Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity to join our highly regarded award-winning Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service (SPMHS) which operates over the whole of Sussex.
The Specialist Perinatal Mental Service (SPMHS) which sits within Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust now requires a Psychologist in Perinatal Mental Health.
This is a fixed-term position with an end date of 31st August 2024.
The post is open to clinical and counselling psychologists looking for a band 7 or 8a role depending on experience. It is a part time post at 26.25 hours a week for band 7 or 22.5 hours a week at band 8a.
For newly qualified psychologists looking for a band 7 role, this post provides a great experience of providing therapies to parents and babies from a range of psychological models, gaining specialist supervision, and contributing to the work of a highly-skilled multidisciplinary team. For an 8a position, between 2-3 years qualified experience in adult mental health is required and there will be timely opportunities to develop highly specialist clinical skills within the perinatal service, with scope for senior responsibilities and leadership development.
Days of the week are negotiable but are likely to include Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The post holder will be based in East Sussex and may be expected to travel across Sussex. The post holder will report to the Senior/Principal Clinical Psychologist within their team.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will have a training in Clinical or Counselling Psychology and will be responsible for delivering NICE concordant perinatal psychological therapies to women, their babies and their families.
The Psychologist in the specialist community perinatal mental health service will work with the main community service treatment pathway and will contribute to the bereavement pathway (neonatal loss and stillbirth).
Within the larger community service, the postholder will be responsible for typical and atypical perinatal mental health presentations,alongside formulation of parent-infant mental health. The postholder will need to have an up to date knowledge of adult and infant safeguarding practices and thresholds. A working knowledge of DBT is desirable.The postholder will be responsible for contributing to, or leading to complex case discussions and staff training.
Within the bereavement pathway, the postholder will be responsible for providing a highly responsive individualised therapy and support for women and their families who have experienced the death of a baby from 24 weeks gestation to one month after birth. A knowledge of trauma informed interventions for individuals, couples and family would be desirable but specialist supervision regarding bereavement and traumatic loss will be provided.
The postholder will be given regular supervision and close support from highly skilled professionals within the service as well as opportunities for professional development
About us
The Long-Term Plan for Mental Health sets out national and local ambitions to improve care for people in pregnancy through the first stages of the babies' life who are experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, mental health difficulties.
One in five women experience post or ante natal depression, anxiety or in some cases psychosis, during pregnancy or in the first year after childbirth.
Perinatal community mental health services provide specialist care for women (and their babies) with moderate to severe mental illness, such as bipolar disorder or severe depression. The long-term benefits of this kind of specialist care offers early help and support to parents and babies to help with a range of perinatal issues including parent infant bonding.
The Bereavement pathway (BP) is one of the key 'flexible deliverables' in the LTP, called therein as the 'Maternal Mental Health Service's (MMHS). Each service-based iteration is designed to meet local needs and wider maternal health pathways, while at the same time, forming a continuity of care the national design of the MMHS cohorts. Our BP is focussed on providing high calibre individualised care to women, their partners and their families who have experienced neonatal loss or still birth, defined as loss at 24 weeks.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Our four multidisciplinary teams include Psychiatrists, Administrators, Nurses, ClinicalPsychologists, Early Years workers, and some specialist Midwives and Health Visitors who are all trained in adult and infant mental health. The Service has extremely good working partnerships with a wide range of primary and secondary care professionals, including Midwives, Health Visitors, Social Care, CAMHSand Adult Mental Health Services across Sussex and is a key member of the South East Coast Strategic Network.
You will join a multi-disciplinary service, comprising four separate teams, providing specialist care for women with moderate to serious mental health crisis such as perinatal psychosis, bipolar disorder or severe uni-polar depression whilst they are pregnant or in the first 12 months after birth. This is also a rare opportunity contribute to the skilful delivery of psychology and psychological therapy (PPT) interventions to the new bereavement pathway. These are likely to be individual, couple and family-based therapies for trauma and loss.
Within the main service you will offer the four core PPT offers; birth trauma, maternal OCD, post MBU interventions and parent infant psychotherapy (PIP). Our PPT group also offers DBT and is developing CFT group work. You may also join an active perinatal research and audit group who have already had two publications accepted.
Please see job description for outlines of the main duties and responsibilities of this post, and the person specification which lists the requirements necessary to perform the job. Candidates will be assessed according to the extent to which they meet the specification.
***For informal enquiries and visits please contact: Dr Hannah Mckenzie, Principal Clinical Psychologist, Hannah.mckenzie@spft.nhs.uk
Job description
Job responsibilities
Our four multidisciplinary teams include Psychiatrists, Administrators, Nurses, ClinicalPsychologists, Early Years workers, and some specialist Midwives and Health Visitors who are all trained in adult and infant mental health. The Service has extremely good working partnerships with a wide range of primary and secondary care professionals, including Midwives, Health Visitors, Social Care, CAMHSand Adult Mental Health Services across Sussex and is a key member of the South East Coast Strategic Network.
You will join a multi-disciplinary service, comprising four separate teams, providing specialist care for women with moderate to serious mental health crisis such as perinatal psychosis, bipolar disorder or severe uni-polar depression whilst they are pregnant or in the first 12 months after birth. This is also a rare opportunity contribute to the skilful delivery of psychology and psychological therapy (PPT) interventions to the new bereavement pathway. These are likely to be individual, couple and family-based therapies for trauma and loss.
Within the main service you will offer the four core PPT offers; birth trauma, maternal OCD, post MBU interventions and parent infant psychotherapy (PIP). Our PPT group also offers DBT and is developing CFT group work. You may also join an active perinatal research and audit group who have already had two publications accepted.
Please see job description for outlines of the main duties and responsibilities of this post, and the person specification which lists the requirements necessary to perform the job. Candidates will be assessed according to the extent to which they meet the specification.
***For informal enquiries and visits please contact: Dr Hannah Mckenzie, Principal Clinical Psychologist, Hannah.mckenzie@spft.nhs.uk
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Doctoral level training in applied psychology [or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996 or outside the UK], including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, approved by the HPC
- Professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HPC)
Desirable
- Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
Experience
Essential
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
- Demonstrate specialist experience gained post-qualification of working as an applied psychologist with evidence of having received a substantial amount of clinical supervision (normally in the region of approximately 50 hours)
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Doctoral level training in applied psychology [or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996 or outside the UK], including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, approved by the HPC
- Professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HPC)
Desirable
- Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
Experience
Essential
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
- Demonstrate specialist experience gained post-qualification of working as an applied psychologist with evidence of having received a substantial amount of clinical supervision (normally in the region of approximately 50 hours)
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology
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.
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
