Trainee High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapist

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals; Lancashire; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Blackpool invites applications for a Trainee High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapist. The role starts at NHS AfC Band 6, with training leading to Band 7 on completion of the programme. Full-time, 37.5 hours per week, with some hours outside 9-5.

The post includes a university-delivered Post Graduate Diploma and supervision, with salary in the £39,959–£48,117 pro rata range and a commitment to flexible working patterns.

Qualifications

• Graduate level qualification in nursing, social care, occupational therapy, arts therapy or within a psychological therapy
• Evidence of meeting BABCP KSA requirements
• Experience in stepped care service for anxiety and depression

Responsibilities

• Provide high intensity CBT interventions while undertaking training
• Attend university programme and complete academic requirements
• Assess clients for suitability for psychological interventions
• Formulate, implement and evaluate therapy programmes for clients
• Maintain risk assessments and documentation in line with service protocols

Skills

High intensity CBT

BABCP criteria

NHS experience

Education

Graduate level qualification in nursing, social care, OT, arts therapy, or psychological therapy

Job description

Latest jobs at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals

Trainee High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapist

NHS AfC: Band 6

Main area Trainee High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapist Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract Permanent providing the CBT Training is passed. Transferred to Band 7 on completion of the training. Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Expected to work 10% of hours outside of 9-5) Job ref 382-NBC124-26

Site Various Community Bases Town Blackpool Salary £39,959 - £48,117 Pro Rata Salary period Yearly Closing 24/09/2026 23:59 Interview date 28/09/2026

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is situated on the west coast of Lancashire, with services covering the local authority areas of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. The Trust is part of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System (ICS) supporting a population of around 1.6 million people.

We have three main hospitals providing acute services to around 330,000 local residents. The organisation also provides specialist tertiary care for cardiac and haematology services, delivers community health services to over 445,000 residents including those in North Lancashire and hosts the National Artificial Eye Service across England. Plus, we provide urgent and emergency care services to an estimated 18 million people who visit the seaside resort each year. We employ over 7000 people from 68 different countries.

We welcome and encourage application from anyone with protected characteristics, as well as supporting reservists and Veterans who are looking for a rewarding and challenging career within the NHS.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals encourages flexible working in all our roles to support staff in maintaining healthy home-life balance. Working patterns such as: part time working, self-rostering, compressed hours, annualised hours, term time, reverse term time and flexitime working can be explored.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen with Blackpool Talking Therapies. We require flexible and highly motivated individuals to undertake a Trainee High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) role.

The successful candidates will work within the service providing high intensity interventions whilst undertaking a programme of training for this role. The training will include undertaking a Post Graduate Diploma delivered by the University of Cumbria. This training post will equip the post-holder to provide Cognitive Behavioural Therapy interventions to clients with a range of complex problems for which CBT is demonstrated to be clinically effective.

Candidates should have a recorded/registered qualification at graduate level in nursing, social care, occupational therapy, arts therapy or within a psychological therapy or provide evidence of meeting the Knowledge Skills and Attitude (KSA) requirements of BABCP at interview. The successful candidates will need to be well organised, hardworking and demonstrate the ability to cope with a demanding job and have the ability to meet specified targets in order to deliver a high quality service.

Please be aware the successful applicants will be required to sign a learning contract on taking up the position which outlines that repayment of a percentage of costs incurred by the employer during the training period will be paid back if you leave the position within 24 months of qualifying.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will provide high intensity CBT interventions whilst undertaking a programme of training at the University of Cumbria. This will involve attending the university programme, completing all associated academic requirements, engaging in regular clinical supervision, and undertaking CBT appointments with clients face to face, via telephone, or video link.

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

Working for our organisation

Are you looking for a rewarding and exciting role at an organisation that cares about people? Are you a caring, respectful clinician who wants to provide high quality, safe, innovative care?

Pperhaps you are looking for the next step in your career and want to work somewhere you will be appreciated and able to progress?

At Blackpool Teaching Hospital we offer training and induction to all staff members new to the Trust.

We encourage all our staff whatever their role to keep learning through funded continued professional development which alongside a rolling clinical skills training programme can include more specialised clinical training dependent on the role, leadership development programmes, skills in coaching, and professional nurse advocate training.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals recognise that our focus needs to be on retention, rewarding and recognising our amazing staff through schemes such as Christmas Sparkle, national appreciation days, and initiatives like our ‘going the extra mile’ peer recognition cards.

As one of the United Kingdom’s largest coastal resort, Blackpool has plenty to offer its residents – it's not just a good place to work; it’s a great place to live.

Our strategic vision is:

As a high performing Trust, operating as part of an integrated care system, we will provide high quality, safe and effective care. This will be achieved in a financially sustainable way, through our skilled and motivated workforce.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We receive self-referrals and offer Talking Therapies interventions and psychological therapies across steps 2 and 3, and have developed pathways with physical health services in line with the National Talking Therapies Long Term Conditions programme, in order to expand and increase the offer of psychological therapies to the Blackpool population. There is an expectation that on qualifying as a CBT therapist the Long Term condition training will be undertaken.

The Successful Candidate will:

• Undertake High Intensity CBT training course and complete all academic requirements of the training.
• Once qualified gain and maintain BABCP accreditation.
• Accept referrals via agreed protocols within the service.
• Assess clients for suitability for psychological interventions.
• Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the department’s referral protocols, and refer unsuitable clients on to the relevant service or back to the referral agent as necessary.
• Formulate, implement and evaluate therapy programmes for clients.
• Use highly developed communication skills in working with people to understand their personal and often very sensitive difficulties.
• Attend regular Clinical Supervision.
• Exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment and treatment of clients in line with the service.
• Undertake risk assessments with clients and respond to these in line with service policies and procedures.
• Educate and involve family members and others in treatment as necessary, conveying CBT and other psychological formulations with sensitivity in easily understood language.
• 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 and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient.
• Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate.
• Complete all requirements relating to data collection within the service.
• Keep coherent detailed records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols.
• Work closely with other members of the team ensuring appropriate step-up and stepdown arrangements are in place to maintain a stepped care approach.
• Assess and integrate issues surrounding work and employment into the overall therapy process.
• Participate in the planning and facilitation of groups as and when required by the service.

Person specification

Qualification

• A recorded/registered qualification in one of the following at graduate level in nursing, social care, occupational therapy, arts therapy or within a psychological therapy
• Evidence of meeting the Knowledge Skills and Attitude (KSA) requirements of BABCP
• Experience working in a stepped care service for anxiety and depression

Experience

• Demonstrable experience of working in mental health services
• Ability to meet agreed/specified service targets
• Ability to manage own caseload and time
• Has received training (either formal or through experience) and carried out risk assessments within scope of practice
• Experience of working in Primary Care Services

Skills and Competencies

• Ability to evaluate and put in place the effect of training
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Abliity to write clear reports and letters to other professionals
• Ability to demonstrate good therapeutic relationships with clients
• Demonstrate ability to complete academic requirements of the role
• Ability to use clinical supervision effectively to support reflective practice

Knowledge

• Demonstrates an understanding of anxiety and depression and how it may present in Primary Care
• Demonstrates a knowledge of the issues surrounding work and the impact it can have on mental health problems
• Knowledge of medication used in anxiety and depression and other common mental health problems
• Demonstrates an understanding for the need to use evidence based psychological therapies and how it relates to this post

If the role you have applied for requires a Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) check we will administer this as part of your pre-employment checks. Please note, you will be required to repay the cost on appointment. This will be collected via a salary deduction. You can choose whether to pay this over 1-3 months from your salary or as a one-off payment on commencement in post. The level of check required depends on the role that you have been offered. Currently the charges are - Basic DBS check £25.50, Standard DBS check £25.50 and Enhanced DBS check £53.50.

You are encouraged where possible, to register for the DBS update service. This is an annual registration fee of £16. By registering for the update service you will not have the additional cost of repeated disclosures.

Should you withdraw your application, you may be required to reimburse the cost of the DBS check.

DBS checks remain free of charge for volunteer positions.

The DBS Code of Practice can be accessedhere .

Please note that every effort will be made to keep the vacancy live until published closing date, though there may be instances where such interest is generated, that for administrative reasons the post may close earlier.

Please note that in line with national NHS guidelines this Trust operates a strict non-smoking policy. Members of staff are not permitted to smoke on Trust premises or grounds at any time nor take breaks during working hours for the purposes of smoking.

The Trust does not offer interview expenses to shortlisted candidates unless indicated in the advert.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Cheryl Nicholls Job title Service Manager Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 01253 955577 Additional information

Robert Swithinbank - Clinical Lead
[e-mail]