Parent-Infant Psychotherapist

Job summary

CNWL Parent-Infant Mental Health Service (PIMHS) is an exciting new service being developed in Brent. We are looking for a Parent-Infant Psychotherapist to join this new team. The post-holder will be based in Brent CAMHS and will have clinics in the community and in Family Hubs across Brent.

In line with the Start 4 Life Programme, the service will offer support to infants in the first two years of life with mild, moderate or severe mental and emotional health needs, and their mothers in the first two years postpartum; who have mild to moderate mental health concerns past or present, risking the mother-infant relationship. This service also extends to fathers, co-parents and the overall familial relationship with the infant, with the infant remaining the focus of the work.

The service will be delivered by a MDT consisting of a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, a Lead Parent-Infant Psychotherapist, a Senior-Parent Infant Psychotherapist, two Parent-Infant Psychotherapists, and an Assistant Psychotherapist.

Main duties of the job

To participate in the development of an effective PIMHS team and the development of productive working relationships throughout the Trust. To be responsible for the assessment and treatment of families allocated to them within the context of the multi-disciplinary U5s CAMHS team. To be directly involved in delivering specific Parent-Infant psychological interventions to infants and parents to promote the quality of parent-infant relationships. This may also include brief parent work, group work, short term generic CAMHS input, video work ( video interactive guidance), consultation, offering teaching and training and joint working with multiagency colleagues. To be an effective team member whilst working on their own initiative. To participate in the review and development of clinical policies and identify improvements to service provision. To participate in the audit process, linking in with the clinical governance agenda. To contribute to the training experience of trainee psychotherapists and students from other disciples on placement, as appropriate. To receive regular clinical and service related supervision from a Consultant/Lead Parent-Infant Psychotherapist within the Brent U5 CAMHS Team. To take an active interest in working parties and groups within the Trust to develop and improve on service delivery, protocols and guidelines.

About us

This post necessitates working directly and indirectly with women who have vulnerable infants and are experiencing complex and severe mental health difficulties. Some clients/patients may be difficult to engage and their behaviour may significantly challenge the integrity and welfare of the post holder. The post also necessitates the post holder to travel regularly across Brent and when necessary, to local community amenities or independent sector establishments often transporting test materials, audio-visual and IT equipment.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main Responsibilities:

To provide an efficient, effective, comprehensive and specialist Parent-Infant psychotherapy assessment and treatment to service users, and support and signposting to parents, to promote the quality of parent-infant relationships To contribute to multi-disciplinary assessment and treatment of parents with a range of mental health and social and emotional difficulties, particularly focussing on providing interventions flexibly which are adapted to the needs of infants and their mothers/carers in complex and varying degrees of illness and distress. To offer consultation, teaching and training on Parent-Infant mental health and Attachment to multidisciplinary colleagues as required. To contribute to audit and research. To actively engage in outcome monitoring, including the use of normed routine outcome measures associated with CYP IAPT where appropriate. To work in clinical practice, making use of supervision, within the overall framework of the CAMHS Directorates and the Trusts policies and procedures. Person Specification

Training & Qualifications

Essential

Masters level preclinical training at an Association of Child Psychotherapists recognised training school; post graduate doctoral level training in clinical child psychotherapy at a training school accredited by the Association of Child Psychotherapy or Association of Child Psychotherapists Statement of Equivalence AND/OR Training in Parent-Infant Psychotherapy accredited by the BPC/UKCP

Desirable

Pre-qualification training and qualifications in relevant fields in health, social care or education settings

Experience

Essential

Experience of specialist psychotherapeutic assessment and treatment of children, adolescents and their parents as a full member of a multidisciplinary team located in community, primary care, outpatient or inpatient setting Experience of working with a wide variety child, adolescents across the whole age range (0-18) and their parents, and presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity and complexity

Desirable

Experience of working in different CAMHS Tiers Experience of working with parent-infant psychotherapy Experience of the application of child psychotherapy in different cultural contexts

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

Skills in the use of complex methods of psychotherapeutic assessment, intervention and managementSkills in the use of complex methods of psychotherapeutic assessment, intervention and management Knowledge of infant mental health 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 Knowledge of legislation in relation to children and adolescents including child protection procedures and policies Ability to tolerate anxiety without recourse to premature action whilst appreciating the role of the supervisor Awareness of the implications of working within a managed system

Desirable

Knowledge of NHS, Social Care and Education Structures, National policies and frameworks Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups Knowledge of research methodology and outcome research design and ability to critically interpret research findings

Other

Essential

Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary setting Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice

Desirable

Ability to teach and train others and present the work of Parent-infant mental health within public, professional and academic settings

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