Trainee CBT Therapist - Strides Eating Disorder Service

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Foundation Trust in Greater London is seeking a trainee Psychological Therapist. This position involves providing cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) under supervision, conducting client assessments, and participating in professional training. Candidates should be committed to equal opportunities and able to work with a diverse client base. The role requires travel across various sites and is a 22-month fixed term appointment with potential for a permanent position upon successful completion of training.

Qualifications

• Commitment to equal opportunities.
• Ability to communicate sensitively with clients from diverse backgrounds.
• Experience or knowledge of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

Responsibilities

• Assess clients for suitability for CBT.
• Formulate and implement treatment programs.
• Evaluate treatment options based on client needs.

Job description

Overview

A Vacancy at Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. This is a training role within the eating disorder service. This is a 22-month fixed term appointment leading to a permanent Psychological Therapist post at the end of this period if the postgraduate diploma programme is completed successfully. The post-holder will work within the service providing formal psychological interventions whilst undertaking a programme of training for this role. This intensive training post will equip the post–holder to provide a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) service to clients with a range of complex problems for which CBT is demonstrated to be clinically effective. The post-holder will work in the service for 4 days of the week using the newly developed skills whilst attending the training programme for the other day.

The post holder will work with people from different cultural backgrounds and ages, using interpreters when necessary and should be committed to equal opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Accept referrals via agreed protocols within the service
• Make decisions on suitability of new referrals
• Assess clients for suitability for CBT
• Formulate, implement and evaluate therapy programmes for clients
• Educate and involve family members and others in treatment as necessary, conveying CBT formulations with sensitivity in easily understood language
• Be responsible for implementing interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis
• Evaluate and make decisions about treatment options, taking into account theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors
• Adhere to an agreed activity contract relating to the number of client contacts offered and clinical sessions carried out per week in order to minimise waiting times
• Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate
• Liaise with other clinicians involved in the patient’s care
• Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols
• Undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients
• Communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner information concerning assessment, formulation and treatment plans and monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care

Teaching, training and supervision

• Receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior clinician
• Receive supervision from educational providers in relation to course work to meet the required standards for accreditation
• Attend and fulfil all the requirements of the training element of the post
• Apply learning from the training programme in practice
• Attend Staff Group with other colleagues in the service when possible
• Undertake all mandatory training relevant to the post, including updates

Management, recruitment, policy and service development

• Advise both service and professional management on aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing

Research and service evaluation

• Utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in work
• Undertake appropriate research/audit and provide research
• Undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation
• Familiarise themselves with, and comply with, the Trust’s requirements on research governance

Service context

The post will be within the Support to Recovery in Disordered Eating Service (STRIDES) which works with adults aged 16-35 with mild to moderate eating difficulties, across the boroughs of Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon. Travel to a range of different working sites is required.

This advert closes on Thursday 2 Oct 2025.