Job summary
- Main area
- Primary Care Therapy Service
- Grade
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job ref
- 364-A-9365
- Employer
- Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Southend, Castlepoint & Rochford
- Town
- Southend and Castlepoint & Rochford
- Salary
- £47,810 - £54,710 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 02/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading

High Intensity (CBT) Therapist or HIT Psychotherapeutic Counsellor
Band 7
Our Trust cares for more than 100,000 patients at any one time across our community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex and parts of Bedfordshire and Suffolk.
We want you to be part of our journey of transformation, where our patients and their families are at the heart of everything we do and to achieve our vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care.
You’ll be part of a Trust where you will be supported to be your authentic self and be the best you can be, where we will help you to grow, develop and thrive.
The Trust is recognised by the University of Essex and is a top provider of apprenticeships for people looking to be an assistant practitioner, senior health care support worker (CAP). Our trailblazing CAP apprenticeship won a national HSJ Award.
We are also recognised as a Veteran Aware Trust and holder of gold accreditation from the Ministry of Defence Employment Recognition Scheme. Our services are highlighted as an exemplar of good practice, producing the best care for more than 3.500 armed forces veterans in the past seven years.
We have been shortlisted and won national awards. We are an inclusive organisation and Level 3 Disability Confident Leader Trust.
We are constantly innovating and looking for new ways to deliver care, such as using technology to enhance patient care and working with partners to launch new services such as the Basildon Mental Health Urgent Care Department, virtual hospitals and falls response cars.
Join us and you’ll do the best work of your life – and make a difference to other people’s lives. What we do together, matters.
Job overview
An opportunity exists for enthusiastic, qualified NHS Talking Therapies (NHS TT) compliant cognitive behavioural therapists or qualified psychotherapeutic counsellors with an NHS TT compliant qualification (PCE-CFD, DIT, IPT, Couples Therapy for Depression) and who share our passion for great patient care and making a difference, to apply for roles within our busy NHS TT service based in SE Essex. The post holders will work alongside a large team that includes Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners, Cognitive Behavioural Therapists, and primary care counsellors/therapists who provide a range of NICE approved therapeutic interventions for depression and anxiety disorders. This is a demanding but well supported position.
Main duties of the job
The successful applicants will be accredited with a relevant professional body, have completed an approved NHS TT compliant training, be skilled and experienced in dealing with assessment and treatment provision of Step 3 interventions for clients presenting with depression and anxiety disorders, highly motivated with the ability to organise and prioritise their own workload. Applicants working towards full accreditation can be considered and, if successful, there would be a requirement to complete accreditation within 12 months.
Successful applicants will work with people with different cultural backgrounds and ages, using interpreters when necessary and should be committed to equal opportunities.
Working for our organisation
Therapy For You is an NHS TT primary care therapy service based in SE and NE Essex working from our own premises, GP surgeries and community settings. We deliver a range of services including self-help psycho educational courses, therapy groups, online/digital therapeutic services and individual therapies including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). The service works with adults presenting with mild, moderate and severe anxiety and depression.
We are committed to providing an out of hours service to the community and this involves working some evenings or Saturdays, typically 6-9pm or 9am-1pm respectively.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Therapists will predominantly use Cognitive and/or Behavioural Therapy in line with the available evidence base as their main, or one of their main therapeutic models and have demonstrable experience of working in mental health services.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
CLINICAL
- Accept referrals via agreed protocols within the service
- Assess clients for suitability for psychological therapies.
Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the department’s referral protocols, and refer unsuitable clients on to the relevant service or back to the referral agent as necessary. - Formulate, implement and evaluate therapy programmes for clients.
- Adhere to an agreed activity contract relating to the number of client contacts offered, and clinical sessions carried out per week in order to minimise waiting times and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient.
- Complete all requirements relating to data collection within the service and keep accurate records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols.
- Attend clinical/managerial supervision on a regular basis as agreed with Manager.
Further details are available in the Job Description and Person Specification.
EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of We Care, We Learn, We Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;
- Season Ticket Loans
- NHS discounts for staff
- Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
- Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
- The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
- Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
- Day One Flexible Employer, the Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Minimum postgraduate training in clinical/counselling psychology or an IAPT compliant psychological therapy model affording accreditation with a recognised professional body.
- Registration/Accreditation (or accreditable) with the HCPC, UKCP, BACP or BABCP
Experience
Essential criteria
- Therapists will predominantly use Cognitive and/or Behavioural Therapy, DIT, IPT, PCE-CFD or couples counselling in line with the available evidence base as their main, or one of their main therapeutic models
- Demonstrable experience of working in mental health services
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
- Highly developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
- Demonstrates an understanding of anxiety and depression and related emotional problems and how it may present in clients.
- Has received training (either formal of through experience) and carried out risk assessments within scope of practice
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Laura Cocks
- Job title
- Service Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
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