Trainee CBT Therapist - Strides Eating Disorder Service

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust; London Borough of Harrow; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in London is offering a training role for a Psychological Therapist within the eating disorder service. The position is a 22-month fixed term leading to a permanent role, providing cognitive behavioural therapy to clients. Candidates should have a commitment to equal opportunities and be prepared to work with diverse populations. The role involves both training and practice in a clinical setting.

Qualifications

• Experience in providing psychological interventions.
• Ability to implement therapy programmes for clients.
• Commitment to equal opportunities and working with diverse backgrounds.

Responsibilities

• Accept and assess new client referrals.
• Educate family members involved in treatment.
• Adhere to activity contracts minimizing waiting times.

Skills

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

Risk assessment

Record-keeping

Education

Postgraduate diploma in psychology

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 role 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 with 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.
• To be responsible for implementing interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis.
• To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options, taking into account both 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.
• To liaise with other clinicians involved in the patient’s care.
• Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols
• To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients.
• To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care.

Teaching, training and supervision

• To 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
• To attend Staff Group with other colleagues in the service when possible.
• To undertake all mandatory training that is relevant to the post, including updates.

Management, recruitment, policy and service development

• To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.

Research and service evaluation

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

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