CAMHS CBT Psychotherapist: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

Are you a passionate and experienced CBT Psychotherapist looking to make a real difference to the lives of children and young people?An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) as a Band 7 CBT Psychotherapist on a fixed-term basis for 36 months. We are seeking a motivated and skilled clinician to provide specialist assessment and evidence-based psychological interventions for children and young people experiencing a range of emotional and mental health difficulties.

Role Purpose:

The post-holder will provide a specialist Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) service to children and young people presenting with moderate to severe mental health difficulties within a Community CAMHS setting.

The post-holder will undertake specialist psychological assessment, formulation, risk assessment and evidence-based CBT interventions with children, young people and their families/carers. The role will involve working as part of a multidisciplinary team to support timely access to effective care, contribute to care planning, safeguarding, risk management, clinical supervision, service development and quality improvement.

It would be advantageous to have completed and hold recognised EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) training and have experience of applying EMDR interventions within a trauma-informed clinical setting.

Main duties of the job

Role Context:The post holder will work as part of the Community CAMHS North team, one of three locality teams providing services across Bassetlaw, Newark, and Sherwood. The team operates within a multidisciplinary framework, working collaboratively with a range of professionals to support children, young people, and their families.

This is a community-based role, with work taking place across a variety of settings including clinics, family homes, schools, and other local environments. The post holder will operate under the supervision of qualified practitioners, contributing to the delivery of care plans and supporting engagement with services.

The role involves regular interaction with children, young people, families, carers, and partner agencies. It requires the ability to build effective working relationships, communicate sensitively, and contribute to a coordinated approach to care.

In addition to direct support, the post holder will contribute to the ongoing development of the service by supporting the involvement and participation of children and young people, ensuring their views inform service improvement.

All duties will be carried out in accordance with Trust policies and procedures, with particular regard to safeguarding, confidentiality, equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Recognised qualification in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at postgraduate diploma level or equivalent.
• BABCP accreditation as a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, or clear eligibility and active progression towards accreditation within an agreed timeframe.
• Core professional qualification or relevant mental health professional background, such as nursing, social work, occupational therapy, psychology, psychotherapy, counselling, or equivalent substantial CAMHS/mental health experience.
• Evidence of ongoing continuing professional development relevant to CBT and child and adolescent mental health.

Desirable

• Additional training in CBT for children and young people.
• EMDR training (Part 1/Part 2 or accredited practitioner status) and experience in delivering EMDR-informed interventions.
• Training in supervision, consultation or leadership.

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience of working with children, young people and families with mental health difficulties.
• Experience of delivering CBT interventions for moderate to severe mental health presentations.
• Experience of undertaking specialist mental health assessments, formulations and treatment plans.
• Experience of assessing and managing clinical risk, including self-harm and suicidal ideation.
• Experience of safeguarding children and working within multi-agency systems.
• Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Experience of adapting clinical practice to meet the developmental needs of children and young people.

Desirable

• Experience working in a Community CAMHS service.
• Experience delivering group interventions or parent/carer programmes.
• Experience working with young people with autism, ADHD, learning disability or complex trauma.
• Experience providing supervision, consultation or training to other professionals.
• Experience contributing to service development, audit or quality improvement.

Knowledge

Essential

• Specialist knowledge of CBT theory, formulation and evidence-based intervention.
• Knowledge of child and adolescent development.
• Knowledge of common mental health presentations in children and young people.
• Knowledge of risk assessment and risk management in CAMHS.
• Knowledge of safeguarding children legislation, guidance and procedures.
• Understanding of the impact of family, school, peer, cultural and social contexts on children’s mental health.
• Understanding of confidentiality, consent, capacity and information sharing when working with children, young people and families.
• Understanding of outcome monitoring and routine evaluation of clinical work.

Desirable

• Knowledge of CYP-IAPT principles, including participation, goal-based outcomes and routine outcome monitoring.
• Knowledge of local CAMHS pathways, early help, social care, education and voluntary sector provision.
• Knowledge of SEND processes and education-based support.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming and culturally responsive practice.

Skills

Essential

• Ability to undertake specialist CBT assessment, formulation and intervention with children and young people.
• Ability to adapt CBT to the needs of younger children, adolescents, parents/carers and family systems.
• Ability to independently manage a complex clinical caseload, demonstrating effective prioritisation, time management and decision-making in response to competing clinical demands and service pressures.
• Ability to assess, formulate and manage risk in collaboration with young people, families and professional networks.
• Ability to communicate complex and sensitive clinical information clearly, both verbally and in writing, ensuring accurate, timely and high-quality clinical records are maintained in accordance with professional and organisational standards.
• Ability to work collaboratively with children, young people, parents, carers and professionals.
• Ability to contribute constructively to MDT discussions, care planning and service development.
• Ability to use supervision effectively and reflect on clinical practice.

Desirable

• Ability to provide supervision or consultation to other staff.
• Ability to contribute to pathway development, audit, training or quality improvement.
• Ability to deliver psychoeducation or group-based interventions.
• Ability to support service user participation and co-production.

Physical Requirements

Essential

• Able to undertake training in the management of violence reduction.
• Has the ability to perform the full range of professional duties.

Contractual

Essential

• Ability to work flexibly and across the local area as required to meet service needs.
• A full UK driving license and vehicle for business use is required for this post; however reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled individuals in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Values

Essential

• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust Honesty Respect Compassion Teamwork
• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and how it applies to their role. The Trust’s expectations are highlighted within our EDI Policy, and associated EDI and Human Rights legislation.

Closing Date: 21 October 2026