Job summary
North London Foundation Trust (NLFT) Maternal Mental Health Service (Maple)
Band 4 Assistant Psychologist
Part time (0.6WTE) - Across East, West and South TeamMaple West (Barnet): Cedar Place | 890 High Road | N12 9RH. Team Number: 020 3317 7001
Maple East (Enfield & Haringey): Forest Road Primary Care Centre | 308A Hertford Road| N9 7HD. Team number: 020 3317 7198
Maple South (Camden & Islington): 1st Floor West Wing | 4 St Pancras Hospital | NW1 0PE. Team number: 020 3317 7114
The Maple Service is for women whose trauma symptoms have a moderate to severe impact on their mental health. This may be due to a traumatic birth experience, pregnancy loss, neonatal death or the loss of a baby as a result of social care procedures due to safeguarding concerns. The trauma may also exist prior to conception, e.g. when tokophobia prevents a woman from achieving a wanted pregnancy.
The service is designed to address some of the service gap in perinatal mental health services. Maple is supported by and works alongside specialist midwives and the Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service, (SPMHS). Although there may be overlap in service user population between Maple and SPMHS, women can be accepted by Maple without being pregnant or having their baby with them and fathers/partners are also eligible for the service.
Main duties of the job
You will need to be motivated, organised, creative, have excellent interpersonal skills and a passion / interest in working with women and families in the antenatal and postnatal period who have experienced significant trauma.
The role of the post-holder is to support and provide psychological assessments and psychological interventions under the direction and supervision of the team's clinical/counselling psychologists and team practitioners, in line with the evidence base and NICE guidelines. It is also to collect and analyse data on these and other services as requested.
Under direction, supervision and guidance of senior staff, the post-holder may help develop psychological approaches, interventions, tools and resources to be used by colleagues, service users and families.
About us
Why choose to join the North London NHS Foundation Trust?
We believe that by working together, our Trust can achieve more for the residents of North Central London and our patients than we can by working apart.
Our Five-Year Strategy:
1. We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
4. We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.
The postholder will need to be comfortable working in an environment of complex matrix management arrangements and will at all times behave and align with our Trusts' values and cultural pillars:
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To assist the clinical/counselling psychologists in the Maple Service where appropriate.
- To assist in the formulation and delivery of evidence-based assessments and clinical interventions including individual therapy sessions where appropriate under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist.
- To assist in the planning organisation and delivery of therapeutic groups under supervision of a clinical / counselling psychologist.
- To gather and organise information about relevant psychological interventions and clinical tools for use by other staff.
- To work alongside other team members and ensure close liaison and communication with the MDTs.
- To maintain a high degree of professionalism at all times when working with service users, families, and colleagues.
- To maintain clinical records and statistics as appropriate.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To assist the clinical/counselling psychologists in the Maple Service where appropriate.
- To assist in the formulation and delivery of evidence-based assessments and clinical interventions including individual therapy sessions where appropriate under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist.
- To assist in the planning organisation and delivery of therapeutic groups under supervision of a clinical / counselling psychologist.
- To gather and organise information about relevant psychological interventions and clinical tools for use by other staff.
- To work alongside other team members and ensure close liaison and communication with the MDTs.
- To maintain a high degree of professionalism at all times when working with service users, families, and colleagues.
- To maintain clinical records and statistics as appropriate.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology
- Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (Graduate Basis for Registration)
Desirable
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of applied psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis
- Training in safeguarding
Experience
Essential
- Paid or volunteer work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities
Desirable
- Paid or volunteer work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
- Experience of working with parents
- Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team
- Experience of working in a diverse cultural context
Skills
Essential
- Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with service users, their families, carers and with other professional staff
- Able to understand a number of psychological models and their applications for women who have experienced trauma and/or loss related to the maternity context.
Desirable
- Skills in audit and report writing
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge and understanding of the needs of women in the perinatal period
Desirable
- Awareness of policy, guidelines, research or legislation relevant to perinatal mental health.
Abilities
Essential
- Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary setting.
- Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multi-professional setting
Desirable
- Evidence of interest in and ability to contribute to service development.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology
- Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (Graduate Basis for Registration)
Desirable
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of applied psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis
- Training in safeguarding
Experience
Essential
- Paid or volunteer work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities
Desirable
- Paid or volunteer work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
- Experience of working with parents
- Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team
- Experience of working in a diverse cultural context
Skills
Essential
- Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with service users, their families, carers and with other professional staff
- Able to understand a number of psychological models and their applications for women who have experienced trauma and/or loss related to the maternity context.
Desirable
- Skills in audit and report writing
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge and understanding of the needs of women in the perinatal period
Desirable
- Awareness of policy, guidelines, research or legislation relevant to perinatal mental health.
Abilities
Essential
- Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary setting.
- Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multi-professional setting
Desirable
- Evidence of interest in and ability to contribute to service development.
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).
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).
