Trainee CAAP (MSc PTPC & MSc APCYP ) Job Advert

Job details

Trainee Clinical Associates in Applied Psychology posts

Various locations within Scotland

Job reference:

Location: Various locations within Scotland

Job closing date: 08/07/2026

Job posted date: 17/06/2026

Salary: Band 6

Employment type: Fixed-term

Job Type: Other Therapeutic

Hours of work: 36

Department: Various

Employer (NHS Board): NHS Scotland

Trainee Clinical Associates in Applied Psychology posts

Health Boards in Scotland are recruiting to a number of Trainee Clinical Psychologist in Applied Psychology posts. These posts are available in adult and children and young people (CYP) settings. Successful applicants will concurrently undertake either the MSc in Psychological Therapies in Primary Care (MSc PTPC) which is jointly run by the University of Dundee and the University of Stirling or the MSc Applied Psychology (Healthcare for Children and Young People, MSc APCYP) run by the University of Edinburgh.

These are fixed term posts for 12 months which runs for the MSc training period. Posts are aligned with Agenda for Change Band 6.

You will be employed on a full-time basis by the same NHS Scotland Health Board for the duration of your contract. Your Band 6 employment is conditional upon you remaining registered on the training programme (MSc PTPC Programme or the MSc APCYP Programme).

You will undertake clinically supervised work with individuals or groups linked to the MSc programme objectives.

MSc in Psychological Therapies in Primary Care Programme

This BPS- and BABCP-accredited, NHS-funded professional training course provides you with the clinical competences to work in modern mental health services. Delivered jointly by the University of Stirling and the University of Dundee, it is designed by NHS professionals and clinical academics to give you the clinical and professional skills you need to work as a clinical associate in applied psychology within NHS Scotland.

You'll receive expert training in delivering evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to adults in primary care, and develop your knowledge of the prevalence, diagnostic criteria, presentation and treatment of common mental health disorders within a CBT framework.

You'll gain the abilities to meet a range of performance targets safely, while responding constructively to clinical supervision, in line with professional and ethical guidelines.

Further information is available on the website: Psychological Therapy in Primary Care MSc | University of Dundee, UK

MSc Applied Psychology (Healthcare in Children and Young People)

This one-year MSc is provided in an innovative partnership between NHS Scotland/Public Services Delivery Scotland, the University of Edinburgh and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It is a taught masters programme that trains psychology graduates to become competent practitioners in psychological assessment and interventions with children, young people and families presenting with mild to moderate emotional and behavioural difficulties, within an early intervention framework. This programme offers a combination of academic and clinical skills teaching with a full year clinical placement in a Scottish NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. Successful applicants will be employed as a Trainee Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology for one year in a Scottish NHS board. Completion of the MSc will allow graduates to apply for Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology (Children and Young People) posts. The next intake to the programme will be February 2027.

The programme is BPS accredited as an Applied Psychology Programme for Clinical Associates in Applied Psychology.

Specific enquiries about the programme can be made to Giovanni Panella, Postgraduate Secretary, School of Health in Social Science, The University of Edinburgh, email: applied.psych.cyp@ed.ac.uk

Who you are

You are a Psychology honours graduate of a British Psychological Society (BPS) OR Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) accredited degree programme that confers the Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) with an Upper Second or First Class Honours degree. A MSc Psychology conversion degree will also be accepted, if it is of Merit grade (average mark of 60% or higher) and if it confers GBC with the BPS. You must be able to evidence having received your degree award prior to application date - "expected" degrees are not accepted.

You will have an interest in applying psychology to working with mental health problems.You should have appropriate personal qualities suited to employment in the NHS. Some experience of working in a caring or clinical setting is desirable but not essential. Recruitment is jointly undertaken by representative senior academic and NHS staff.

You will be able to provide evidence of right to work in the UK without restriction.

Please note skilled worker visas are not available for these programmes.

Please note: This programme is not suitable for those who already hold a doctorate or masters level qualification in Applied Psychology or Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. Applications from candidates who already hold these qualifications will not be shortlisted.

If you have received funding from NES/Public Services Delivery Scotland for participation in any of the training programmes listed below you are ineligible to apply for these posts. Where applicants have withdrawn from any of these programmes before completion, they will be ineligible to apply for 2 years from date of exit.

• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (University of Edinburgh/NHS Scotland and University of Glasgow/NHS Scotland)

• MSc Applied Psychology for Children and Young People (University of Edinburgh/NHS Scotland)

• MSc Psychological Therapies in Primary Care (University of Dundee/University of Stirling/NHS Scotland)

• Post-graduate certificate in Enhanced Psychological Practice (NHS Education for Scotland/NHS Scotland)

• Stage 2 Health Psychology Training (NHS Scotland)

• Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Training (Human Development Scotland/NHS Scotland)

• NES funded certificates and diplomas in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), Family Based Treatment (FBT), and Family Therapy (FT).

Please also see restrictions on applying for further PSD Scotland funded training programmes post-completion on the MSc PTPC website and the MSc APCYP website

What you’ll bring

You will bring enthusiasm and commitment to learning through supervised practice alongside further academic study.

Selection Procedure

The selection and appointment procedure reflects the partnership of NHS Scotland employers, PSD Scotland, and the Universities, in the commitment to attract excellent candidates. Successful candidates will be employees of the individual NHS Health Boards. Applicants will be asked to state which boards they would accept placements in as part of the application process. You will be required to meet the requirements of your employing board with regards to attending placement setting, and in relation to hybrid or remote working patterns.

You can indicate which programme you are applying for, or if you would like to be considered for both programmes, as part of the application form. Members of the MSc Programme Team and representatives from employing health boards will undertake a shortlisting process of the applications submitted. All decisions through screening, shortlisting and invitation to interview stages are made with the applicant’s identity concealed. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview where the panels will comprise representatives from employing NHS Health Boards and the MSc Programme Team. Interviews for each MSc programme will be held separately. If you have applied to be considered for both programmes, and are successful at shortlisting, you may receive invites for two interviews.

Interviews will be held remotely via Microsoft Teams:

MSc PTPC between 28th September and 2nd October 2026

MSc APCYP between 26th October 2026 and 29th October

Following interviews, each NHS Board area will appoint the appropriate number of successful candidates to places available within their health board.

After interview candidates will receive a conditional offer or reserve listing or will be informed that they have been unsuccessful. Feedback after interview is not given routinely but is available to unsuccessful applicants on request.

Funding for the MSc PTPC and APCYP programmes is provided by PSD Scotland.

On acceptance of conditional programme and employment offers, pre-employment arrangements will be undertaken directly with the employing NHS Board, who will:carry out pre-employment checks such as employer references and your right to work in the UK; carry out health assessments and arrange Protection of Vulnerable Groups (criminal records) checks. Unconditional offers of employment and training places are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks. Following these checks, appointees will - through a combination of face to face and remote delivery - work with a caseload in their health board for the duration of the education programme.

Successful applicants to the MSc APCYP will also be required to register with the University of Edinburgh. Successful applicants to the MSc PTPC will also be required to register with the University of Dundee and University of Stirling and matriculate with both institutions.

It should be noted participation in the MSc programmes is a full-time commitment.Youwill notbe able to work in another job while undertaking this training. It is a highly demanding programme of academic and professional training that will require you to be flexible, very-well organised and self-motivated. Trainees should complete the programme within the scheduled 12 months.

You will have a role in mental health services that will require you to work and think like a health professional. You will need to be resourceful, determined and prepared to work and prepare for your clinical duties while managing the academic demands of training.

The minimum training standards of our accrediting bodies are high and you should be sure that your circumstances will allow you to make the commitments that will be necessary to undertake this training.

If you are interested in this vacancy, please refer to the corresponding documents including job descriptions and person specifications.

Unless otherwise stated the deadline for applications is 23:59 hours on the closing date.

Programme training dates:

TheMSc PTPC programme and posts are scheduled to commence 11th January 2027. As part of the educational programme trainees will be required to attend ALL scheduled teaching workshops. Teaching timetable includes a three-week induction period:

• Monday 11 January 2027-placement with your employing health board

• Monday 18 January 2027-University of Stirlingintensive academic training period

• Monday 25 January 2027 -University of Dundee (Ninewells Hospital)intensive academic training period

Thereafter attendance at university is usually on the last week of the month.

• In January-April teaching is Monday-Friday.

• Teaching on other months is Tuesday-Friday

• In July university attendance is not required

The MSc APCYP programme and post are scheduled to commence on Monday 1st February 2027.

• Monday 1st February 2027 placement with your employing board

• Monday 8th February to Friday 19th March University Edinburgh teaching induction.

• Monday 22nd February to Friday 5th March second part of teaching induction takes place within NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde venue or online via Microsoft teams.

• Thereafter teaching often occurs in weekly blocks throughout the year.

As part of the education programme trainees on both programme will be required to attend ALL scheduled teaching workshops