such, we welcome applications from people from backgrounds that are currently under-represented in the profession.

The successful applicant will be based in Maidstone but will be required to work at various sites across Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells.

You will work with multidisciplinary teams under the supervision of a qualified psychologist offering psychological assessment, psychological/psychosocial interventions and working independently according to a plan agreed with qualified staff. You will have the opportunity to be involved in providing individual and group work, working with carers and the wider team. You will be required to work 3 days a week, travelling between sites, attending meetings across Kent and, where necessary, undertaking home visits in a timely and efficient manner.

Please note these positions are only open to Psychology Graduates eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartership with the British Psychological Society (BPS).

You must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

Main duties of the job

• Need to understand and recognise the complexities when working with those with moderate to severe difficulties in the perinatal period
• To know how to keep themselves safe and understand risk
• Already be confident in carrying out psychological formulations, or you will be a quick learner when it comes to picking up such skills, under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist/psychotherapist.
• Be a person who enjoys working in teams with other professional groups and values the contribution that other professionals bring
• Have strong organisational, time management and professional communication/writing skills.
• Demonstrate the ability to engage with a wide variety of service users, their family members and multidisciplinary staff.
• Bring a positive and flexible approach to your work.

Career Development
We realise it can be difficult to embark on careers in psychological professions and we hope that by offering these posts, psychology graduates will have the opportunity to gain a wealth of valuable and relevant professional experience, to support career progression in the psychological professions. In these roles you will learn skills and gain experience which we hope will help support your career progression.

About us
We are Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway and are rated 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Our teams support children, young people and adults with a wide range of mental health needs. We also provide specialist services, including all-age eating disorder services and neurodevelopmental assessments for children and young people, such as autism and ADHD.

Because we work across the whole county and across hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the people we serve.

Our vision is simple: we are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. Everything we do is guided by our values: caring, inclusive, curious and confident.

Join us if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's working well together.

Details
Date posted: 16 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 4
Salary: £28,392 to £31,157 a year per annum, pro rata
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 18 months
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 380-FR0703
Job locations: Red House, Maidstone, Oakapple Lane, Maidstone, ME16 9NW, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
You will work as part of the Perinatal Mental Health Community Service, enhancing the provision of psychological approaches for pregnant and antenatal mothers and birthing people.

The role will include liaison with the wider team in the North and East through fortnightly meetings. There will be a requirement to work on psychological formulations, as well as individual and group therapeutic work. There will also be opportunities to work with families, colleagues from other professional backgrounds and external agencies.

There will be opportunities to contribute to service evaluation and audit projects. You will benefit from high quality clinical and managerial supervision. Participation in a range of available CPD activities, as well as peer support, will be encouraged.

You will be part of a multidisciplinary team, which includes clinical psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers, consultant psychiatrists, social workers, peer support workers, occupational therapy assistants and psychology placement students.

This is a varied and busy post, which will provide you with opportunities to learn and develop invaluable skills, both clinically and organisationally. We have a good track record of previous Assistant Psychologists gaining places on the Clinical Psychology doctorate courses after their posts with us.

Please refer to the attached job description for full details and main responsibilities of the role.

Person Specification
Experience
Essential

• A degree in Psychology accredited to British Psychological Society
• Experience of research, audit/service evaluation & project work
• Post-graduate experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs

Desirable

• Lived experience of perinatal mental health challenges

Knowledge and Skills
Essential

• Awareness of psychological issues in the perinatal period and their impact on individuals and their families.
• Ability to comprehend and communicate verbally and in writing highly complex and sensitive information in a manner appropriate to a range of settings and audiences, including complex highly emotive situations and those with significantly impaired communication capacities.
• Ability to analyse and manage complex multi-factorial clinical information from a range of sources integrating it into a formulation utilising a variety of psychological perspectives
• Ability to organise own workload effectively, prioritising a complex range of tasks and responsibilities to meet agreed deadlines.
• Ability to drive.
• Ability to administer accurately and speedily, complex psychometric text materials.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details
Employer name: Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust
Address: Red House, Maidstone, Oakapple Lane, Maidstone, ME16 9NW, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.kentmedwaymentalhealth.nhs.uk

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Parent-infant Psychotherapist
Heather Kemp
heather.kemp2@nhs.net
01622722321