Job summary
The Perinatal Trauma and Loss Team (MMHS) provides specialist support and treatment to women and pregnant people, those who have experienced pregnancy or birth, their families and support network who are affected by birth trauma or baby loss. South West London and St Georges MH NHS Trust are the designated Lead Providers, working in partnership with the three SWL maternity (acute) Trusts.
The team has been developed in conjunction with Experts by Experience drawing on the invaluable input of women and families locally who have faced maternity trauma and loss. It is intended to provide targeted care and support to those whose needs would not be well met in other services (e.g. Perinatal Mental Health Services or IAPT) but have significant emotional and mental health difficulties related to the maternity experience.
The role involves providing individual and systemic support to women and their families within the community. The focus will be on mental health difficulties during the perinatal period around trauma and loss, attachment difficulties, and mood and anxiety presentations.
This post offers an opportunity to join the Perinatal Mental Health Service and be involved in the development of the new Perinatal Trauma and Loss Team within the Perinatal Service.
Main duties of the job
We are seeking an experienced, motivated, and forward-thinking Highly Specialist (Band 8a) Clinical/Counselling Psychologist or CBT Therapist, to join the Perinatal Trauma and Loss Team. We will also consider applications from Clinical / Counselling Psychologists or CBT Therapists eligible to occupy the post at band 7 in a preceptorship role.
An applicant appointed to the band 7 preceptorship role will be supported through a preceptorship model and will be supported to acquire the knowledge, skills and experience that meet the person specifications for the post at band 8a. Where these conditions are met the post holder will be expected to progress to band 8a.
Please note candidates need to be qualified clinical psychologists and registered with the Health & Care Professions Council or clearly state in their application how they are planning to achieve this registration.
If appointed, you will join a passionate and experienced MDT and support the provision of our community based specialist psychology and psychotherapy services for women who are pregnant, postnatal, or have experienced a loss and are presenting with a wide range of complex and severe mental health problems, as well as systemic support for their partners.
All candidates should be registered with the HCPC or BABCP, eligible for BPS Chartered Status, meet the travel requirements, and have an interest in trauma, grief work and perinatal psychology.
About us
We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.
We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.
This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.
We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.
We offer flexible working, career development and a variety ofbenefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.
About our locations:
Springfield University Hospital, Tooting
Our largest, 19-ward site is in Springfield Village, created following our £150m investment into two new world class mental health facilities. A 32-acre public park, shops and cafes are coming soon. Close to shops, cafes and Tooting Bec on the Northern Line plus Earlsfield and Tooting rail stations and bus routes.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To take a lead role in the provision of highly specialist psychological interventions for service users under the care of the Maternal Mental Health Service. This includes managing the Psychology and Psychotherapies staff in the Maternal Mental Health Service, ensuring there are systems of clinical and professional governance in place to provide safe and effective psychological treatments, psychologically informed care and trauma informed care for all service users under the care of the Perinatal Trauma and Loss Team.
- To supervise and support the psychological assessment and therapy provided by other qualified and trainee psychologists and other clinical members of the team who provide psychologically based care and treatment and be responsible for the governance of psychological care across the service.
- To provide a highly specialist clinical or counselling psychology / CBT services to clients of the Perinatal Trauma and Loss Team, providing psychological assessment and treatment to service users with mental health needs arising related to traumatic experiences and loss. and to work autonomously within professional guidelines.
- To contribute to the on-going development and evaluation of the service.
- To take a lead in managing and organising the psychological interventions in the boroughs that the post is based, in conjunction with the Consultant Psychologist /Clinical Lead.
- To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams performance (against defined key performance indicators), operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.
- To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To take a lead role in the provision of highly specialist psychological interventions for service users under the care of the Maternal Mental Health Service. This includes managing the Psychology and Psychotherapies staff in the Maternal Mental Health Service, ensuring there are systems of clinical and professional governance in place to provide safe and effective psychological treatments, psychologically informed care and trauma informed care for all service users under the care of the Perinatal Trauma and Loss Team.
- To supervise and support the psychological assessment and therapy provided by other qualified and trainee psychologists and other clinical members of the team who provide psychologically based care and treatment and be responsible for the governance of psychological care across the service.
- To provide a highly specialist clinical or counselling psychology / CBT services to clients of the Perinatal Trauma and Loss Team, providing psychological assessment and treatment to service users with mental health needs arising related to traumatic experiences and loss. and to work autonomously within professional guidelines.
- To contribute to the on-going development and evaluation of the service.
- To take a lead in managing and organising the psychological interventions in the boroughs that the post is based, in conjunction with the Consultant Psychologist /Clinical Lead.
- To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams performance (against defined key performance indicators), operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.
- To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
Person Specification
Training and Qualifications
Essential
- oDoctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and (for Clinical Psychologists) neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology ; or alternative training outside of the UK that is recognised by the Health & Care Professions Council leading to registration in the UK as a Clinical or Counselling psychologist
- oRegistered with the Health & Care Professions Council (Practitioner Psychologist, domain : Clinical Psychologist or Counselling Psychologist )
- oAccredited practitioner of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy [CBT] by the British Association of Behavioural Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP)
Desirable
- oPost qualification training in applied research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
- oPost qualification training in CBT
- oPost qualification training in EMDR
Experience
Essential
- oExperience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings
- oExperience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course with presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
- oExperience of working with people who experience severe, complex and long-term mental health problems
- oDemonstrate further specialist training/experience through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision while working as a specialist clinical or counselling psychologist over a minimum of 18 months, or an alternative agreed by the Head of Psychology & Psychotherapies
Desirable
- oPost qualification experience of working in a specialist perinatal mental health service
- oExperience of teaching, training and/or supervision
- oExperience of the application of clinical or counselling psychology in different cultural contexts
- oExperience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team
- oExperience of working within a multicultural framework
Person Specification
Training and Qualifications
Essential
- oDoctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and (for Clinical Psychologists) neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology ; or alternative training outside of the UK that is recognised by the Health & Care Professions Council leading to registration in the UK as a Clinical or Counselling psychologist
- oRegistered with the Health & Care Professions Council (Practitioner Psychologist, domain : Clinical Psychologist or Counselling Psychologist )
- oAccredited practitioner of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy [CBT] by the British Association of Behavioural Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP)
Desirable
- oPost qualification training in applied research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
- oPost qualification training in CBT
- oPost qualification training in EMDR
Experience
Essential
- oExperience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings
- oExperience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course with presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
- oExperience of working with people who experience severe, complex and long-term mental health problems
- oDemonstrate further specialist training/experience through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision while working as a specialist clinical or counselling psychologist over a minimum of 18 months, or an alternative agreed by the Head of Psychology & Psychotherapies
Desirable
- oPost qualification experience of working in a specialist perinatal mental health service
- oExperience of teaching, training and/or supervision
- oExperience of the application of clinical or counselling psychology in different cultural contexts
- oExperience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team
- oExperience of working within a multicultural framework
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.
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
