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Job summary

Main area
High Intensity Therapist
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 5
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (attendance at university and placement on site)
Job ref
285-2369-MH
Employer
Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Goscote
Town
Walsall
Salary
£31,049 - £37,796 PA
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
15/08/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust logo

High Intensity Psychotherapeutic Counselling Trainee (DIT)

NHS AfC: Band 5

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist mental health, learning disability, and community healthcare services for the population of the Black Country.

Across the whole of the region we provide:

  • Adult and older adult mental health services
  • Specialist learning disability services
  • Mental health services for children and young people
  • Community healthcare services for children, young people and families in Dudley

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was formed on 1 April 2020, with the merger of Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust. Combining resources, strategies and talented workforce enables us to deliver a wider variety of outstanding services that are based on best practice and are continually improving.

We currently employ over 4,000 people and just like the population we serve, we are made up of diverse cultures and backgrounds. Whatever your role, working in a NHS Foundation Trust, like ours, is a demanding and extremely rewarding experience. Knowing that every day you can help to make a positive difference to someone’s life is a very powerful feeling. We know that our Trust runs on this desire to help and support people, and our Trust vision expresses this. Our vision is to improve health and wellbeing for everyone, especially our colleagues to achieve the best possible work/life balance.

We proudly offer supportive, inclusive and family friendly employment and flexible working policies. We have a wide range of professional services and employee networks to help our colleagues be at their best - and find support if they need it. To find more about our staff benefits, please visit our website: blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk. 

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and ethnic minority candidates are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Black Country Healthcare we recognise and value all forms of knowledge and expertise, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification or criteria in the job description/person specification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

For further supporting information to help you apply for this role please see documents attached under ‘Additional documents’.

Job overview

This post is part of NHS funded three-year Talking Therapies High Intensity Psychotherapeutic Counselling training programme in Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) delivered by University of Roehampton. Trainees will be attending their university course alongside their duties within NHS Walsall Talking Therapies.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidates will join NHS Walsall Talking Therapies service as a band 5, while undertaking a foundation year of their Psychotherapeutic Counselling training program. The trainee will move to Band 6 following completion of the foundation year of training. Following successful completion of the course the candidate will be offered a permanent band 7 position as a High Intensity Therapist in one of our BCHFT Talking Therapies teams.

Successful applicants will need to be in a position to begin their training in September 2025. You must be able to attend University, as required, which will include block teaching over several days at the start of the course. Subsequent teaching will be two days per week, in conjunction with a minimum period of high intensity psychodynamic counselling and later DIT clinical practice on three days a week in NHS Walsall Talking Therapies service.

Walsall is a diverse borough, and we would particularly welcome applications from clinicians who are able to deliver interventions in languages other than English.

Working for our organisation

Walsall Talking Therapies service is one of four talking therapies teams servicing the population of the Black Country. .

Walsall Talking Therapies service is professionally managed by a Clinical Lead and operationally managed by two Service Managers.

The high performing Talking Therapies team provides evidence-based psychological treatments (CBT, DIT, ,IPT, MBCT, CTfD, EMDR, CTFD) to people with common mental health problems including depression, anxiety disorders and PTSD within a stepped-care model. The clinical team includes qualified and trainee High Intensity CBT Therapists, and Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You will be providing evidence-based relational therapy treatment on an individual basis to clients aged 18+,  presenting with depression. You may also be required to provide initial assessments and other more specialist suitability assessments to service users accessing WTTS. Once qualified, you may also be offering DIT groups. There will be opportunities to develop areas of interest such as working with long term health conditions, working with clients with learning disabilities, working with perinatal clients, by contributing to project groups or taking a Champion role. The Talking Therapies services in BCHFT work closely together to develop care pathways and share expertise.

High quality supervision and CPD are a priority for the team. As a trainee you will receive regular weekly individual clinical supervision and weekly line management from one of our band 7 DIT Therapists working within the service. Upon qualification, your supervision may be in a group.  Y

You will work clinically within primary care settings and be required to work flexible hours in line with the improving access agenda. The service operates from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.  Changes to your working pattern may be requested according to our Ways of Working Policy. The service is currently offering the opportunity to work remotely, with an expectation that everyone is in the office for two days per week to meet the demand for face to face appointments. It is likely that agile working will continue to be part of the job role moving forward.

In addition to flexible working, we have recently introduced a number of wellbeing initiatives to support our teams. Qualified staff are supported through regualr line management supervision and our staff wellbeing initiatives. 

Person specification

Essential

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.
  • Demonstrable interpersonal skills and values consistent with providing hopeful, person-centred care within the NHS
  • Able to complete academic components of the full training programme including Foundation course, and postgraduate diploma.
  • Able to meet all the requirements of the NHS TTad Psychotherapeutic Counsellor training
  • Demonstrates high standards in written communication
Desirable criteria
  • Evidence of working with people who have experienced a common mental health problem.
  • Worked in a setting where agreed targets in place demonstrating clinical outcomes
  • Experience managing own caseload and time
  • Received training in and carried out risk assessments within scope of practice
  • Ability to use clinical supervision and personal development activity positively and effectively
  • Fluent in languages other than English

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyAge positiveDisability confident leaderCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Bronze Award

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
Michelle Sudbury
Job title
Service Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07435 994693
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