Couples Therapy for Depression High Intensity Therapist Trainee

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust; England; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days leave + bank holidays

Generous NHS pension

Flexible working opportunities

Professional development

Clinical supervision & wellbeing

Job summary

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust is offering a fully funded NHS England training opportunity as a High Intensity Therapist Trainee in Couples Therapy for Depression. The role is 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, with successful completion leading to a permanent Band 7 CTfD position.

You will train, complete NICE-concordant relational therapies, receive supervision, and work toward delivering high intensity therapy in primary care.

Qualifications

• Two-year post-graduate qualification in psychotherapeutic counselling, psychotherapy, counselling, or counselling psychology with at least 450 hours of programme contact and 100 hours supervised practice.
• BACP Accredited or UKCP Registered, or working towards accreditation/registration.
• Minimum 350 hours supervised counselling/psychotherapy practice.

Responsibilities

• Provide high intensity therapy for patients with mood and anxiety disorders within primary care.
• Attend the training programme and meet clinical/educational components.
• Receive regular supervision and line management as required by the service.
• Work with diverse populations and ensure equal opportunities.

Skills

Relational therapy knowledge

Clinical risk assessment

Independent practice

Education

Two-year post-graduate qualification in psychotherapeutic counselling or related field (450+ hours)

BACP Accredited or UKCP Registered or working towards accreditation/registration

Job description

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

Couples Therapy for Depression High Intensity Therapist Trainee

The closing date is 27 November 2026

Are you a Counsellor or Psychotherapist looking to further your career within the NHS?

Join our friendly, skilled and supportive team at Herefordshire and Worcestershire Talking Therapies, one of the UK's leading services for Relational Therapies. We provide NICE-concordant Relational Therapies and specialist supervision tailored to each modality, helping you develop and enhance your therapeutic expertise in a service committed to excellence.

We are offering a fully funded NHS England training opportunity, working full-time (37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday). On successful completion, you will gain a NICE-approved Talking Therapies qualification and progress into a permanent Band 7 Couples Therapy for Depression (CTfD) High Intensity Therapist role.

Alongside excellent training, we offer ongoing professional development, clinical support, and a wide range of wellbeing resources to help you thrive in your career.

Applicants must read the attached guidance notes before submitting your application for full understanding of Trust requirements.

Interviews are scheduled for 18th december 2026.

Main duties of the job

A typical week offers a rewarding blend of independent practice, teamwork, and professional development. Through a combination of academic study and hands-on clinical experience, you will build knowledge, confidence, and specialist skills while working towards qualification.

With the support of experienced supervisors, you will work collaboratively with patients to assess their needs and deliver evidence-based psychological interventions, making a meaningful difference to people's mental health and wellbeing.

You will receive regular clinical supervision and guidance to help you embed your learning, reflect on your practice, and continue developing your therapeutic expertise.

The role provides a varied and engaging experience, including conducting assessments, facilitating groups, and delivering therapy. You will also have opportunities to contribute to wider team developments through meetings, clinical skills sessions, and areas of professional interest, helping you grow as a valued member of our service.

About us

At Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, we are working together to deliver outstanding care. We run community hospitals and community health services across Worcestershire and provide mental health and learning disability services across both Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Our people (all 4500+ of them) provide services for people of all ages, experiencing both physical and/or mental health conditions from over 100 sites.

We will support you to thrive; offer flexible working options for a great work-life balance, help you fulfil your ambitions, and empower you to make positive changes within your team or service. We value diversity and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities.

What we offer;

• 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
• Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when you work unsocial hours
• Flexible and agile working opportunities
• Great maternity, paternity, and adoption support
• Wide range of supportive staff networks
• Health and wellbeing opportunities

If you would like to know more, please visit our website Staff benefits | Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

Sharing your data -As a data controller we may sometimes need to process your data to pursue our legitimate business interests, for example to request a survey from you (optional), to support the Trusts understanding of where you gained interest in working for the Trust.

Job responsibilities

Job Summary and Key Responsibilities: Behave consistently with the values and beliefs of the organisation and promote these on a day-to-day basis.

Act as a role model to colleagues, always seeking to maintain the highest standards of professionalism.

Use their initiative and take responsibility for themselves and the quality of their work and the service they provide to patients.

Be part of Herefordshire and Worcestershire Talking Therapies Service and provide high intensity interventions and assessments whilst undertaking a programme of training for this role.

Provide high intensity therapy for patients presenting with mild/moderate mood and anxiety disorders within primary care.

Work within the service using newly developed clinical skills whilst attending the training programme ensuring that you meet the required clinical and educational components of the course.

Attend regular clinical supervision and line management as required by the service/ training course.

Work with patients from diverse populations and make reasonable adjustments to enable equal opportunities for all.

For full details of the duties and criteria please refer to the job description and person specification attached.

Qualifications

• 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 100 hours supervised counselling or psychotherapy practice.
• British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Accredited; or United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) Registered as a Psychotherapist or Psychotherapeutic Counsellor. Or working towards accreditation or registration.

Experience

• Minimum of 350 hours supervised counselling or psychotherapy practice.
• Demonstrable experience of working within mental health services
• Experience of conducting accurate and detailed clinical assessments and management of risk.
• More than 450 hours supervised counselling or psychotherapy practice.

Knowledge

• Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of at least one counselling, psychotherapy or psychotherapeutic model

Additional Criteria

• Able to commit to 100% attendance of appropriate training course.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust