Clinical/Practitioner Psychologist

Job summary

Are you a psychologist looking for an exciting opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of pregnant and post-natal birthing people and their families? Look no further

The Perinatal Mental Health Service (PMHS) and Maternal Mental Health Service (MMHS) is expanding and offering a new position for a psychologist to work in either or both teams. This will be a fixed term 12 month post to cover maternity leave.

Be Part of a Supportive Team

Join our friendly and supportive multidisciplinary teams and psychology team, where you'll find an environment to grow professionally. With plenty of training opportunities, specialist supervision, and avenues for professional development, you'll thrive in our collaborative setting.

Shape the Future

As part of large-scale national health service developments, we are dedicated to improving the quality of care and support for birthing people, their babies, and partners. By joining us, you'll have the chance to shape these new services, learn from current research and practice in the field, and attend training for specialist perinatal interventions.

Varied Interventions

We offer a wide range of psychological interventions, both directly to families and indirectly. This includes ante and/or post-natal individual or group interventions, compassion-focused therapy (CFT), video interaction guidance (VIG), eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR), cognitive behavioural therapy(CBT), systemic therapy, and psychodynamic therapy.

Main duties of the job

Your Role

The principal purpose of this job is to improve the psychological health and well-being of women using the Perinatal and Maternal Mental Health Services. This involves various responsibilities, such as managing patient caseloads, formulating treatment plans, implementing a range of psychological interventions and offering consultation and guidance to support individuals and their significant others.

Continual Learning and Growth

You'll be supported to train in evidenced-based perinatal mental health approaches, such as VIG, EMDR, Circle of Security, interpersonal psychotherapy, CBT, etc. which will depend on your interests and the requirements of the service.

The Services

The PMHS provide a specialist, multidisciplinary community mental health service for the assessment and treatment of pregnant and post-natal birthing people with severe mental health illness, including post-partum psychosis.

The MMHS is a smaller but expanding team and has been providing support to the community since March 2022. The aim of the service is to offer birthing people, babies, and their support network, psychologically informed assessment and interventions related to tokophobia, trauma, and/ or loss during pregnancy, birth, and/or post-natal experiences.

The posts are county-wide with a team base likely to be in Bridgwater which is well connected transport-wise by the M5. You'll be required to visit a variety of locations around the county.

About us

As an organisation, the NHS offers a wide range of benefits including flexible working, pension contributions, market leading annual leave allowance, continuing professional development and regular informal conversations around career progression, annual recognition awards to celebrate and recognise our colleagues achievements throughout the year and not to mention our Blue Light Card and NHS exclusive discounts.

We work hard to make sure that inclusion is part of everything we do. We know that true inclusion means we're able to provide the best care for our patients and provide a fulfilling career for all our colleagues.

The benefits of working in Somerset include the idyllic countryside, with our areas of outstanding beauty and stunning coastlines. You will get to enjoy these perks whilst still only being a stone's throw away from bustling city centres like Bristol, Bath and Exeter and only two hours away from London - there is truly something for everyone

There are excellent educational facilities in the area and, when compared to other regions, house prices are reasonable.

We have six active and impactful colleague networks. These networks provide a safe space for colleagues to share their experiences and learn from one another, but also influence change across our trust:

Multicultural Network Women's Network Armed Forces' Network LGBTQ+ Network Lived Experience Network, for colleagues living with disabilities Autistic Colleague Network Job description

Job responsibilities

PMHS and MMHS provide specialist, multidisciplinary community mental health support to pregnant and post-natal birthing people, babies, and their support system. We work alongside people with lived experiences, midwives, health visitors, mental health practitioners, nursery nurses, doctors, and therapists. Psychologists develop and co-facilitate training, clinical supervision, reflective practice and consultation to a wide range of health professionals including maternity and neonatal services.

To manage a caseload of patients within the PMHS and/ or MMHS. To meet appropriate standards of practice in the quality and timeliness of the service provided. The standards of practice will include meeting the standards defined by the HCPC and British Psychological Society (including the Division of Clinical Psychology) To formulate and implement plans for the psychological treatment and/or management of patients mental health and the presenting problem(s), based upon the appropriate theoretical and conceptual framework of the patients problems, via the employment of methods based upon evidence-based practice and efficacy. To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for patients, carers, families and groups. Adjusting and refining psychological formulations and drawing upon a range of theoretical perspectives and different explanatory models and maintaining several provisional hypotheses. To provide consultation and advice to relevant significant others, such as partners, in order to improve the psychological health of people using the Service. Provide individual assessment and therapeutic interventions for cognitive, mental health, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Therapy may be one to one sessions, lasting approximately one hour, or group based interventions.

Please see the attached JD for full details.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

Essential

Qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist ( or equivalent), eligible for Chartered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist Status with the British Psychological Society and Registered with HCPC

Desirable

Further training or experience in Perinatal Mental Health/ related area Further training in at least one (other) psychological therapy, cognitive analytic psychotherapy, EMDR dialectical behaviour therapy.

Knowledge

Essential

Psychosocial/ neuropsychological assessment and formulation skills and knowledge.

Experience

Essential

Experience of work across service settings and agencies and participation in working parties. Experience of applying therapeutic approaches to the work with people with complex mental health presentations

Skills & Abilities

Essential

Compassionate - interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively with patients, carers and relatives remaining sensitive and empathetic. Professional and patient focussed approach with inspirational skills, acting as a role model to colleagues and junior staff members.

Communication Skills

Essential

Listens to others' views respecting and valuing individual patient needs. Ability to function with a wide range of professionals and stakeholders in a complex multi-agency context.

Planning & Organisation Skills

Essential

Ability to make clinical decisions about complex and emotive issues. Excellent organisational skills, ability to manage own time and plan timed activities for staff and patients.

Other

Essential

Willingness to use technology to improve standards of care and support to our patients Must be a car driver with a valid driving licence or have access to transport with appropriate business insurance in order to travel throughout the Trust, to meet the needs of the service.

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