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Job summary

Main area
Talking Therapies
Grade
Band 6
Contract
12 months (Fixed term for 12 months)
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday - Friday, various locations across Central Preston and Pennine)
Job ref
351-CEN2650-LW
Employer
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
West Strand House
Town
Preston
Salary
£39,959 - £48,117 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
08/09/2026 23:59
Interview date
16/09/2026

Employer heading

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust logo

Trainee High Intensity Therapist (CBT)

Band 6

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism, community, and physical health services for the populations we serve.

As an integrated Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) delivers a comprehensive range of services, including:

  • Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults, including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, and forensic services with low and medium secure care.
  • Specialist mental health inpatient care for individuals with learning disabilities, alongside specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
  • Extensive community physical health and well-being services for children and adults, covering prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term condition management.

The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,500 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health, general nurses, children’s nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers, as well as those specialising in learning disabilities and community physical health services.

For more information visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

Job overview

**Please note this vacancy is being recruited alongside 351-CEN2651-LW - which is for posts based across Kendal and Barrow

Please submit one application only and discuss your requirements at interview stage. Any duplicated applications will be filtered out by Recruitment when the vacancies close**


LSCFT NHS Talking Therapies are looking for people with a commitment to deliver high-quality evidence-based assessments and interventions, a willingness to learn new skills and a desire to improve the health and wellbeing of people with anxiety and/or depression disorders. Both trainee and qualified HITs play a critical role in helping shape the future direction of the Talking Therapies service.

This fantastic opportunity is for existing mental health professionals to complete their training as High Intensity Therapists (HIT).  The training will take place with the University of Cumbria and will be face-to-face teaching at their university campus in Lancaster. These are full-time roles and trainees will complete 2 days per week at university and 3 days seeing clients within their team locality (c12 clients per week); you will be completing University Assignments and submitting practical tapes for supervision. Client work will be mainly face-to-face sessions with some remote/video sessions.  

Main duties of the job

We are seeking dynamic, hardworking and enthusiastic individuals who already have considerable experience and training providing psychological therapies and who are searching for the opportunity to train in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. For example, you may already be working as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP), mental health nurse, occupational therapist, social worker, counsellor, or a newly qualified psychologist with substantial clinical experience. The full list of acceptable core professions required to be eligible for this post can be found at  Core Professions (babcp.com) .   Applicants applying through the KSA route can view the eligibility requirements via Knowledge Skills and Attitudes (babcp.com).   Experience working within a Talking Therapies service is desirable. 

If you would like the opportunity to bring your own creativity, flexibility and commitment to LSCFT NHS Talking Therapies and you have the appropriate experience as described above, we look forward to reading your application soon. 

Interviews are tentatively scheduled for dates across September, with the posts commencing in early January 2027.

 

Working for our organisation

LSCFT values diversity and inclusion, recognising that talent from varied backgrounds creates a flexible, creative, and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from all, regardless of age, disability (including those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.

Our aim is to reflect the communities we serve, so we particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups. If you’d like to discuss your application, please ask.

We also welcome individuals with lived experience relevant to the role or service area, as your insight brings authenticity to our services.

LSCFT support flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as term time, part time, compressed hours and flexi-time.

The wellbeing of our people is at the heart of everything we do. We offer a wide range of resources, tools and support to help you thrive both in and out of work.

Explore our full wellbeing offer here: Keeping our workforce well 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

All applicants should refer to the person specification for further post requirements.

Applicants who have a registered core profession will be considered for shortlisting along with those who are currently a PWP with two years post qualification experience and have a completed KSA portfolio to submit to the university as part of the application process, * KSA needs to be submitted to the university before a firm offer can be made.  

Please ensure that you specify how you meet the core profession or KSA route within the additional information section along with confirmation that your KSA will be completed and ready for submission to the university on offer of post.  

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • A recorded/registered qualification in one of the following at graduate level in mental health nursing, social work, occupational therapy, arts therapy or within a psychological therapy. The full list of accepted core professions can be found at BABCP | British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies > Accreditation > Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist Accreditation > Core Professions > Core Professions list and criteria
  • Evidence of meeting the Knowledge Skills and Attitude (KSA) requirements of BABCP Knowledge Skills and Attitudes

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Demonstrates an understanding of anxiety and depression and how it may present in Primary Care
  • Demonstrates a knowledge of the issues surrounding work and the impact it can have on mental health
  • Knowledge of medication used in anxiety and depression and other common mental health problems

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Demonstrable experience of working in mental health services
  • Ability to meet agreed/specified service targets
  • Ability to manage own caseload and time
  • Demonstrates high standards in written communication

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Ability to evaluate and put in place the effect of training
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Has received training (either formal of through experience) and carried out risk assessments within scope of practice

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerCare Leaver CovenantStep into healthDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - Gold

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

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. You are therefore advised to consider applying for this vacancy as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Stephanie Mokler
Job title
Clinical Lead for CBT
Email address
[email protected]
Additional information

Any questions can be directed to Clinical Lead for CBT- Stephanie Mokler [email protected]  or Dawn Short [email protected].

This post has an application cap and is likely to close early,
please submit your application early to avoid disappointment.

 

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