The Contribution of Assistant Psychologists in the UK

Within the context of changes to the model of service delivery of Educational Psychology Services in the United Kingdom (Lee & Woods, 2017), the purpose of the current review was to explore the contribution of paraprofessionals within psychological services. A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses framework (Moher, Liberati, Tetzlaff, Altman, & The PRISMA Group, 2009) was used to search, screen and identify research relevant to psychology paraprofessionals. Following exploration through relevant databases, seven studies met the criteria for inclusion in the current review. The findings outlined the contribution of assistant psychologists in the UK and the potential wide remit of the role was uncovered, including contributions at a service level and direct work with service users. Key features to facilitate the successful deployment of assistants were highlighted. The association between employment as an assistant psychologist and subsequent progression into professional training was also revealed.