# High Intensity Therapist: Psychotherapeutic Counsellor > NHS job listing from Job Clerk for Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. ## Canonical URLs - **HTML:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/high-intensity-therapist-psychotherapeutic-counsellor/596e0e88-6270-4f65-8a94-b523c0cad102 - **Markdown:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/high-intensity-therapist-psychotherapeutic-counsellor/596e0e88-6270-4f65-8a94-b523c0cad102.md ## Summary - **Status:** Live - **Employer:** Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - **Town:** Bracknell - **Region:** South East - **Country:** England - **Profession:** Mental health professionals - **Grade:** Band 7 - **Salary:** £51,657 - £58,785 per annum (incl of HCAS - some locations attract HCAS) - **Contract type:** Permanent - **Employment type:** Full time - 37.5 hours per week - **Closing date:** 2026-05-28T23:59:00.000Z - **Posted:** 2026-05-21T15:11:07.903Z - **Source information URL:** https://www.healthjobsuk.com/job/UK/Berkshire/Bracknell/Berkshire_Healthcare_NHS_Foundation_Trust/Talking_Therapies_West/Talking_Therapies_West-v8030071 - **Application URL:** https://apps.trac.jobs/job-advert/8030071?ShowJobAdvert=&feedid=9002 - **Employer website:** https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk ## Job Content ### Job overview We have an exciting opportunity for an accredited Counsellor to join the highly successful Berkshire Talking Therapies service. You will provide high quality, short term, evidence-based psychological interventions to people with common mental health problems who have self-referred, been referred by GPs and other referrers to Talking Therapies. In addition, you will be expected to support wider service delivery, for example supporting triage functions, care pathways, wider risk management and stakeholder engagement. You will also have additional opportunities, including management and supervision of staff, developing new ways of working and ensuring all targets are met. You will also have access to a generous CPD package and opportunities for further training and development. The role can be based in Slough, Bracknell or Newbury. Please indicate your preferred location in the supporting statement of your application. ### Main duties of the job - This post is for a position within one of our Berkshire teams which are across Berkshire. - You will be delivering a High Intensity intervention, using a stepped care model in line with the national Talking Therapies programme and latest NICE guidance for psychological interventions. - You will work with people with different cultural backgrounds and ages, using interpreters when necessary and should be committed to equal opportunities. - You will be required to work flexibly to cover the service hours of 8am – 8pm Monday – Thursday and 8am – 5pm Friday. This will include one evening a week plus an additional evening when covering groups or courses or as required by the service. ### Detailed job description and main responsibilities The “must haves” for this role: - Will hold Talking Therapies recognised accreditation e.g. NCS, UKCP, BACP, BABCP, HCPC - Be trained in a Talking Therapies modality e.g. PE-CfD, CTFD, DIT or IPT - Experience of working in the NHS If you’re someone who shares our passion for excellence and care, join us and let’s be outstanding together. We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to contact Claire Hall: Claire.Hall@berkshire.nhs.uk who will be delighted to help. We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required. ## Responsibilities The “must haves” for this role: Will hold Talking Therapies recognised accreditation e.g. NCS, UKCP, BACP, BABCP, HCPC Be trained in a Talking Therapies modality e.g. PE-CfD, CTFD, DIT or IPT Experience of working in the NHS If you’re someone who shares our passion for excellence and care, join us and let’s be outstanding together. We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to contact Claire Hall: Claire.Hall@berkshire.nhs.uk who will be delighted to help. We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required. ## Person Specification ### Experience **Essential** - Experience of specialist Psychotherapeutic assessment and treatment of service users within an NHS Talking Therapies Service - Demonstrates an understanding of anxiety and depression and how it may present in Primary Care - Experience of working with a variety of client groups and presenting problems that reflect a range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abus - Experience of providing, and adapting where necessary, Psychotherapeutic assessments, formulation, and interventions with service users - Experience of dealing with highly distressing or emotional circumstances, such as serious mental illness, child and sexual abuse, exploitation, and complex family dynamics - Experience of autonomously managing a caseload in a Talking Therapies setting - Experience of working with complex situations concerning safeguarding and risk management - Experience of working effectively in a team and multi-agency environment - Experience of working with, and addressing issues of diversity, including experience of working with diversity, multiculturalism, and equality of access to service ### Additional Requirements **Essential** - Able to work flexibly around working patterns as required - Ability to travel independently between locations in Berkshire to fulfil the requirements and duties of the position ### Knowledge, Skills & Abilities **Essential** - Demonstrable knowledge of Psychotherapeutic theory, principles, and techniques as well as evidence-based practice, relevant to the service area e.g. knowledge of time limited and accessible treatment for depression and anxiety presentations - Knowledge of the theory and practice of adapting specific NHS Talking Therapies recognised psychological therapies for anxiety and/or depression, in the context of co-morbidity and complexity (e.g. personality disorder, additional disabilities etc) - High level knowledge of the theory and practice of one or more NHS Talking Therapies recognised psychological therapies - Knowledge of effective care pathway navigation across primary and secondary care psychological therapies services - Knowledge of medication used in anxiety and depression and other common mental health problems - Ability to complete clear and detailed Psychotherapeutic assessments and collaboratively derived formulations of a service users’ presentation using standardised measures and deliver a treatment plan, modifying the treatment plan as needed - Knowledge and understanding of service evaluation, audit and research and completing this in the NHS - Skills in delivering individual and group therapy sessions using Psychotherapeutic techniques to anxiety and/or depression and/or address diverse mental health needs - Ability to manage difficult situations with service users that have complex presentations and/or challenging behaviours and to manage a demanding and complex caseload - Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, technical and/or sensitive information to service users, their carers/families and other professional colleagues, both within and outside the NHS - Well-developed interpersonal skills, with the ability to support, influence and engage with clinicians, stakeholders and service users to create change and improvement - The ability and skills to act as an advocate for the service, to engage and foster good professional relationships with all health professionals in promoting the good integration of this service with the wider health care system - Ability to confidently cope well under pressure, resolve issues and competing demands, with excellent time management skills and an ability to respond constructively to challenge or resistance, applying practical problem-solving skills in everyday and complex situations - Advanced IT skills and the ability to navigate various systems and software packages (such as Iaptus, RiO, Outlook, databases, MS office/Teams, One Consultation, and the internet) ### Education/Qualifications/Training **Essential** - A minimum two-year post-graduate (or equivalent) qualification in Psychotherapeutic Counselling, Psychotherapy, Counselling, or Counselling Psychology, comprising no less than 450 hours programme contact AND no less than 450 hours supervised counselling or psychotherapy practice (including hours gained after core training)1. - Accredited with British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) OR registered with HCPC as a Counselling Psychologist OR Registered as a Psychotherapist or Psychotherapeutic Counsellor with United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) OR Accredited with Association of Christian Counsellors OR Accredited as a Professional Registrant with National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society(NCPS) OR registered with the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) - Evidence of successful completion of training and accreditation/registration (as applicable) in one or more of the following specialist trainings in NICE ‘Additional Modality’ at practitioner level as specified in the NHS Talking Therapies Manual - NHS England » NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression manual Interpersonal Psychotherapy Therapy (IPT) Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) Counselling for Depression (CfD) Couple Therapy for Depression (CTfD) ### Continuous Professional Development **Essential** - Commitment to ongoing professional development as recommended by the professional body - Evidence of specific training, experience and/or interest and knowledge in psychological models and therapeutic approaches relevant to post ## Documents - [working for us (pdf, 773.3kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10317434) - [help with your application guide (pdf, 256.2kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?ddoc=2285) - [job description and person specification (pdf, 640.3kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10317432) - [value based recruitment behaviour framework (pdf, 454.2kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10317433) ## Agent Notes - This Markdown page is generated from the same Job Clerk job record as the HTML job detail page. - Use the canonical HTML URL for user-facing references. - Use the application URL when the user wants to apply on the source NHS site.