Trainee CBT Therapist (Children & Young People)

This is a training position, where you will be employed by Groundwork London’s Youth Team, while undertaking the Postgraduate Diploma in CBT for Children and Young People at King’s College London. The course is part of the Children and Young People’s Psychological Trainings programme. Applicants will be required to hold a relevant undergraduate degree and have two years’ experience working as a qualified therapist with children and young people as a minimum.

You will receive weekly teaching from King’s College London on Mondays and Tuesdays and concurrently work clinically within our services, providing CBT-based 1:1s to children and adolescents with common mental health difficulties, under regular supervision, to meet the requirements of the course and the needs of our service users.

Therapeutic interventions will initially be delivered across The Nest in Peckham, working with ages 11-25s, and the Roots in Waltham Forest working with ages 11 – 17. The therapeutic work will be conducted in person at our hub in Peckham, at a base in Walthamstow, or online with some use of other satellite locations in Southwark possible, with some of these sessions being outside office hours. Therefore, an ability and willingness to work flexibly, outside of office hours and travel across Southwark and Waltham Forest is a requirement of the post.

Shortlisted candidates will also need to apply separately to King’s College London and meet their entry requirements. Guidance will be provided.
Appointment is subject to acceptance onto the KCL CYP CBT training programme, which includes an academic interview.
You must be available to begin training in January 2027 and commit to mandatory attendance at King’s College London for teaching on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Key requirements:

Please contact us if you have:

•Minimum of two years' experience working as a qualified therapist with children, young people, or families.
•A relevant degree (e.g., psychology, social work, counselling, mental health nursing, education) or equivalent professional qualification.
•Demonstrated experience of delivering 1:1 therapeutic interventions under supervision.
•Knowledge of child and adolescent development and the impact of mental health issues on functioning.
•Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with an ability to engage young people from diverse backgrounds.
•Commitment to completing the postgraduate training, including all university and placement requirements.

Vacancy Files

• Trainee CBT Therapist Job description and Person Specification
• Groundwork London Prospectus

Interview Details

Stage 1 will be Online via Microsoft Teams on 20th Oct 2026 and stage 2 will be in person, w/c 26th October 2026.