Trainee Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist

We currently have a vacancy for 2 trainee cognitive behavioural psychotherapists within our Primary Mental Health team at Solar and would love to see if you are the person we are looking for. We are looking for vibrant, creative staff that are just as passionate about the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people as we are. We are looking for individuals who are highly motivated, adaptable and flexible in their approach. Balancing the demands of the course with the fast‑paced nature of the role can be difficult, therefore excellent organisational skills and time management are a must.

This is an exciting role providing opportunities to develop, train and deliver evidence-based interventions to children and young people in the Solihull area. We are a trauma informed service offering holistic, collaborative care with the child's voice always at the centre.

The post holder is responsible for assessment and provision of High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. The role includes working throughout the Solihull Borough at several different locations, in addition to travel to the University of Derby on a weekly basis. In this instance, the University course is not optional, and candidates need to be in a position to enrol with University of Derby in addition to meeting their entry requirements.

“The course you will be completing at the University of Derby as part of this role is a Level 2 accredited course with BABCP. This means that upon completion trainees will meet criteria to apply for provisional accreditation as a CBT therapist with the BABCP.

You will be expected to attend roughly 2-3 working days per week at university and the rest of the working week will be spent within the service. As you develop your skills as a trainee you will be expected to deliver a variety of interventions. You will be fully supervised throughout the course.

Solar is a partnership project between Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHFT) and Barnardo's. It is a well established and nationally talked about service. We work together to provide emotional wellbeing and mental health services for children and young people in Solihull who are aged between 0-19, based on the principle of children and young people only needing to tell their story once. Solar utilise one clinical record and a single user led care plan, ensuring children and young people shape the service that they receive.

Rated “good” by the CQC in January 2018, the service was peer reviewed by West Midlands Quality Review Service who said they “were impressed with the level of integration across the services - the feedback from service users and their families and carers was that the pathway was seamless between the various services.”

This is an exciting opportunity to be based within a dynamic NHS service but employed and supported by a charity with a long history of working with and for children and young people (over 150 years!). Solar is a multi-disciplinary service which provides a rich learning environment for all staff. Our work is holistic and evidence based and we actively encourage the participation of children and young people in their assessment, care plan and treatment.

What are the essentials that we need from you?

• To have experience working with children and young people in a mental health setting.
• To have the relevant qualifications and equivalent experience in order to enrol on the course.
• Ability to proactively manage a busy and complex diary in a fast‑paced work environment.

We appreciate our colleagues' dedication and their commitment to delivering excellence in the vital work we do, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.

We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.

We are committed to a rounded colleague experience with an approach to both pay and rewards that are fair, attractive, and progressive. This is in support of our strategic ambition to ensure Barnardo's is a place everyone can belong, grow and thrive.

The salary range advertised is in line with our pay principles, for consistency and fairness while recognising the skills and experience applicants bring to the role. Appointing salaries can be discussed further at appointment stage; we do seek to appoint within this range always exercising responsible stewardship.

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

Barnardo's require colleagues to be UK residents, based in the UK and to complete their roles from within the UK (with the exception of colleagues providing Barnardo's services in Jersey and colleagues who live in the Republic of Ireland providing services in Northern Ireland)

• Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Buy Your Leave scheme
• Service related sick pay from day 1
• Cycle2work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
• Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
• Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

*T&C's apply based on contract

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti‑Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

• Reference number:23728
• Job Title:Trainee Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist
• Location:Solihull
• Locality:Solihull
• Contract type:Fixed term
• End date:31/1/2028
• Hours:37
• Salary:£31,415
• Closing Date:25 September 2026
• Interview Date:TBC

Additional Info

• Information Sheet for Applicants Applying for Positions Working with Children and Vulnerable Adults (updated July 2021).pdf (107.00 KB)
• Barnardo's Workplace Offer Visual Summary.pdf (27.58 KB)
• Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Policy Dec 2024.pdf (164.07 KB)
• Project Worker 2 - Job Description and Person Specification.pdf (262.63 KB)
• Additional Info Sheet - Trainee CBT (PMHT).pdf (53.84 KB)