NHS Talking Therapies Psychotherapeutic Counsellor Foundation Trainee

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust; Brighton; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading community healthcare provider in Brighton is seeking candidates for a training role in psychotherapeutic counselling. The position includes training in Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy and the opportunity to gain practical experience. Applicants will self-fund therapy sessions and complete a postgraduate diploma while gaining supervised client hours to support individuals with mild to moderate depression. Join a diverse and inclusive environment dedicated to compassionate care.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Excellent training opportunities

Positive work environment

Qualifications

• Applicants must complete a minimum of 50 personal therapy hours (self-funded).
• Minimum supervised client hours required: 450.
• Candidates must have foundational training in psychotherapeutic counselling.

Responsibilities

• Train in Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) modalities.
• Support service users with mild to moderate depression.
• Complete post graduate diploma (PGDip) during the training.

Skills

Clinical supervision

Assessment and support

Psychotherapeutic techniques

Education

Minimum 120 credits at Level 7

Job description

Role

This is an exciting new training role within NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression to train high intensity psychotherapeutic counsellors in specific NHS Talking Therapies modalities. This opportunity is on the Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) pathway. The training programme includes:

A 1 year core psychotherapeutic counselling foundation level training which also introduces the Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) modality. Following sign off for readiness, trainees can begin to practice within NHS West Sussex Talking Therapies.

This is followed by a 2 year post graduate diploma (PGDip) in psychotherapeutic counselling (minimum 120 credits at Level 7).

Embedded in your training is DIT, aligning with the NHS Talking Therapies national curriculum which is an extended 20 day curriculum.

Successful candidates will gain a minimum of 450 supervised client hours gained within the service (clinical supervision provided) and a minimum of 450 training hours (skills and theory).

Applicants will be required to self fund a minimum of 50 personal therapy hours as well as required travel to Roehampton University in London (who offer a hybrid learning approach).

Successful applicants will train with Roehampton University and once receiving sign off meeting a foundation standard of competence, commence clinical work within West Sussex Talking Therapies. This will include assessing and supporting service users with mild to moderate depression.

Trainees will be required to complete a minimum of 50 hours of personal therapy over the 3 years (self-funded), commencing in Year 1 prior to starting work with service users. Therapy undertaken prior to the commencement of training may not be counted towards this requirement.

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?

• Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients’ homes, and bases across Sussex
• Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement
• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
• Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staff
• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust
  
  

Our values—Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence—guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Joel Gage Job title: Operational Head of Service Email address: [e-mail] Telephone number: 07775705710