Location
Ashford, England
Salary
£39,959 - £48,117 per annum (pro rata P/T) inc HCAS
Profession
Cognitive behavioural therapist
Grade
Band 6
Deadline
03 Nov 2026
Contract Type
12 months (Secondment)
Posted Date
20 Oct 2026
Medical Protection — the side of locally employed doctors from £83

Job requirements

Essential

11 listed

Requirements the employer expects applicants to meet.

  • Knowledge

    Knowledge and understanding of issues relating to safeguarding children and young people

  • Experience

    2 or more years of experience of working with children and young people in a mental health setting

  • Experience

    Experience of multi-agency working and/or multi-disciplinary working and liaising across internal and external agencies

  • Qualifications

    Minimum second-class Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent standard in a relevant subject (e.g. psychology, social work etc). OR Applicants who do not fulfil the academic criteria but with relevant professional experience are encouraged to apply and will be considered on a case-by-case basis,

  • Skills/Competencies

    Ability to communicate effectively and sensitively with children, young people, and their families, whilst considering social differences

  • Skills/Competencies

    Ability to maintain a reflective stance in emotive/challenging interactions with children and their carers

  • Skills/Competencies

    Ability to use supervision to reflect on practice

  • Skills/Competencies

    Ability to follow policy and clinical governance procedures and make proposal for change

  • Skills/Competencies

    Ability to maintain accurate records

  • Skills/Competencies

    Able to accommodate travel demands associated with the role

  • Skills/Competencies

    Ability to complete academic work across different learning environments at postgraduate level and balance the academic demands of the course with clinical placement demands

Desirable

7 listed

Additional qualities the employer would prefer.

  • Knowledge

    Knowledge and understanding of CBT theory and its application

  • Experience

    Previous experience of working within a CBT framework and/or using CBT informed interventions

  • Experience

    A year or more experience working within a CBT framework and/or using CBT informed interventions (e.g. PWP, CWP, EMHP and Parent Trainer)

  • Experience

    Experience of assessing and managing risk and safeguarding issues

  • Qualifications

    Previous training in a mental-health related profession (e.g. psychology, nursing, health visiting, social work, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, special needs teaching, psychiatry, psychotherapy, counselling, CWP, EMHP and low intensity therapies)

  • Qualifications

    Proven record of previous academic attainment

  • Skills/Competencies

    Understanding of evidence based practice and the ability to demonstrate how this influences good clinical practice

Job overview

Our service has an exciting opportunity for a CYP Psychological Trainings: Therapy Trainee (CBT) to join our team as part of the NHS England (NHSE) funded Children and Young People (CYP) Psychological Training Programmes. This government-funded initiative promotes the growth and skill of the child mental health workforce to meet much needed demand. NHSE covers salary and training costs for a 1-year position, allowing services to employ trainees to support specialist pathways to bridge the gaps in CYP mental health support. This is a unique opportunity to apply your learning from weekly teaching into practical clinical interventions working with clients in the service making a direct impact in the lives of children, young people and their families. this is a training and employment post and candidates will need to manage a demanding combination of academic work, self-study and clinical case work.

We are seeking highly motivated candidates who are enthusiastic about making a difference to children and young people’s mental health through evidence-based interventions based on NICE Guideline recommended treatment. You will be committed to the CYP Psychological Training Programme core principles: Accessibility, accountability, participation, awareness and evidence-based practice and in providing an inclusive and effective service for children and young people, along with a dedication to equity, diversity and inclusion.

Main duties of the job

Please note the position will be based at Eaglestone Health Centre, Eaglestone, Milton Keynes but successful candidates will be expected to travel to Anna Freud in Central London (Rodney St, N1 9JH) for teaching during the training year. More information about the course content and the different modalities can be found on the Anna Freud webpage: https://www.annafreud.org/ucl-postgraduate-study/ucl-postgraduate-programmes/child-and-young-person-iapt-therapy-pg-dip/

Training Information:

Course start date: 18th January 2027

This full-time training will begin in January 2027 with around 2.5 days a week for academic work (teaching and personal study), and 2.5 days based at the service seeing clients (children, young people, and carers) related to training assignments. Trainees will be both an employee of the service and an enrolled student with UCL/Anna Freud. Upon completion, qualified trainees will receive a UCL Postgraduate Diploma.

Application Process:

This is a dual application process. In addition to applying for this position with us, you must also complete a UCL application for the Course Team to review. The Course Team will liaise with us on whether you meet the academic requirements for the course during the recruitment process. You will only be offered a UCL training place if you are successful in securing this post and you meet the university training requirements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This intensive training post will equip the post-holder to provide interventions for children, young people or families using the core principles of the CYP Psychological Training Programme and consistent with the evidence base in the area of CBT. The post-holder will work in the service, for at least 2.5 days of the week using the newly developed skills whilst attending the training programme or undertaking self-study days for the remaining days, as required by the education provider.

Candidates will need to show evidence of being eligible for meeting BABCP KSA requirements for accreditation if they do not hold a core professional training.

Please note that this is a training post offered as a fixed term opportunity. Successful completion of the training programme does not create an expectation or guarantee of permanent employment at the end of the training contract.

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.

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Applying for this NHS job

This advert is for CBT Trainee (CYP) with Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust in Ashford, England. It is listed as a Band 6 Cognitive behavioural therapist role. The advertised salary is £39,959 - £48,117 per annum (pro rata P/T) inc HCAS. The contract type is 12 months (Secondment). The application deadline is 03 Nov 2026.

Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (20 Oct 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHSjob search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.

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