Job summary We are looking to recruit enthusiastic, motivated and flexible qualified Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) practitioners to join our Perinatal Service. Applicants need to be accredited with the BABCP. This is an exciting time to join our team; we are expanding our service so that we are able to reach more people across Liverpool & Sefton, with an aim to deliver increased therapeutic support. Main duties of the job The post holder will provide high intensity interventions - initially cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in the perinatal period. To accept referrals and agreed protocols within the service and work as part of an MDT. Adhere to agreed activity contract relating to the number of client contracts offered and clinical sessions carried out per week, in order to minimise working times and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient. To work with people with different cultural backgrounds and ages, using interpreters when necessary and should be committed to equal opportunities. About us Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands. We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities. At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so. Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles. Date posted 05 March 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 7 Salary £46,148 to £52,809 a year per annum Contract Permanent Working pattern Part-time Reference number 350-CC7048178 Job locations Liverpool & Sefton Liverpool Womens Hospital, Liverpool Liverpool L8 7SS Job description Job responsibilities 1. Accept referrals via agreed protocols within the specialist perinatal service.2. Assess clients for suitability for psychological interventions in line with the specialist perinatal psychological model of care.3. Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the departments referral protocols, and refer unsuitable clients on to the relevant service or back to the referral agent as necessary.4. Formulate, implement and evaluate therapy programmes for women and birthing people in the perinatal period.5. Use highly developed communication skills in working with people to understand their personal and often very sensitive difficulties, including bonding and attachment difficulties.6. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment and treatment of women and birthing people in line with the service.7. Educate and involve family members and others in treatment as necessary, conveying CBT and other psychological formulations with sensitivity in easily understood language, and all the while keeping the baby, couple and family in mind.8. Adhere to an agreed activity contract relating to the number of client contacts offered, and clinical sessions carried out per week in order to minimise waiting times and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient.9. Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate.10. Complete all requirements relating to data collection within the service.11. Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols.12. Work closely with other members of the multi-disciplinary team ensuring stepped formulation driven care is delivered to maintain a matched-care approach.13. Assess and integrate issues surrounding the wider context of people's lives into the overall therapy process.14. Carry out clinical audits of service performance, including service user surveys and evaluations, and help to collate and disseminate the results for feedback.15. Liaise with other health and social care staff from a range of agencies in the care provided clients.16. Provide specialist advice and consultation to other professionals / individuals / groups / committees across Parent-Infant Mental Health Services, Maternity, Health Visiting, Mental Health Trusts, Primary Care Trusts and other voluntary agencies regarding service matters related to the practice and delivery of specific agreed therapeutic modalities and service provision. Job description Job responsibilities 1. Accept referrals via agreed protocols within the specialist perinatal service.2. Assess clients for suitability for psychological interventions in line with the specialist perinatal psychological model of care.3. Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the departments referral protocols, and refer unsuitable clients on to the relevant service or back to the referral agent as necessary.4. Formulate, implement and evaluate therapy programmes for women and birthing people in the perinatal period.5. Use highly developed communication skills in working with people to understand their personal and often very sensitive difficulties, including bonding and attachment difficulties.6. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment and treatment of women and birthing people in line with the service.7. Educate and involve family members and others in treatment as necessary, conveying CBT and other psychological formulations with sensitivity in easily understood language, and all the while keeping the baby, couple and family in mind.8. Adhere to an agreed activity contract relating to the number of client contacts offered, and clinical sessions carried out per week in order to minimise waiting times and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient.9. Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate.10. Complete all requirements relating to data collection within the service.11. Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols.12. Work closely with other members of the multi-disciplinary team ensuring stepped formulation driven care is delivered to maintain a matched-care approach.13. Assess and integrate issues surrounding the wider context of people's lives into the overall therapy process.14. Carry out clinical audits of service performance, including service user surveys and evaluations, and help to collate and disseminate the results for feedback.15. Liaise with other health and social care staff from a range of agencies in the care provided clients.16. Provide specialist advice and consultation to other professionals / individuals / groups / committees across Parent-Infant Mental Health Services, Maternity, Health Visiting, Mental Health Trusts, Primary Care Trusts and other voluntary agencies regarding service matters related to the practice and delivery of specific agreed therapeutic modalities and service provision. Person Specification Qualifications Essential Post Graduate Diploma, or equivalent Post Graduate level CBT Training certificate which confers eligibility for BABCP accreditation. Desirable Additional qualification relevant to subject of perinatal mental health/family intervention Knowledge/Experience Essential Demonstrable experience of working in mental health services Ability to meet agreed/specified service targets Ability to manage own caseload and time Demonstrates high standards in written communication Experience with routine outcome monitoring Significant experience working as a psychological therapy practitioner and can demonstrates the competences as required Demonstrates an understanding of anxiety and depression and how it may present in the perinatal period Knowledge of medication used in anxiety and depression and other common mental health problems. Demonstrates an understanding for the need to use evidence based psychological therapies and how it relates to this post Knowledge of child protection issues and other relevant legislation Desirable Experience of working in Perinatal Mental Health Services Worked in a service where agreed targets in place demonstrating clinical outcomes Knowledge of the theory and evidence for psychological interventions in the perinatal period Knowledge of attachment and bonding Skills Essential Full range of skills and competencies as laid out in the competence framework for CBT (Roth and Pilling 2007) 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 Has received training (either formal of through experience) and carried out risk assessments within scope of practice Able to develop good therapeutic relationships with clients. Ability to work within a team and foster good working relationships. Ability to use clinical supervision and personal development positively and effectively Ability to work under pressure Regard for others and respect for individual rights of autonomy and confidentiality Ability to be self reflective, whilst working with service users, & in own personal and professional development and in supervision The ability and skills to act as an advocate for a new service, to engage and foster good professional relationships with all health professionals in promoting the good integration of this service with the wider health care system Desirable Trained in provision of supervision for CBT Accredited with a professional psychological therapy organisation Completed clinical audits within a service. Car driver and/or ability and willingness to travel to locations throughout the organisation in a timely manner. Fluent in languages other than English Passion for working therapeutically with women and birthing people in the perinatal period, including holding the infant, couple and whole family in mind Person Specification Qualifications Essential Post Graduate Diploma, or equivalent Post Graduate level CBT Training certificate which confers eligibility for BABCP accreditation. Desirable Additional qualification relevant to subject of perinatal mental health/family intervention Knowledge/Experience Essential Demonstrable experience of working in mental health services Ability to meet agreed/specified service targets Ability to manage own caseload and time Demonstrates high standards in written communication Experience with routine outcome monitoring Significant experience working as a psychological therapy practitioner and can demonstrates the competences as required Demonstrates an understanding of anxiety and depression and how it may present in the perinatal period Knowledge of medication used in anxiety and depression and other common mental health problems. Demonstrates an understanding for the need to use evidence based psychological therapies and how it relates to this post Knowledge of child protection issues and other relevant legislation Desirable Experience of working in Perinatal Mental Health Services Worked in a service where agreed targets in place demonstrating clinical outcomes Knowledge of the theory and evidence for psychological interventions in the perinatal period Knowledge of attachment and bonding Skills Essential Full range of skills and competencies as laid out in the competence framework for CBT (Roth and Pilling 2007) 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 Has received training (either formal of through experience) and carried out risk assessments within scope of practice Able to develop good therapeutic relationships with clients. Ability to work within a team and foster good working relationships. Ability to use clinical supervision and personal development positively and effectively Ability to work under pressure Regard for others and respect for individual rights of autonomy and confidentiality Ability to be self reflective, whilst working with service users, & in own personal and professional development and in supervision The ability and skills to act as an advocate for a new service, to engage and foster good professional relationships with all health professionals in promoting the good integration of this service with the wider health care system Desirable Trained in provision of supervision for CBT Accredited with a professional psychological therapy organisation Completed clinical audits within a service. Car driver and/or ability and willingness to travel to locations throughout the organisation in a timely manner. Fluent in languages other than English Passion for working therapeutically with women and birthing people in the perinatal period, including holding the infant, couple and whole family in mind 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). Employer details Employer name Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust Address Liverpool & Sefton Liverpool Womens Hospital, Liverpool Liverpool L8 7SS Employer's website https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)