Counsellor/Counselling Psychologist | Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust; Kingsbury; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in London is seeking an Accredited Counsellor to join their team. The role involves providing psychological therapies in a diverse community, with a focus on evidence-based practices. Applicants should have an accredited counselling certification and experience working with mental health issues. This position offers flexible working patterns and opportunities for professional development, including access to further training. Staff are supported in maintaining work-life balance with agile working policies, and the position involves cross-site responsibilities across Brent borough.

Benefits

27 days annual leave

NHS discount

Opportunities for career progression

Professional development support

Qualifications

• Experience working with adults with common mental health problems in an NHS setting.
• Competence in delivering therapy in local languages is desirable.
• Familiarity with evidence-based approaches like psychodynamic and client-centered therapy.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychological therapy to individuals with common mental health difficulties.
• Conduct assessments and deliver therapy both on-site and remotely.
• Consult with GPs and community teams about patient care.

Skills

Brief focused counselling

Empathy

Assessment skills

Analytical skills

Education

Accredited Counselling Certification

Job description

We are looking for an experienced Accredited Counsellor, Psychotherapist or Counselling Psychologist to join our team at Brent Talking Therapies.

We are a large, well established service based in a diverse borough of London. Our service provides low and high intensity therapies at Step 2 and Step 3, alongside our Step 3 counselling service. We are passionate about the work we do and care provided to service users, and work by the trust values of compassion, respect, empowerment and partnership.

You will join a team of Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP), CBT Therapists and Counsellors, with experienced supervisors and colleagues. Candidates should be competent in providing brief focused counselling using an evidence-based approach e.g. focal psychodynamic, client centred, solution focused, humanistic. Ability to deliver therapy in local languages is desirable.

We welcome applicants who:

• Are passionate about the benefits of short-term focused therapy
• Have worked in the past two years with adults with common mental health problems in a primary care/IAPT or NHS setting
• Have extensive experience of assessments & enjoy working independently
• Enjoy working within a fast paced & busy setting with diverse populations
• Want to develop clinical skills & access further training
• The advertised post is full time however, we welcome part time applicants and also support flexible working patterns as long as core service commitments are covered.

NHS Talking Therapies services require all counsellors/psychotherapists to be registrants on the Accredited Register of Counsellors with the Professional Standards Authority.

To be shortlisted, recruiters search the PSA Accredited Register for Counsellors of your professional organisation’s register (BACP, BPC, COSCA, NCS, UK AHPP, UKCP, HCPC). Please ensure you provide the correct Registration Number in your application for us to confirm you are an Accredited Counsellor or Psychotherapist with your registering association. Counselling Psychologists are checked against the HCPC Register and would need experience of working within a counselling role.

We would consider applicants who have not yet obtained accreditation but have submitted their applications and are awaiting a decision. This needs to be clearly noted in your supporting statement.

This is within London borough of Brent. The main hub is at Fairfields House in Kingsbury and a satellite hub at Bell House in Willesden Green. You will be required to work across both hubs and in other parts of the borough, e.g. GP surgeries/community settings.

We operate an agile working policy. Staff combine remote working and being on-site to deliver face-to-face appointments and other service commitments that require a hub-based presence. The post-holder may be required to work at any times between 8am and 8pm on weekdays including an evening clinic as required by the service.

Benefits of working for Brent include:

• Wellbeing is important within our service and we are a collaborative and cohesive team.
• 27 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays, with an increase to 33 days with continuous service.
• NHS discount.
• Opportunities for career progression.
• We are committed to professional development, an support further training in a specialist IAPT modality, i.e. Brief Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Counselling for Depression and Couples Counselling for Depression. This will enable you to progress to a Band 7 IAPT High Intensity Counsellor with the service on completion of the training.
• Provide a systematic time-limited assessment and counselling / psychological therapy service to people with defined common mental health difficulties within the Primary Care setting.
• Exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of patients whose problems are managed by psychologically based care plans.
• Provide consultation to referring GPs and the primary and community care teams about psychological therapy aspects of patient care and a range of mental health issues; attend primary care meetings where appropriate.
• When necessary, arrange onward referral of patients to other NHS and non-NHS teams and organizations in consultation with the referring GP.
• Work as part of local mental and physical health services to provide a clear patient pathway for patients receiving a range of psychological therapies and interventions.
• Provide comprehensive and timely clinical information when referring within and between these teams and services.
• Liaise with voluntary organizations and other mental and physical health agencies over patient care and provide advice around primary care issues; have extensive local knowledge of associated services.
• Use analytical and judgement skills across complex presenting facts or situations in devising an appropriate response and intervention.
• Responsible for keeping clinical records and maintaining patient records in secure locations across sites; ensure any patient identifiable data is not carried outside of these NHS premises or between sites.

This advert closes on Wednesday 31 Dec 2025.