Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity to join our highly regarded award-winning Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service (SPMHS) which operates across Sussex.
The Specialist Perinatal Mental Service (SPMHS) in Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust now requires a Senior Psychological Therapist specialising in CBT. This is a three-day post for 22.5 hours a week.
The post holder will be basedNorth West Sussex and may be expected to travel across Sussex. They will report to the Principal Psychologist in Perinatal Mental Health in North West Sussex.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will have a specialized training in CBT and at least 60 practice hours within a perinatal context, most likely as a perinatal champion or specialist. This must include significant experience of supervising and formulating perinatal cases. The successful Senior Psychological Therapist will work within both the main community service treatment pathway and the Bereavement Pathway (BP) which offers 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.
This will lead to the co-formulation of typical and atypical adult mental health presentations,alongside formulation of infant mental health presentations, including single and multi-domain affect dysregulation problems (gaze aversion, problems with sleep, feeding and crying). S/he will need up to date knowledge of adult and infant safeguarding practices and thresholds. It is essential that the post holder has knowledge about infant development and the perinatal period, and some clinical experience working with cognitive models.
Experience of working with bereavement in either statutory or third sector services is essential.
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 ante or postnatal 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.
Sussex Partnership have a Perinatal Mental Health Service that covers Sussex.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Our four multidisciplinary teams include Psychiatrists, Administrators, Nurses, ClinicalPsychologists and psychological therapists, 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, CAMHS and 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 a rare opportunity contribute to the skilful delivery of CBT alongside other psychology and psychological therapy (PPT) interventions within the four teams to both women and their babies. You will embed the four core PPT offers; birth trauma, perinatal OCD, post MBU interventions and parent infant psychotherapy (PIP), with a strategic and practice focus on CBT.
You will be specifically responsible for the development and oversight of CBT and will be expected to have extensive experience in delivering CBT in for a perinatal population. It is desirable that you will be accredited, or working towards formal accreditation, and have extensive experience of CBT supervision and have received specialist supervision.
The post holder must have an accredited training in psychological therapy in CBT with extensive practice hours (60 minimum) within a perinatal context, and will have significant experience of working individually with adults within the early years or perinatal period.
As an 8a, you will also have specific supervisory responsibility for other psychological therapists and psychologists, where appropriate, and specifically in relation to the oversight of CBT and accreditation. You will also need demonstrable experience in liaising and working with commissioners within a service context.
It is desirable that the post holder is able to demonstrate a sound knowledge of current policy regarding Perinatal Mental Health, and some ideas for how the PPT offer might meet the flexible deliverables set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.
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.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Our four multidisciplinary teams include Psychiatrists, Administrators, Nurses, ClinicalPsychologists and psychological therapists, 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, CAMHS and 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 a rare opportunity contribute to the skilful delivery of CBT alongside other psychology and psychological therapy (PPT) interventions within the four teams to both women and their babies. You will embed the four core PPT offers; birth trauma, perinatal OCD, post MBU interventions and parent infant psychotherapy (PIP), with a strategic and practice focus on CBT.
You will be specifically responsible for the development and oversight of CBT and will be expected to have extensive experience in delivering CBT in for a perinatal population. It is desirable that you will be accredited, or working towards formal accreditation, and have extensive experience of CBT supervision and have received specialist supervision.
The post holder must have an accredited training in psychological therapy in CBT with extensive practice hours (60 minimum) within a perinatal context, and will have significant experience of working individually with adults within the early years or perinatal period.
As an 8a, you will also have specific supervisory responsibility for other psychological therapists and psychologists, where appropriate, and specifically in relation to the oversight of CBT and accreditation. You will also need demonstrable experience in liaising and working with commissioners within a service context.
It is desirable that the post holder is able to demonstrate a sound knowledge of current policy regarding Perinatal Mental Health, and some ideas for how the PPT offer might meet the flexible deliverables set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.
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.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Recognised accredited post graduate level training in a psychological therapy as specified in the Appendix, ie CBT at least 60 hours
- Professionally registered as specified in the appendix
Experience
Essential
- Substantial post-qualification/accreditation experience of specialist perinatal psychological therapy (assessment, formulation and treatment), as specified in the Appendix, maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- A high level of competence in applying a psychological therapy to complex difficulties appropriate for this therapy with the client group served by the post, and a proven track record of delivering positive outcomes in this therapy
- Experience of offering teaching, training and supervision within a demanding organisational context.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Recognised accredited post graduate level training in a psychological therapy as specified in the Appendix, ie CBT at least 60 hours
- Professionally registered as specified in the appendix
Experience
Essential
- Substantial post-qualification/accreditation experience of specialist perinatal psychological therapy (assessment, formulation and treatment), as specified in the Appendix, maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- A high level of competence in applying a psychological therapy to complex difficulties appropriate for this therapy with the client group served by the post, and a proven track record of delivering positive outcomes in this therapy
- Experience of offering teaching, training and supervision within a demanding organisational context.
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).
