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Job summary

Main area
Psychotherapy
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Job share
  • Flexible working
37.5 hours per week
Job ref
270-TH193-MH
Employer
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Lotus House
Town
Northampton,
Salary
£57,528 - £64,750 pa pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
10/07/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust logo

Senior High Intensity CBT Therapist

NHS AfC: Band 8a

Job overview

Are you a highly skilled and compassionate CBT Therapist looking to make a significant impact? As a Senior CBT Therapist within NHS Talking Therapies, you'll be at the forefront of mental healthcare, providing high-quality cognitive behavioural therapy to individuals experiencing common mental health difficulties.

This isn't just about delivering therapy; it's an opportunity to shape and support. You'll be a clinical leader, offering supervision and mentorship to junior therapists, contributing to service development, and championing evidence-based practice.  If you're passionate about making a difference, thrive in a dynamic environment, and are ready to take your CBT expertise to the next level, this challenging yet incredibly rewarding role awaits you. 

Main duties of the job

The Senior CBT Therapist in NHS Talking Therapies is a multifaceted and highly responsible position.  It combines direct clinical work with significant leadership, supervision and service development responsibilities.

 


The most important skills and qualities include:

  • Exceptional Clinical Expertise in CBT: A deep and adaptable understanding of CBT models and interventions, especially for complex presentations.
  • Strong Interpersonal and Communication Skills: Essential for building rapport with clients and effective collaboration with colleagues.
  • Leadership and Supervision Skills: The ability to guide, mentor, and inspire a team while ensuring clinical governance.
  • Autonomy and Responsibility: Managing a caseload independently, exercising sound professional judgment, and taking accountability for decisions.
  • Analytical and Reflective Practice: Continuously evaluating progress, adjusting treatment, and engaging in self-reflection for ongoing development.
  • Organisational and Time Management Skills: Crucial for handling a high workload and meeting service targets.
  • Resilience and Compassion: Maintaining emotional fortitude and empathy while working with distressed individuals.
  • Commitment to Continuous Professional Development (CPD): A proactive approach to staying current with research and best practices.
  • Teamwork and Collaboration: Working effectively within multidisciplinary teams and with external agencies.

Working for our organisation

NHFT is an integrated primary care and mental health Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in both hospital settings and out in the community. Because we put the person at the centre of all we do, we focus on delivering care that is as easy to access as possible. This means many of our services can be provided at home, work or in schools. We also provide health services to various prisons and detention centres in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

NHFT promotes a culture of learning to improve the care and safety of our patients and staff, which focuses on people who enable our Trust to be ‘outstanding’ by supporting opportunity, innovation, development and growth.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will manage a challenging caseload, delivering specialist CBT interventions one-to-one, in groups, or digitally. Beyond direct therapy, you will supervise and mentor junior therapists, helping to uphold high clinical standards and adherence to NICE guidelines. As a Senior therapist you will also actively contribute to service development and improvement, working to refine pathways and implement new initiatives. You will act a consultant to other healthcare professionals and will be crucial in safety assessment and management. Additionally, you may deliver training to enhance the psychological skills of the wider workforce.

For further information on the advertised role, please refer to the job description located under the Supporting Documents heading. The full person specification can be accessed under the ‘About You’ Section of the document. 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • • A recognised post graduate qualification in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (or postgraduate level training conferring equivalent competences)
  • • Accreditation with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP) achieved through training and experience with adults with anxiety and depression
  • • A recognised qualification in one of the core mental health professions recognised by BABCP, e.g., mental health nursing, practitioner psychology, medicine, social work, occupational therapy or counselling AND current registration/accreditation with the core professional body, OR evidence of having achieved the Knowledge Skills and Attitudes (KSA) route to BABCP accreditation.
  • • Evidence of further significant training and recognised clinical supervision plus experience leading to a high degree of expertise and knowledge of specialist therapeutic procedures in the specific specialist field within NHS Talking Therapies.
Desirable criteria
  • • NHS Talking Therapies High Intensity CBT Postgraduate Diploma
  • • Evidence of post qualification training in clinical supervision

Experience

Essential criteria
  • • Experience of providing expert clinical leadership and supervision within a specialist area of practice

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyWorkplace Wellbeing Charter LogoArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardDisability confident employerCare quality commission - OutstandingStep into health

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Nicola Carroll
Job title
Service Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07500 886640
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