Led by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and in partnership with YMCA Downslink and Southdown, Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service provides a community-based range of evidence based therapeutic and clinical interventions to support children, young people and adults with mild to moderate mental health needs. Our service is based in the community and located primarily within SPFT venues and GP Practices. We receive referrals from a number of routes including self-referrals and by General Practitioners, working closely with community and secondary care Mental Health services.
Main duties of the job
We are recruiting a Trainee Psychological Counsellor (37.5hrs per week) to join our NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression service in Brighton & Hove.
As an NHS Talking Therapies service (NHS TT) we offer a full range of NHS TT compliant therapies and job roles. As a service we support people presenting with mild to moderate anxiety disorders and depression.
As a Trainee Psychological Counsellor working within the service your main responsibilities will include offering clinical assessments to service users as well as evidence-based interventions for clients presenting with depression.
This is a trainee role for accredited counsellors who do not have a specific qualification in a counselling “Talking Therapies” modality. The role is fixed term for 1 year, during which you will be expected to have completed all the elements of a Counselling for Depression training. This training will be organised for you and paid for by the Wellbeing Service. Maintaining appropriate accreditation and completing the qualification in Counselling for Depression will lead to gaining a Band 7 substantive post within the Brighton and Hove Talking Therapies service.
To apply for this role you will need to meet the essential criteria as per the job description and be accredited with the BACP/UKCP or the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Recognised professional training in a psychological therapy as specified in the appendix 2
- Professionally registered as specified in the Appendix
Knowledge/Experience
Essential
- Qualified and accredited in delivery of a specialist psychological therapy (assessment, formulation and treatment), across a range of presenting problems maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- Demonstrable competence in the delivery of a psychological therapy and a track record of delivering positive outcomes in this therapy
- Experience of representing psychological therapy within the context of multi-disciplinary care and NHS settings
- Knowledge of guidance and legislation in relation to the client group
- Knowledge of the theory, practice and evidence base of specialist psychological therapy as specified in the appendix, as applied to the client group using this service
- Experience of the application of psychological therapy in different cultural contexts and experience of working within a multicultural framework
- Evidence of commitment to continuing professional development as required by the professional registration/accrediting body specified in the appendix.
- An ability to work drawing on the evidence base for effective interventions beyond a single model of therapy
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Closing Date: 30 April 2026
