Job summary We are seeking two enthusiastic psychological therapist (30 hours per week) with a passion for perinatal care and infant mental health to join our specialist community perinatal mental health service and support the provision of psychological therapies. We welcome applications from newly qualified practitioner psychologists or CBT therapists or those approaching qualification / accreditation. The post holder will have a proven interest in perinatal mental health - direct experience of working within a specialist perinatal setting is desirable but not essential. Appropriate specialist clinical and professional supervision and opportunities for training and development will be made available. They will join an experienced and friendly team of psychological therapists who provide a range of highly specialist psychological interventions for service users under the care of the Perinatal Mental Health Team. A key aspect of this role is to provide highly specialist psychological care to parents (and their infants) experiencing moderate to severe mental health difficulties. Alongside their psychology and psychotherapy colleagues they will also work to enhance the work of the MDT by embedding a wider framework of psychologically informed care that can recognise and respond to psychological needs of both parents and infants arising within a perinatal context in a timely and effective manner. Main duties of the job To provide specialist psychotherapeutic assessments and interventions to service users and their infants of the Perinatal mental health service. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for managing an identified caseload of parents and infants with complex psychological problems, including assessment of risk and safeguarding adults and babies To enable staff and service users from all backgrounds to flourish by working together to create a psychologically safe and responsive environment, ensuring the team operates from an anti-racist and anti-discriminatory perspective at all times To provide consultation as appropriate to other members of the MDT and wider professional networks involved in a family's care. To undertake service evaluation, research and policy development To work collaboratively and flexibly as a member of the multi-disciplinary team and contribute to a psychologically informed framework of working across the service. To actively contribute to perinatal care plans, providing a psychological perspective, which may require attendance at pre-birth and post-birth planning meetings Flexible working: As one of the few Trusts in London we are proud to offer flexible working as part of our new ways of working, and we are happy to talk flexible working at the interview stage. In this role you will be able to work Monday to Friday in the time frames from 9am to 6pm, giving you the very best of good work life balance. 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. Date posted 30 January 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 7 Salary £43,456 to £48,784 a year per annum inclusive of Inner London HCAs Contract Permanent Working pattern Part-time Reference number 294-AAUC-6966271-FZ Job locations Springfield University Hospital London SW17 7DJ Job description Job responsibilities To support the provision of highly specialist psychological assessments and interventions for service users and their infants under the care of the Perinatal Mental Health Service. Where appropriate to supervise and support the psychological assessment and therapy provided by trainee and assistant psychological therapists and other clinical members of the team or allied health professionals who provide psychologically based care and treatment to parents and infants. To work autonomously within professional guidelines. To contribute to the on-going development and evaluation of the service. To contribute to teaching and training on aspects of adult and infant mental health in a perinatal context. 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 support the provision of highly specialist psychological assessments and interventions for service users and their infants under the care of the Perinatal Mental Health Service. Where appropriate to supervise and support the psychological assessment and therapy provided by trainee and assistant psychological therapists and other clinical members of the team or allied health professionals who provide psychologically based care and treatment to parents and infants. To work autonomously within professional guidelines. To contribute to the on-going development and evaluation of the service. To contribute to teaching and training on aspects of adult and infant mental health in a perinatal context. 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 Experience Essential oExperience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient 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 oExperience of delivering NICE adherent interventions especially CBT for psychological problems Desirable oExperience of working in a specialist perinatal mental health service oExperience of teaching, training and/or supervision oExperience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts oExperience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team oExperience of working in both primary and secondary mental health care, including multi-agency working Training and Qualifications Essential Doctoral level training (or equivalent) in clinical or counselling psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS and approved by the HCPC Registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (Practitioner Psychologist) Desirable Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology BABCP accredited CBT practitioner or eligibility for provisional registration with the BABCP as a CBT therapist Training in EMDR, IPT and/or couples or systemic interventions KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Essential Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC Desirable Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. dual diagnosis, people experiencing psychosis, with personality disorder, substance misuse, learning disability, neurological dysfunction and additional disabilities) High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies Knowledge of recent policy and legislation in relation to people with severe and enduring mental health problems Person Specification Experience Essential oExperience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient 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 oExperience of delivering NICE adherent interventions especially CBT for psychological problems Desirable oExperience of working in a specialist perinatal mental health service oExperience of teaching, training and/or supervision oExperience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts oExperience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team oExperience of working in both primary and secondary mental health care, including multi-agency working Training and Qualifications Essential Doctoral level training (or equivalent) in clinical or counselling psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS and approved by the HCPC Registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (Practitioner Psychologist) Desirable Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology BABCP accredited CBT practitioner or eligibility for provisional registration with the BABCP as a CBT therapist Training in EMDR, IPT and/or couples or systemic interventions KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Essential Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC Desirable Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. dual diagnosis, people experiencing psychosis, with personality disorder, substance misuse, learning disability, neurological dysfunction and additional disabilities) High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies Knowledge of recent policy and legislation in relation to people with severe and enduring mental health problems 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. Certificate of Sponsorship 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. Certificate of Sponsorship 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). Employer details Employer name South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust Address Springfield University Hospital London SW17 7DJ Employer's website https://www.swlstg.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)