Job summary
- Main area
- CAMHS Anxiety Disorder Treatment Team
- Grade
- Band 6
- Contract
- 12 months (Fixed Term - 12 months)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 371-CFS578
- Employer
- Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- University of Reading - Earley Gate
- Town
- Reading
- Salary
- £40,617 - £48,778 per annum (inc. of HCAS)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 16/09/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Trainee Psychological Therapist - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Band 6
Job overview
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BHFT), in partnership with the University of Reading, is pleased to offer opportunities for Trainee High-Intensity CBT Therapists within our Children, Families and All Age (CFAA) Service.
Trainees will complete the Postgraduate Diploma at the University of Reading while working clinically in one of our CAMHS teams. Placement opportunities are available across a number of teams within CFAA, including:
- Getting Help Teams (GHTs) – providing early intervention and CBT-informed support for children and young people with mild to moderate mental health difficulties.
- Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) – delivering evidence-based interventions in schools for anxiety, low mood, and other common mental health difficulties.
- Specialist Community Teams (Slough) – supporting young people with more complex presentations across a range of needs.
- Anxiety and Depression Treatment Team (ADTT) – based at Erlegh House, University of Reading, delivering CBT for young people experiencing more severe or enduring difficulties.
As part of the recruitment process, applicants will be asked to indicate their preferred team placement(s) within their application.
These posts are full-time for one year, including time spent in training at the University of Reading.
Main duties of the job
- To provide a high standard of assessment and treatment for patients referred to the service
- To take responsibility for an agreed clinical caseload, involving care co-ordination as appropriate to ensure continuity
- To collaboratively assess and provide needs-based treatment programmes and discharge plans for patients, utilising Care Programme Approach (CPA) where appropriate
- To plan and provide appropriate therapy services in consultation with users, carers and clinical teams for patients referred, within defined resources and using evidence-based practice
- To develop and maintain relevant and evidence-based therapeutic activities as appropriate to the patient group served, including opportunities for cognitive, creative, education, work, leisure, interpersonal and life skills
- To regularly review and evaluate treatment programmes with patients, carers and members of the clinical teams
- To participate in clinical meetings, case conferences and CPA meetings
- To enable the transition of patients through stages in their care involving care planning and therapy programmes
- To compile written reports as required and to generate and maintain accurate treatment records in each patients file, which are stored securely
- To monitor and evaluate the service provision
- To attend and engage in regular clinical supervision
- To complete the post-graduate diploma in children and young people’s CBT at the University of Reading
Working for our organisation
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.
Hear what our people say about working for our CAMHS service: https://bit.ly/CAMHS]
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:
- Flexible working options to support work-life balance
- 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
- Generous NHS pension scheme
- Excellent learning and career development opportunities
- ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
- Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
- Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
- Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
- Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
- Free parking across Trust sites
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
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The “must haves” for this role:
The course you will be completing at the University of Reading as part of this role is a Level 2 accredited course with BABCP. This means that upon completion trainees will meet criteria to apply for provisional accreditation as a CBT therapist with the BABCP.
To apply, you must meet the criteria for CBT training and also have a BABCP-recognised professional background in mental health or related areas. This means having a recognised Core Profession. You can find out whether you have a recognised Core Profession here.
If you do not have a Core Profession, you must complete a portfolio of evidence to show that you have equivalent training and experience. This is known as the Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes portfolio (KSA). If applying via the KSA route, you must have completed a self-statement for KSA criterion 4 before interview and, if successful at interview, will need to prepare the other required sections ahead of the start of the course (including obtaining references). Please see the BABCP website for guidance and exemplars.
If you have undertaken low-intensity CBT training (e.g., PWP, CWP or EMHP) you must have at least 2 years’ experience between the exam board of your previous training (not just coursework completion or a letter from the department) and the start date of any high-intensity training. This is nationally mandated and is there are no exceptions; you will be asked to evidence your exam board date (or date of graduation certificate if no evidence of exam board) prior to invite to interview.
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification. We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted. For further application tips – see the help with your application document attached once you click apply. If you’re someone who shares our passion for excellence and care, you belong at Berkshire Healthcare!
We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to contact: Rhona Edwards on 07890395552 or [email protected] who’ll be delighted to help.
Interviews will be held in two parts. A first interview with BHFT on 23rd and 24th September 2025 and a second stage with BHFT alongside the University of Reading on 30th September 2025.
We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required.
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Person specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential criteria
- A recorded/registered qualification at graduate level and current accreditation in one of the core professions as defined BABCP: Mental health or learning disability nursing, psychiatry, social work, counselling, occupational therapy, arts therapy, psychotherapy, applied psychology, or psychological therapy. Please see the BABCP Website for more detail of the core professions list and required professional registration/accreditation.
- OR: Evidence of meeting the Knowledge Skills and Attitude (KSA) requirements of BABCP
- AND: Proven ability to complete full KSA portfolio prior to entry onto the programme
- Basic knowledge and experience of the relevant psychological practice acquired from an introductory program (e.g., a foundation course in CBT)
- OR: Having had introductory supervised practice experience of the relevant psychological modality
Desirable criteria
- CBT or other relevant Certificate level training
Continuous Professional Development
Essential criteria
- Commitment to ongoing professional development as recommended by the professional body specific to job title
- Evidence of specific training, experience and/or interest and knowledge in psychological models and therapeutic approaches relevant to post
Previous Experience
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable experience of working in mental health services or relevant social care provision
- Experience of working with a variety of client groups and presenting problems that reflect a range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- Ability to manage competing demands and managing a caseload in a community mental health setting
- Demonstrable experience of working with safeguarding and risk management, within scope of practice
- Experience of delivering group interventions
- Experience of working with, and addressing issues of diversity, including experience of working with diversity, multiculturalism, and equality of access to service
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in a service where agreed /specified targets are in place to demonstrate clinical outcomes
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Essential criteria
- Demonstrates an understanding for the need to use evidence based psychological therapies in mental health care
- Received risk training (either formal or through experience) and ability to undertake comprehensive risk assessments within scope of practice
- Ability to use operational and clinical supervision and personal development positively and effectively
- The ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team with service users and their families/carers, adapting your approach according to the individual needs of the service users
- Ability to use your own judgement and work independently within scope whilst having an ability to seek help, supervision and support when appropriate
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build and develop therapeutic relationships with a range of people
- Ability to manage sensitive and difficult conversations, emotional distress and trauma with empathy, compassion, reassurance, resilience and sensitivity.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, technical and/or sensitive information to service users, their carers/families and other professional colleagues, both within and outside the NHS
- Well-developed interpersonal skills, with the ability to support, influence and engage with clinicians, stakeholders and service users to create change and improvement, within scope of practice
- Ability to confidently cope well under pressure, resolve issues and competing demands, with excellent time management skills and an ability to respond constructively to challenge or resistance, applying practical problem-solving skills in everyday and complex situations.
- Excellent IT skills and the ability to navigate various systems and software packages (such as RiO, Outlook, databases, MS office/Teams, One Consultation, and the internet).
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge and understanding of service evaluation, audit and research and completing this in the NHS
Additional Requirements
Essential criteria
- Able to work flexibly around working patterns including evening and/or weekend shifts as required, and ability to travel independently between locations in Berkshire to fulfil the requirements and duties of the position.
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Rhona Edwards
- Job title
- Spec. Psychological Therapist - CBT/Clinical Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07890395552
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