Job summary
Psychologist Perinatal Mental Health Service
We have an opportunity for a Band 7 Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join the Perinatal Mental Health Team in Tower Hamlets East London.
The successful candidate will be part of team of psychologists working in a Perinatal Mental Health Team in East London. The perinatal mental health team is a dynamic and forward thinking multidisciplinary team working with women in the perinatal period and includes psychiatry, clinical psychology, parent-infant therapy, nursing, occupational therapy, nursery nurses and other professionals. This post is based in Tower Hamlets and the psychology team work with women and families in the community and on the East London Mother and Baby Unit. Team psychologists provide both direct psychological assessments, interventions and work indirectly with the team, as well as being involved in teaching, training, audits and research.
Provisional Interview Date: 23rd November 2023
For further information, please contact Operational lead for the team, Parveen Bhatia,
Parveen.bhatia@nhs.net
Main duties of the job
The Perinatal Community Team provides mental health care to families in Tower Hamlets. It is a multi-disciplinary team providing psychiatry, psychology, parent-infant psychotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing and, nursery nurse and other interventions. As a specialist service it takes on complex cases and thus carries out highly specialist work. The Perinatal Community Team has close links with the East London Mother and Baby Unit.
The post-holder will offer a broad psychological contribution to the work of the perinatal community team. This will include formulations and psychological input to care plans, groups, individual therapy and cognitive assessments.
About us
Our mission is to make a positive difference in people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The systematic provision of a high quality specialist clinical psychology service to patients in Tower Hamlets Perinatal Mental Health.
To offer assessment, individual therapy and group therapy to mothers in the Tower Hamlets Perinatal Mental Health.
To operate as an integrated member of the Tower Hamlets Perinatal Mental Health placing the mother and baby at the centre of service planning and delivery.
To bring a psychological perspective to the work of the Tower Hamlets Perinatal Mental Health including day-to-day assessment, review of care planning and management of patients as individuals and as a group.
To promote and facilitate psychological capability within the Tower Hamlets Perinatal Mental Health in collaboration with the multi-disciplinary team.
To supervise, support and co-ordinate the psychological assessment and therapeutic interventions provided by assistant psychologists as necessary.
To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the Tower Hamlets Perinatal Mental Health.
To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research.
To propose and implement policy changes within the area served by the team in collaboration with Service and Professional management.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The systematic provision of a high quality specialist clinical psychology service to patients in Tower Hamlets Perinatal Mental Health.
To offer assessment, individual therapy and group therapy to mothers in the Tower Hamlets Perinatal Mental Health.
To operate as an integrated member of the Tower Hamlets Perinatal Mental Health placing the mother and baby at the centre of service planning and delivery.
To bring a psychological perspective to the work of the Tower Hamlets Perinatal Mental Health including day-to-day assessment, review of care planning and management of patients as individuals and as a group.
To promote and facilitate psychological capability within the Tower Hamlets Perinatal Mental Health in collaboration with the multi-disciplinary team.
To supervise, support and co-ordinate the psychological assessment and therapeutic interventions provided by assistant psychologists as necessary.
To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the Tower Hamlets Perinatal Mental Health.
To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research.
To propose and implement policy changes within the area served by the team in collaboration with Service and Professional management.
Person Specification
Training and Quailfication
Essential
- Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (or equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by BPS.
- OR Doctorate in Counselling Psychology
- Registered with Health Professions Council as a Chartered Psychologist.
- (Post two years qualification) Clinical Supervision training for doctoral psychology trainees
Desirable
- Further training in a relevant therapeutic modality.
Experience
Essential
- At least two years' experience of work in the NHS (pre or post qualification).
- Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity. Work within at least two therapeutic modalities
- Experience of planning and exercising clinical responsibility for patients' psychological care and treatment within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan
- Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision
- Experience of work in a multi-cultural setting, including working with interpreters
Desirable
- Experience of perinatal mental health services
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
- Experience of developing and delivering training programmes
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, including the use of theoretical models to analyse information and to develop formulations upon which to base treatment choices
- Skills in the effective communication of highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to a wide variety of recipients in a range of settings within and outside the NHS, including the ability to produce comprehensive and coherent letters, reports and associated documentation.
- Highly-developed communication skills at overcoming barriers to understanding and acceptance.
- Skill in working in multidisciplinary settings.
- Skill in providing advice and consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Working knowledge of the practices and approaches of other key disciplines, professionsand agencies involved in the care and management network, including medical, employment, social, educational and criminal justice systems
- Doctoral-level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex, multivariate data analysis as practised within the field of clinical psychology.
- Knowledge of mental health legislation and policies.
- Evidence of CPD as required by the HPC.
- Competence in advanced IT packages including keyboard skills
- Ability to support and co-ordinate the work of psychology colleagues within the team/service.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of the literature of the specialism.
- Ability to support carers and partners of women attending the service
Person Specification
Training and Quailfication
Essential
- Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (or equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by BPS.
- OR Doctorate in Counselling Psychology
- Registered with Health Professions Council as a Chartered Psychologist.
- (Post two years qualification) Clinical Supervision training for doctoral psychology trainees
Desirable
- Further training in a relevant therapeutic modality.
Experience
Essential
- At least two years' experience of work in the NHS (pre or post qualification).
- Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity. Work within at least two therapeutic modalities
- Experience of planning and exercising clinical responsibility for patients' psychological care and treatment within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan
- Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision
- Experience of work in a multi-cultural setting, including working with interpreters
Desirable
- Experience of perinatal mental health services
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
- Experience of developing and delivering training programmes
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, including the use of theoretical models to analyse information and to develop formulations upon which to base treatment choices
- Skills in the effective communication of highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to a wide variety of recipients in a range of settings within and outside the NHS, including the ability to produce comprehensive and coherent letters, reports and associated documentation.
- Highly-developed communication skills at overcoming barriers to understanding and acceptance.
- Skill in working in multidisciplinary settings.
- Skill in providing advice and consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Working knowledge of the practices and approaches of other key disciplines, professionsand agencies involved in the care and management network, including medical, employment, social, educational and criminal justice systems
- Doctoral-level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex, multivariate data analysis as practised within the field of clinical psychology.
- Knowledge of mental health legislation and policies.
- Evidence of CPD as required by the HPC.
- Competence in advanced IT packages including keyboard skills
- Ability to support and co-ordinate the work of psychology colleagues within the team/service.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of the literature of the specialism.
- Ability to support carers and partners of women attending the service
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
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).
