Aspiring Psychologist - Learning Support Assistant

Job Title: Aspiring Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant (Specialist Autism& Additional Needs
-Informed Provision)
Location: Haringey
Start Date: September 2026
Pay: £108 per day
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Contract: Full-time, Term Time Only

This is not a standard teaching assistant role. You will be joining a small, nurturing team dedicated to helping students re-engage with education by first addressing their emotional dysregulation. The students you will support have often experienced significant setbacks, leading to a loss of trust in adults and the education system.

Your role goes beyond academics. You will act as a secure base, using your emotional intelligence to help students feel safe enough to take risks in their learning.

As an aspiring psychologist, you understand that behaviour is communication. In this role, you will actively practice and refine your ability to read and respond to non-verbal cues.

• Reading the Room: You will learn to identify micro-expressions, body language, and physiological signs of distress before they escape crisis.
• Co-Regulation: You will model calm, consistent, and grounded body language to help students regulate their own nervous systems.
• Therapeutic Presence: You will use silence and active listening as tools—not to fill space, but to provide a non-judgmental space where students feel heard without the pressure of immediate verbal response.
• Adapting Communication: You will tailor your tone, pitch, and proximity to meet the specific sensory and emotional needs of each individual.

This role provides a practical foundation for those looking to pursue careers in Clinical, Educational, or Forensic Psychology, as well as broader therapeutic fields.

• Applying Therapeutic Models: You will gain hands‑on experience in applying Trauma‑Informed Practice and Person‑Centred Approaches
  , working directly with the challenges you have only read about in textbooks.
• Behavioural Analysis: You will observe how anxiety, depression, and trauma manifest in daily behaviours, helping you understand the function of specific actions—an essential skill for any future therapist or psychologist.
• Intervention Planning: You will work with on‑site therapists to implement and monitor emotional regulation strategies, gaining insight into the practical side of intervention design and delivery.

If you are passionate about social justice and safeguarding, this role will place you at the forefront of advocating for young people who often slip through the cracks.

• Multidisciplinary Advocacy: You will work closely with external professionals (Social Workers, CAMHS practitioners, and Educational Psychologists) to ensure the student's voice is heard in key decision‑making processes.
• Systemic Support: You will advocate for the student's needs within the school system, helping to adapt the curriculum and environment so that it fits the child, rather than forcing the child to fit the system.
• Empowerment: You will coach students to identify and voice their own needs, building the self‑advocacy skills they need to navigate future educational and social settings independently.

• Educational or Clinical Psychologists
• Mental Health Practitioners & Psychotherapists
• Youth Justice & Probation Officers
• Social Workers & Safeguarding Leads
• Criminal Justice Professionals

• Delivering 1:1 and small group support
  , focusing on emotional regulation and academic re‑engagement.
• Building consistent, positive relationships to counteract negative school experiences.
• Supporting students with daily transitions to reduce avoidance and anxiety.
• Implementing sensory and emotional regulation plans.
• Observing and documenting behavioural patterns to inform therapeutic practice.
• Working collaboratively within a multi‑disciplinary team.

We are looking for resilient, emotionally intelligent individuals who are eager to learn. We welcome:

• Psychology graduates (or related fields) with a desire to move into therapeutic/clinical roles.
• Experienced…