Psychotherapy ST4 — 2026 Application Guide
Complete guide to applying for Psychotherapy ST4 in the 2026 recruitment cycle. This page covers eligibility requirements, self-assessment scoring criteria, portfolio sections, key dates, required forms, and evidence guidance — building on Specialty Training.
Oriel route name: Psychotherapy ST4 · Route family: psychiatry-st4
Interview preparation guide for Psychotherapy ST4 →Medically reviewed by MedNext Clinical Team. Last reviewed 27 April 2026. See our editorial policy and correction policy.
About Psychotherapy ST4
Psychotherapy ST4 is a specialty training programme entering at higher specialty training at ST4 level, following Internal Medicine Training. Selection uses the shared physician specialty recruitment process. The full training pathway typically takes 9-11 years total.
Entry Level
ST4
Training Duration
9-11 years total (2yr foundation + 3yr IMT + 3-5yr higher specialty)
Selection Method
Shared Family
Training Pathway
Official Source Documents
The scoring criteria, eligibility requirements, and self-assessment guidance on this page are derived from the following official documents. Always refer to the latest published version before your application.
Published by: NHS England Medical Hub
View original documentKey Dates & Deadlines
Important dates for the Psychotherapy ST4 2026 recruitment cycle. Check the official recruitment timeline for the most up-to-date information, as dates may change.
Eligibility Requirements
You must meet all essential eligibility criteria to be considered for Psychotherapy ST4. These are assessed at the application stage. Failure to meet any essential requirement will result in your application being rejected.
You must hold a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (BMBS, MBBS) degree or other equivalent medical qualification.
You must: Be eligible to work in the UK. Hold full registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) at the time of application, **and** hold a current licence to practise on the date your post commences.
Evidence hint: GMC registration details or licence evidence.
You must be able to provide complete details of your employment history, including any gaps.
You must complete all sections of the application form fully and truthfully, in accordance with written guidelines. You must disclose in your application if you are subject to any ongoing fitness to practise proceedings or are subject to any fitness to practise conditions.
You must have evidence of achievement of: CT/ST1 and CT/ST2 psychiatry curriculum requirements at the time of application; **and** CT/ST3 psychiatry curriculum requirements at the time of application or confirmation that these will be achieved by the advertised post start date for the vacancy.
If you **wish to be considered for Locum Appointment for Training posts (where available)** you must have no more than 24 months experience in LAT posts in this specialty by the advertised post start date for the vacancy.
You must have successful completion of Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych) examination by the ‘initial offers released by’ date for the round.
Evidence hint: Membership exam pass evidence or certificate.
You must hold a current and in date valid driving licence or provide an undertaking to provide alternative means of transport when providing emergency and domiciliary care to fulfil the requirements of the whole training programme.
Entry Criteria — Person Specification
The following entry criteria are extracted from the official 2026 person specification for Psychotherapy ST4. You must meet all essential criteria at the point specified. Failure to meet any essential criterion will result in your application being rejected.
Qualifications
- You must hold a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (BMBS, MBBS) degree or other equivalent medical qualification.
Registration & right to work
- You must:
- Be eligible to work in the UK.
- Hold full registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) at the time of application, and hold a current licence to practise on the date your post commences.
- Meet the standards set out in Good Medical Practice, and not be subject to fitness to practise conditions which would prevent you taking up the post or performing fully within it.
- You must not
- Hold, nor be eligible to hold, a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) or Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) for this specialty, nor
- Already be eligible for the specialist register for this specialty.
Career history
- You must be able to provide complete details of your employment history, including any gaps.
Disclosure
- You must complete all sections of the application form fully and truthfully, in accordance with written guidelines.
- You must disclose in your application if you are subject to any ongoing fitness to practise proceedings or are subject to any fitness to practise conditions.
- If you are currently in specialty training and are applying to continue training in the same specialty in another region, you must obtain a Support for Application to another region form signed by the Training Programme Director/Head of School of your current Specialty Training Programme. This must confirm satisfactory progress and be submitted with your application.
- If you have previously resigned, or been removed from, a training programme in any specialty, you must obtain a Support for Reapplication to Specialty Training form signed by the Training Programme Director/Head of School and Postgraduate Dean from the region you previously undertook training in. This must be submitted with your application.
Capability/Competences and Experience for ST4 entry
- You must have evidence of achievement of:
- CT/ST1 and CT/ST2 psychiatry curriculum requirements at the time of application; and
- CT/ST3 psychiatry curriculum requirements at the time of application or confirmation that these will be achieved by the advertised post start date for the vacancy.
- All competences must be as defined by the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Core Psychiatry Training curriculum.
- This can be evidenced using one of the following methods:
- Current employment in a UK Core Psychiatry Training programme which leads to successful completion of the programme by the advertised post state date for the vacancy; or
- Successful completion of a UK Core Psychiatry Training programme, evidenced by satisfactory CT3 ARCP outcome. This must be submitted with your application; or
- A completed Alternative Certificate of Eligibility to Enter Higher Psychiatry Training.
- Applicants without all the necessary evidence at the time of application must submit a written statement from their educational supervisor or tutor stating that all these competences will be achieved by the time of appointment. This includes applicants from Core Psychiatry Training who are expecting an outcome 1 from their end of CT3 ARCP. This written statement supplements the requirements to provide an Alternative Certificate of Eligibility to Enter Higher Psychiatry Training, appropriate ARCP evidence etc.
- If you wish to be considered for Locum Appointment for Training posts (where available) you must have no more than 24 months experience in LAT posts in this specialty by the advertised post start date for the vacancy.
PROFESSIONAL EXAMInATIONS
- You must have successful completion of Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych) examination by the ‘initial offers released by’ date for the round.
additional eligibility criteria
- You must hold a current and in date valid driving licence or provide an undertaking to provide alternative means of transport when providing emergency and domiciliary care to fulfil the requirements of the whole training programme.
Selection Criteria — Person Specification
Shortlisted candidates are assessed against these selection criteria. Essential criteria are requirements; desirable criteria can strengthen your application. Understanding both columns helps you target your evidence and interview preparation.
Eligibility
- You meet all criteria specified in the Eligibility to Apply section above.
Clinical knowledge
- Interest in, and understanding of, the training programme.
Workplace skills
- Ability to work in multi-professional teams and supervise colleagues.
- Ability to lead, make decisions, organise and motivate other team members.
- Ability to manage/prioritise own and others’ time effectively.
- Ability to work safely under pressure and deliver good clinical care in the face of uncertainty.
- Ability to monitor developing situations and anticipate issues.
- Good basic IT skills, including Microsoft Office, email, and ability to learn new systems.
Academic knowledge
- Understanding of research, including awareness of ethical issues.
- Understanding of the basic principles of audit, clinical risk management, evidence-based practice, patient safety, and clinical quality improvement initiatives.
- Knowledge of evidence-informed practice.
Personal skills
- Commitment to personal and professional development.
- Ability to work on own initiative, demonstrating curiosity.
- Strong attention to detail, preparation and planning.
- Ability to communicate messages effectively to a range of audiences.
- Ability to negotiate and build positive professional relationships.
- Strong problem-solving skills, with a scientific approach to problem solving.
Values
- Understands, respects and demonstrates the values of the NHS
Knowledge and experience
- Understanding of NHS management and resources.
- Experience of management.
- Experience of research.
- Experience of audit and quality improvement.
- Experience of teaching.
Specialty Specific
Essential
- Demonstrates interest and realistic insight into psychiatry and mental health.
- Interest in working closely with people and helping others.
- Commitment to lifelong learning.
- Self-awareness and ability to be self-critical and self-reflective.
- Evidence of proactively seeking additional experiences, opportunities and feedback.
- Evidence of self-reflective practice.
Desirable
- Extracurricular activities, achievements, interests and realistic insight relevant to psychiatry.
- Evidence of achievement outside medicine.
- Evidence of altruistic behaviour including voluntary work.
- Evidence of organisational skills – not necessarily in medicine, including grant or bursary applications, organisation of a university club and sports.
- Interests outside of medicine to help moderate the stress of the role.
- Capacity to engender hope around recovery of patients.
Self-Assessment & Scoring
Psychotherapy ST4 is assessed via shared family. Review the official guidance documents below for the exact scoring breakdown.
Scoring Sections
The self-assessment is structured across 4 sections with 0 scored questions. Each question has variable points — refer to the official self-assessment guidance for exact marking tiers.
Eligibility
You meet all criteria specified in the Eligibility to Apply section above.
Clinical knowledge
Interest in, and understanding of, the training programme.
Workplace skills
Ability to work in multi-professional teams and supervise colleagues. Ability to lead, make decisions, organise and motivate other team members.
Academic knowledge
Understanding of research, including awareness of ethical issues. Understanding of the basic principles of audit, clinical risk management, evidence-based practice, patient safety, and clinical quality improvement initiatives.
Interview Format
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview. Below is the expected interview structure for Psychotherapy ST4. Prepare for each station by reviewing the relevant areas of your portfolio and clinical experience.
Presentation
Format: Panel station
Structured communication and route-specific presentation tasks.
Clinical
Format: Panel station
Clinical judgement and scenario handling.
Ethics / professionalism
Format: Panel station
Professional reasoning and judgement.
Suitability / commitment
Format: Panel station
Commitment, trajectory, and specialty fit.
Evidence Packaging & Export
Understanding how to package and present your evidence is just as important as having the evidence itself. Poorly organised submissions can result in lost marks even when the underlying evidence is strong.
Export Mode
bundle
Each scored readiness bundle requires its own file
File Size Limit
MB per file
Compress images and merge PDFs to stay under the limit
Title Page
Not required
Index Page
Not required
Ordering guidance: Track shared readiness evidence and interview material in one bundle.
Evidence Validation Checklist
Before submitting your application, check your evidence against these validation rules. Items marked as errors will block your submission; warnings indicate areas that may cost marks.
Map evidence to a route target
Evidence should be assigned to a section or question before export so the pack builder can assemble the right output.
Check route-specific forms
The route requires supporting forms or certificates in addition to the core evidence uploads.
Evidence Guidelines
General guidance for evidence preparation and organisation for your Psychotherapy ST4 application.
- Keep uploads mapped to the route targets shown on this dashboard rather than storing undifferentiated files.
- Covered by Higher Psychiatry ST4 self-assessment overview and evidence instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What qualifications do I need for Psychotherapy ST4?
How competitive is Psychotherapy ST4?
What is the training pathway for Psychotherapy ST4?
When does Psychotherapy ST4 2026 recruitment open?
Related Specialties
Compare adjacent specialties that share a recruitment family, training pathway, or portfolio structure.
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