Overview
NHS Talking Therapies Trainee High Intensity Practitioner — Band 6
Main area: Psychotherapy, CBT. Contract: Permanent (dependent on qualifying as a High Intensity practitioner). Hours: 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday, between 8am and 8pm). Job ref: 327-26-406. Site: Gloucestershire (Cinderford, Gloucester, Stroud, Cheltenham).
Salary: £39,959 - £48,117 per annum (Yearly). Closing: 19/06/2026 23:59.
We love what we do and we think you will, too!
At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people’s own homes and in a range of other locations across the county.
We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care. We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking “what matters to you”.
We’re passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and we are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality teams in all areas of the Trust.
Our application process aims to understand each candidate’s knowledge, skills and experience. We have found that candidates that use AI to generate their answers can lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description. It is important to personalise your application to convey your individual skills, knowledge and experiences effectively and for us to understand why you are applying for this role with GHC. We discourage over reliance on AI-generated applications as it will lessen your chances of success in securing an interview with us.
Job overview
The NHS Talking Therapies Gloucestershire is passionate about providing psychological therapies for the population it serves. We offer NICE compliant treatment to patients experiencing mild to moderate depression and anxiety.
We are a busy and expanding service with four clinical teams. The NHS Talking Therapies team comprises Clinical leads, Lead Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, Hi Intensity Practitioners, Senior Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners and trainees, and an assistant Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner. The Service provides evidence-based psychological interventions using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and other NHS Talking Therapies approved therapies. We deliver treatment over the telephone, in groups, face to face and using digital therapy options.
Main duties of the job
We are looking for motivated, enthusiastic and skilled individuals who will join our team as a high intensity trainee CBT therapist. The role will require you to undertake an intensive one-year PGDip Psychological Therapies Practice (High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) at the University of Exeter.
You will need to attend university as required, including up to nine blocks of teaching of four days per block. Most teaching will be two days per week, with the rest of your working week spent providing high intensity CBT assessment and CBT interventions in accordance with NICE guidance. You will receive clinical supervision in the workplace and in University to develop your clinical skills.
The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.
Working for our organisation
We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5,000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people’s homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.
Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:
* 72% would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
* 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
* 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust’s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.
This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Successful candidates will either have a BABCP recognised core professional training qualification or will be able to provide evidence that they have practiced within the BABCP career framework of training in mental health and can produce a completed KSA Portfolio at interview which includes evidence of working in mental health. This will need to be shared with the University ahead of the interview.
The BABCP’s revised KSA requirements can be found at: Information on relevant core professions, KSA documents and guidance can be found on the BABCP site under: https://babcp.com/core-professions/core-professions-list and https://babcp.com/core-professions/knowledge-skills-attitudes/
As part of your application, please provide a brief statement in support of your application for the post of IAPT HI trainee with reference to the NHS Values in accordance with The NHS Constitution.
When completing this section, please directly address the service user. For your information, there may be a service user representative on the interview panel or involved in the shortlisting process.
Note: This section includes guidance and references to national uptake and training requirements. Relevant guidance is available on the BABCP and NHS websites.
KSA applicants: Please see BABCP website for guidance on how to complete a KSA.
The university guidance on completing and submitting a KSA Portfolio will be shared with shortlisted candidates.
KSA applicants need to submit a complete KSA Portfolio at interview and this needs to be assessed as part of the interview process. The KSA Selector will assess the KSA Portfolio provided by the KSA Candidate following the interview. Any job offer would be subject to the KSA portfolio being assessed as satisfactory.
Important dates below: Joint interviews with the University and the Service will be held between 13 and 24 July 2026. Successful applicants will be expected to attend a course induction at the University on November 30 and December 1, 2026. The course starts with a 4-day block at Exeter on Monday 4 January 2027 and a potential second week block at the University on Monday 11 January 2027. You will need to be in a position to take up employment as a Gloucestershire Health and Care Trust employee and attend corporate induction prior to the commencement of the course. This post is a development role leading to the band 7 HI Intensity psychological therapist role for those who successfully pass the assessments and qualifications. If candidates do not pass or leave the trust within the 2-year period, they may be required to repay a proportion of training fees.
You will be expected to travel and work across the county and work outside of 9-5 hours in line with service opening hours.
This post is advertised as full time 37.5 hours, but part-time options over 24 months may be considered. If part-time is requested and agreed, the successful candidate would attend University days on Mondays and Tuesdays each week and block weeks when timetabled during 2027 (0.4 WTE) and work 0.3–0.5 WTE hours within the Trust.
Flexible working arrangements will be considered. Any request will be set against operational requirements and is not guaranteed. The role includes delivering both face-to-face and remote appointments from one of four bases. Long-term working from base will depend on service demands.
We shortlist all disabled applicants who meet essential criteria in accordance with the Trust’s Two Ticks pledge on disability.
The Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy when sufficient applications have been received.
If you do not hear from us within three weeks of the closing date you have probably not been shortlisted. The Trust is a Mindful Employer signatory.
Person specification
Qualifications
* Undergraduate degree or equivalent in a discipline connected to mental health (e.g., psychology, neuroscience, or a BABCP recognised core professional qualification).
* An undergraduate qualification but with evidence of the ability to study at third year of undergraduate degree level (level 6).
* Those without an undergraduate qualification but with evidence of the ability to study at third year of undergraduate degree level (level 6) will also be considered.
* Qualified in a mental health profession (e.g., social work, OT, MH Nurse, clinical or counselling psychologist, psychiatrist) with substantial post-qualification experience.
* Experience of working in a stepped care service for anxiety and depression.
* Evidence of supervised CBT practice.
* Evidence of foundation level or sustained CPD in CBT.
Length and/or nature of experience
* Evidence of considerable relevant clinical experience working with adults suffering from anxiety and depression.
* Significant experience of working in mental health services where multidisciplinary teamwork was part of service delivery.
* Ability to manage own caseload and time.
* Ability to communicate clearly in difficult and complex situations.
* Evidence of foundation level or sustained CPD in CBT.
* Experience of working in Primary Care Services.
* Experience of delivering psychoeducational courses.
Professional/Managerial/Specialist Knowledge
* Knowledge of psychological interventions.
* Openness to learning new knowledge and skills.
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
* Understanding of anxiety and depression and how it may present in Primary Care.
* Understanding of the need to use evidence-based psychological therapies and how it relates to this post.
* Understanding of the national IAPT service and how it links to government objectives.
Personal Attributes
* Evidence of values consistent with the NHS Constitution.
* Availability to attend university as required (up to four blocks of teaching, up to four days each). Most teaching will be two days per week with a minimum period of high intensity CBT clinical practice per week.
* Ability to complete academic and clinical components and meet university requirements for training access.
Other Requirements
* This is a community-based post; a valid UK driving licence and use of own transport for business purposes are essential.
* Becomes a member of BABCP, BPS or similar when taking up the post.
* Experience of working with diverse communities within multicultural settings.
* Ability to communicate with persons whose first language is not English.
When joining, we offer:
* Free car parking at many sites
* 27 days leave plus bank holidays (increasing to 33 days with long service)
* A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification
* A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified staff
* Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay for unsocial hours
* Flexible, family-friendly and agile working opportunities
* Recognition and long service awards
* Fast Track physiotherapy
* Discounts and salary sacrifice schemes (Cycle to Work, Car scheme, travel, leisure and retailer discounts)
Note: This description includes standard application guidance and terms. Applicants are advised to apply early as vacancies may close before the advertised date.
If you are aged 16-30, you may be eligible for support from the King’s Trust. We will pass your details to the King’s Trust who will contact you if eligible. If you prefer not to be contacted, please let us know.
For more information see the attached “Additional Information for Applicants” document.
Good luck with your application.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
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.
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