About the Role
Do you have at least 2 years full time experience working in mental health and have great interpersonal skills that you want to develop while becoming a therapist?
In partnership with Canterbury Christ Church University, we are looking to recruit up to 7 Trainee High Intensity CBT Therapists to join WithYou’s Kent NHS Talking Therapies. WithYou is a leading national charity providing evidence based support for mental health, substance use, and family services across the UK.
Job Opportunity
The role is based at our Kent NHS Talking Therapies service and we will train practitioners to deliver evidence based psychological therapy on a one year full-time Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Intervention (CBT) at Canterbury Christ Church University starting in January 2026.
We are proud to offer a high quality Continuing Professional Development (CPD) offer, weekly 1-2-1 supervision, group supervision and reflective practice. You will be part of a supportive team of highly experienced practitioners and leaders, who are passionate about making a difference to people's lives.
In addition, this exciting opportunity includes an NHS funded Postgraduate Diploma course which will give you the skills to assess and deliver NICE recommended CBT interventions in community settings, for people suffering with symptoms of anxiety and depression. For more information, see the attached candidate pack .
Interviews will be held virtually on 14th and 15th October 2025. Successful candidates will need to start employment by 26th January 2026 subject to satisfactory checks.
Further information about this job
Should you be successful in your application, you will be required to provide 3 years' worth of references and where applicable, will need to undergo an enhanced DBS check.
This is a permanent and full time role, working 37.5 hours per week, dependent on successfully passing the Postgraduate Diploma, as we are committed to your continued development and retention within our organisation. The position will be hybrid and you will have the opportunity to work from home but you must be able to physically attend Canterbury Christ Church University in person throughout the course; this will usually be a Monday and Tuesday. There may be additional days that you will need to attend in person but notice will be given as far in advance as possible. We also require you to attend a weekly in-person clinic, this will be decided by your line manager depending on service needs and your location.
Information Sharing
Please be aware that by applying for this position, you give your consent for your application information to be shared between our organisation and Canterbury Christ Church University as the education partner.
How to apply
If you're excited by the thought of making tangible differences to the lives of vulnerable individuals, we'd love you to apply by submitting your CV, with a covering letter that showcases how you are suitable for the role. Applications will be accepted until 30th September 2025, but we reserve the right to close the application process early if we receive a high volume of submissions.
Once we receive your application, you will be asked to complete a pre-screening form for the role. Please complete this as soon as possible to be considered for the position. Please note that applications without a cover letter or completed forms will not be considered.
If you’re undecided, we have attached a candidate pack with more information about the role, the range of benefits we offer, what it is like to work for our team, and a video from some of our current CBT Therapists.
Essential Skills
In order to apply for this role, you will require a professional qualification recognised as a 'Core Profession' by BABCP such as Mental Health Nursing, Clinical Psychology, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, or an accredited Counselling qualification.
If you do not have a ‘Core Profession’ you will need to demonstrate, through the BABCP’s 'Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes (KSA)' application, that you have the required core training and competence for the delivery of a psychological therapy within an ethical framework. Please note that we will need to see evidence of ability to study successfully at Postgraduate level. In order to successfully meet the requirements, you are likely to need 2 years full time experience in the Mental Health sector. KSA submissions will need to be completed by our proposed interview dates in October 2025 and any offer of employment will be dependent on successful completion of this application.
For further information, please refer to the candidate pack and training programme at Canterbury Christ Church University.
Visa requirements
As these roles are funded by Health Education England for home fees and not for international fees. The University requires you either need to have a UK passport, or have settled status in the UK. Only applicants that have the right to work in the UK without time limits and working restrictions and are eligible for Home Fees status, are able to access the training needed for this role. More information can be found here.
Please note that if a high number of applications are received, we will use location as a desirable filter.
About Company
WithYou provides free and confidential support, without judgement, to more than 100,000 people every year experiencing challenges with drugs, alcohol and mental health across England and Scotland.
Our name reflects who we are – a positive place where people can progress, connect with others and get friendly, expert help in a way that’s right for them.
Our staff team changes lives. If you’re passionate about helping people get the support they need for issues with drugs, alcohol and mental health, we’d love to hear from you.
DE&I
As an organisation, we continue to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our staff. We know that representing the communities we serve is key to us meeting our goals of radically improving people's lives. We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring, and we encourage people from underrepresented communities and backgrounds to apply to join our team, including people with lived experience, people with disabilities, people from racialised communities, LGBTQ+ people, people of all ages and armed forces veterans.
As part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, we provide a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates that are veterans and meet all the essential criteria for a role.
WithYou is also a Disability Confident Employer, and we offer a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with a disability and meet all the essential criteria for a role.
If you have a disability, a learning difficulty such as dyslexia or a medical condition which you believe may affect your performance during any aspect of our selection process, we’ll be happy to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to perform at your best.
Benefits
* 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
* An extra day off for your birthday or a special occasion of your choice
* Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
* 2 days paid volunteer leave per year
* Auto-enrollment into We Are With You’s pension scheme
* Access to a Blue Light Card - giving you great savings on big high-street and online brands
* Flexible working opportunities and access to a range of services and resources to support you with your wellbeing
* We have an excellent Refer a Friend scheme which offers you a £500 bonus for any recommendations, any role! Our scheme allows you to recommend your friends and family to work with us and earn a £500 bonus payment for every successful referral you make. Please note, the Refer a Friend scheme is only applicable if your recommended friend completes their 6 months probation period