Job summary
- Main area
- NHS Talking Therapies Trainee Counsellor
- Grade
- Band 5
- Contract
- Fixed term: 36 months (3 year training programme attending university whilst working in the service.)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 150-MM1958-PC
- Employer
- Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- 1 position within North locality (Crawley, Horsham, Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath), 1 position within West (Chichester)
- Town
- Burgess Hill, Chichester, Crawley, Horsham, Haywards Heath
- Salary
- £31,049 - £37,796 Year 1 paid at AfC B5. Years 2 and 3 paid at AfC B6
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 10/08/2025 23:59
Employer heading
NHS Talking Therapies Psychotherapeutic Counsellor Foundation Trainee
Band 5
Job overview
This is an exciting new training role within NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression to train high intensity psychotherapeutic counsellors in specific NHS Talking Therapies modalities. This opportunity is on the Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) pathway. The training programme includes:
A 1 year core psychotherapeutic counselling foundation level training which also introduces the Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) modality. Following sign off for readiness, trainees can begin to practice within NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies.
This is followed by a 2 year post graduate diploma (PGDip) in psychotherapeutic counselling (minimum 120 credits at Level 7).
Embedded in your training is DIT, aligning with the NHS Talking Therapies national curriculum which is an extended 20 day curriculum.
Successful candidates will gain a minimum of 450 supervised client hours gained within the service (clinical supervision provided) and a minimum of 450 training hours (skills and theory).
Applicants will be required to self fund a minimum of 50 personal therapy hours as well as required travel to Roehampton University in London (who offer a hybrid learning approach).
Main duties of the job
Successful applicants will train with Roehampton University and once receiving sign off meeting a foundation standard of competence, commence clinical work within West Sussex Talking Therapies. This will include assessing and supporting service users with mild to moderate depression.
Trainees will be required to complete a minimum of 50 hours of personal therapy over the 3 years (self-funded), commencing in Year 1 prior to starting work with service users. Therapy undertaken prior to the commencement of training may not be counted towards this requirement.
Working for our organisation
We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.
Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.
Why work for us?
• Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients’ homes, and bases across Sussex
• Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement
• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
• Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staff
• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust
Our values—Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence—guide everything we do.
We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.
This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Candidates are kindly requested to read and ensure they meet the strict entry requirements set out in the Job Description and Person Specification, namely:
Recognised degree at 2:2 or above in any relevant subject or equivalent, or demonstrates competency via a portfolio of evidence, which meets specified academic equivalence requirements.
and
Completed a Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills (minimum of 10 days or 60 hours of face to face tuition at level 2 or level 3). Online courses are not accepted. L2 Award, Helping Skills and Introductory courses are not accepted.
Please note, we will not be able to progress applications that do not meet the university entry requirements.
Successful candidates must be prepared to commence employment in late September 2025.
Person specification
Entry requirements
Essential criteria
- Recognised degree at 2:2 or above in any relevant subject, or equivalent, or Demonstrates competency via a portfolio of evidence, which meets specified academic equivalence requirements
- Completed a Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills, (minimum of 10 days or 60 hours of face-to-face tuition at level 2 or level 3). Note: Online courses are not acceptable. L2 Award, Helping Skills and Introductory courses are not acceptable.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Show a commitment to working with people with common mental health problems
- Demonstrable interpersonal skills and values consistent with providing hopeful, person-centred care within the NHS TTad stepped model of care
- Evidence of communicating with individuals from diverse backgrounds
Desirable criteria
- Worked in a setting where agreed targets in place demonstrating clinical outcomes
- Experience managing own caseload and time
Skills
Essential criteria
- Ability to integrate training into practice
- Capacity to cope with the emotional, intellectual and academic demands of the course
- Able to develop good therapeutic relationships and maintain professional boundaries
- Excellent organisational and time management skills including ability to manage conflicting demands and work under pressure
- Demonstrates an understanding for the need to use evidence based psychological therapies and how it relates to this post
Desirable criteria
- Received training in and carried out risk assessments within scope of practice
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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
- Joel Gage
- Job title
- Operational Head of Service
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07775705710
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