Here4You School-Based Counsellor and CBT Trainees

Job Title: Here4You School-Based Counsellor and CBT Trainees

Number of vacancies: 2

Location: West London secondary schools and Anna Freud, North London

Team: Here4You

Salary: £39,959 (Agenda for Change Band 6)

Contract type: Fixed term (18 January 2027 – 31 December 2027)

Hours per week: 35 hours (full-time)

About This Role

Make a difference to the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.

We have two full-time, salaried, fixed-term training opportunities for qualified counsellors to undertake postgraduate Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) training at UCL while working as counsellors within our school-based Here4You team.

These positions form part of the NHS England-funded Children and Young People (CYP) Psychological Training Programmes, formerly known as CYP-IAPT.

Recruit to Train is a government-funded initiative designed to grow the children's mental health workforce and meet increasing demand for specialist mental health support. NHS England funds the salary and training costs, enabling trainees to develop their clinical skills while supporting children and young people.

This is a fully funded opportunity to apply learning from weekly teaching to practical clinical interventions, making a direct difference to children, young people and their families.

About Us

Here4You is Metanoia Institute's school-based counselling service, providing high-quality professional mental health support to students in London secondary schools and colleges.

Metanoia Institute is an established educational charity specialising in professional training programmes for counsellors, psychotherapists, counselling psychologists, supervisors and coaches.

About The Training Programme

The training programme begins on 18 January 2027 and is delivered through UCL and Anna Freud.

Trainees will spend approximately 2–3 days per week undertaking academic work, including teaching and personal study, and 2.5 days working within the service with children, young people and carers.

Successful candidates will be both employees of Here4You and enrolled students with UCL and Anna Freud. Upon successful completion of the programme, trainees will receive a UCL Postgraduate Diploma.

The roles will be based within Here4You secondary school counselling settings in West London. Trainees will also be expected to travel to Anna Freud in North London (Rodney Street, N1 9JH) for teaching during the training year.

For more information about the training programme, please visit the Anna Freud website.

We’re Looking For Someone Who

• Is a qualified counsellor with a relevant professional qualification in counselling, counselling psychology, psychotherapy or a related profession.
• Has experience working with children and young people in a mental health setting.
• Is motivated to make a difference to young people's mental health through evidence-based interventions.
• Can undertake postgraduate diploma-level academic study alongside clinical work.
• Is committed to inclusive, accessible and effective mental health support.
• Demonstrates a commitment to the CYP Psychological Training Programme's core principles of accessibility, accountability, participation, awareness and evidence-based practice.
• Is dedicated to equity, diversity and inclusion.

Experience working as a counsellor within a school setting would be advantageous.

You’ll be responsible for

• Providing counselling and psychological support to children and young people within Here4You secondary schools.
• Accepting referrals and assessing the mental health needs of children and young people.
• Delivering evidence-based interventions in line with the training programme.
• Working collaboratively with school staff, families and other professionals to support young people's wellbeing.
• Maintaining accurate clinical records and ensuring confidentiality.
• Participating in clinical supervision, multidisciplinary meetings and professional development activities.
• Completing the academic, practical and clinical requirements of the postgraduate training programme.
• Contributing to service development and maintaining high standards of professional practice.

Further information

For more information about the role or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact Rita Moran, Here4You School Counselling Liaison Officer, via people@metanoia.ac.uk.

Recruitment process

Please note that this is a dual application process. Applicants must apply for the position with Metanoia Institute and separately apply to UCL for the associated postgraduate training programme.

The UCL Course Team will assess whether applicants meet the academic requirements. A training place will only be offered to candidates who successfully secure employment with Metanoia Institute and meet the university's entry requirements.

Before Applying, Please Review The Following Documents

• Here4You School-Based Counsellor and CBT Trainee - Job Description
• UCL CYP Psychological Therapies - Application Guidance for Candidates

Closing date

23:59 on 5 November 2026

Indicative timeline

Interviews are scheduled for the week commencing 9 November 2026 and may take place in person at our Ealing office or online via Microsoft Teams.

Offers are expected to be made in late November, with pre-employment and onboarding checks taking place in early December.

The training programme and employment contract begin on 18 January 2027.

Commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging

As an organisation founded with social justice at its core, we welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. We believe that when we work together, we can enable change and make things happen, and we do this by encouraging all our colleagues to be their true self in the workplace. We learn from each other to create an inclusive organisation.

Final considerations

As a UK based Institute all our roles are based within the UK, so you’ll need to have the right to work in the UK and be able to provide proof. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer any visa sponsorship.

We know that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and you may want to use it to help you format your application. While AI can be a powerful enabler, and we’re open to you using it to apply for roles with us, we ask you to ensure anything you submit truly represents your capabilities and viewpoint. We value honesty, integrity and creativity and want to understand what you’ll uniquely bring to our team.

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