North London NHS Foundation Trust

High Intensity Psychotherapeutic Counselling Trainee (DIT pathway)

The closing date is 07 August 2025

Job summary

This post is part of NHS funded three-year Talking Therapies High Intensity Psychotherapeutic Counselling training programme in Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT)delivered by Roehampton University. Trainees will be attending their university course alongside their duties within Islington NHS Talking therapies (TT).

Main duties of the job

This is a three-year NHS Talking Therapies training role working towards a qualification as a High Intensity Psychotherapeutic Counsellor. Year one is a Band 5 foundation course. Upon successful completion, the candidate progresses to a two-year fixed-term Band 6 position in High-Intensity Psychotherapeutic Counselling.

Training involves 3 days per week with the training organisation (Roehampton University) and 2 days per week in-service working with clients, initially offering high intensity psychodynamic counselling and later Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT). The course will be a mixture of in person training and online live input via the zoom platform. As this is a Postgraduate level diploma, you will also be required to be able to study and write academic material at this level. Applicants must be prepared to study and write assignments outside of protected study time (such as on weekends and after work).

This role will be best suited for applicants that are able to balance a busy work and study schedule.

Successful applicants will need to be in a position to begin their training at the end of September 2025.

About us

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.

Our Five-Year Strategy:

  1. We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
  2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
  3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care

Why NLFT?

  • We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.
  • We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
  • NHS Discounts, generous annual leave and NHS pension scheme
  • Excellent internal staff networ

In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

Details

Date posted

30 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£37,259 to £45,356 a year Per annum including Inner London HCAS

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

3 years

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

455-NLFT-0305

Job locations

Islington

10 Manor Gardens, N7 6JS and/or Finsbury Health Centre EC1R 0LP and/or Islington GP surgeries

Islington, London

N7 6JS


Job description

Job responsibilities

As this is a training position, please be aware that this is a dual application process where you must be employed in a Recruit to Train funded job to also receive a place on the course, and vice-versa. If you are ineligible for the University Course, you will be unable to be offered the role. If you withdraw from an employment offer but you have accepted a university offer, you will be unable to join the course. Trainee selection processes including shortlisting and interviews will be carried out jointly by recruiting IAPT services and Roehampton University. Successful applicants will need to meet both the requirements of the employing services job description and person specification and Roehampton University's entry requirements.

Please note that when you apply to this role, your name will be shared with Roehampton University. The service will usually be the Course Teams main way of contacting you until you have been sent an Offer, and so the Course Team at Roehampton Universitymay ask for information if it is missing but relevant to deciding eligibility.

Other information that might be shared includes:

  • Reason behind ineligibility for the course.

  • Queries regarding application (such as if you claim to have a professional registration without submitting certificates, the course may ask service to pursue more information)

  • Name change if you may have registered with a different name than HEI was given, they will confirm with service to ensure that they are reviewing the correct candidate.

If you apply to this job, you are giving permission for information to be shared between the Course Team at Roehampton University and the Recruitment team at the Service. The only information that is shared will be relevant to establishing eligibility for the job/course. No irrelevant information will be disclosed or discussed in relation to your application.

Job description

Job responsibilities

As this is a training position, please be aware that this is a dual application process where you must be employed in a Recruit to Train funded job to also receive a place on the course, and vice-versa. If you are ineligible for the University Course, you will be unable to be offered the role. If you withdraw from an employment offer but you have accepted a university offer, you will be unable to join the course. Trainee selection processes including shortlisting and interviews will be carried out jointly by recruiting IAPT services and Roehampton University. Successful applicants will need to meet both the requirements of the employing services job description and person specification and Roehampton University's entry requirements.

Please note that when you apply to this role, your name will be shared with Roehampton University. The service will usually be the Course Teams main way of contacting you until you have been sent an Offer, and so the Course Team at Roehampton Universitymay ask for information if it is missing but relevant to deciding eligibility.

Other information that might be shared includes:

  • Reason behind ineligibility for the course.

  • Queries regarding application (such as if you claim to have a professional registration without submitting certificates, the course may ask service to pursue more information)

  • Name change if you may have registered with a different name than HEI was given, they will confirm with service to ensure that they are reviewing the correct candidate.

If you apply to this job, you are giving permission for information to be shared between the Course Team at Roehampton University and the Recruitment team at the Service. The only information that is shared will be relevant to establishing eligibility for the job/course. No irrelevant information will be disclosed or discussed in relation to your application.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • oRecognised degree at 2:2 or above in any relevant subject, or equivalent, or Demonstrates competency via a portfolio of evidence, which meets specified academic equivalence requirements.
  • oCompleted a Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills, (minimum of 10 days or 60 hours of face-to-face tuition at level 2 or level 3). Note: Online courses are not acceptable. L2 Award, Helping Skills and Introductory courses are not acceptable.

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of having worked or volunteered with clients with mental health difficulties

Skills

Essential

  • Excellent communication skills (written and spoken) with a range of audiences (e.g. patients, clients, colleagues)
  • Demonstrate excellent team working skills
  • Ability to listen to others, understand their perspective and reflect on your own responses, both your emotional ones as well as your actions
  • Ability to use IT in the workplace, to communicate, keep notes & collect data.
  • Ability to integrate training into practice
  • Ability to meet the academic and intellectual demands of the course
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • oRecognised degree at 2:2 or above in any relevant subject, or equivalent, or Demonstrates competency via a portfolio of evidence, which meets specified academic equivalence requirements.
  • oCompleted a Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills, (minimum of 10 days or 60 hours of face-to-face tuition at level 2 or level 3). Note: Online courses are not acceptable. L2 Award, Helping Skills and Introductory courses are not acceptable.

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of having worked or volunteered with clients with mental health difficulties

Skills

Essential

  • Excellent communication skills (written and spoken) with a range of audiences (e.g. patients, clients, colleagues)
  • Demonstrate excellent team working skills
  • Ability to listen to others, understand their perspective and reflect on your own responses, both your emotional ones as well as your actions
  • Ability to use IT in the workplace, to communicate, keep notes & collect data.
  • Ability to integrate training into practice
  • Ability to meet the academic and intellectual demands of the course

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Additional information

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

North London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Islington

10 Manor Gardens, N7 6JS and/or Finsbury Health Centre EC1R 0LP and/or Islington GP surgeries

Islington, London

N7 6JS


Employer's website

https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

North London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Islington

10 Manor Gardens, N7 6JS and/or Finsbury Health Centre EC1R 0LP and/or Islington GP surgeries

Islington, London

N7 6JS


Employer's website

https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Co-ordinator, Relational Therapies

Alice Seferiades

a.seferiades@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

30 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£37,259 to £45,356 a year Per annum including Inner London HCAS

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

3 years

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

455-NLFT-0305

Job locations

Islington

10 Manor Gardens, N7 6JS and/or Finsbury Health Centre EC1R 0LP and/or Islington GP surgeries

Islington, London

N7 6JS


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

North London NHS Foundation Trust 's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)