Senior Clinical/Counselling Psychologist (MMHS)

Job overview

Services offered by the post-holder will include providing psychological assessments and interventions to service users in line with the evidence base and NICE guidelines. They will conduct individualised therapy sessions as well as group sessions alongside other MDT colleagues. They will also offer advice and consultation based on psychological formulation to referrers, staff of the Maple Service and other professional and non-professional groups.

The post holder will oversee the Clinical Psychology caseload of their sub-team. They will actively contribute to the planning, development and evaluation of maternal mental health clinical services using leadership skills and knowledge to provide training and consultancy within the specialty area of perinatal mental health. There will also be opportunities to be involved in service audit and research relevant to psychological work within perinatal mental health. They are expected to hold a complex caseload.

The post holder will be responsible for supporting and supervising band 7 Psychologists, ensuring that the Clinical Psychology team understands and operates to the requirements of the service line operational policy and service line strategy and that safe, evidence based, NICE concordant, effective, culturally competent care is delivered in a timely manner to service users.

Main duties of the job

The advertised post is a 3 day/week, fixed term (12 month), maternity cover role.

The successful candidate will be based in the Maple East Team, with responsibility for working with service users in Enfield and Haringey. The team base is in Edmonton Green, N9 7HD.

In order to meet the needs of the services you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under the remit of the North London NHS Foundation Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To work with service users with complex perinatal mental health needs, in particular loss and trauma; to identify their goals using specialist assessment and interventions tools.
• To plan and deliver  psychological interventions to parents caring for their babies to meet required standards in their babies' developmental needs.
• Good awareness of adult mental health and parent infant relationships theoretical models.
• To work in a variety of settings e.g., home, clinics and within the local community.
• To liaise with the wider multi-disciplinary team when there are concerns regarding the well-being of the parent and the child. To follow trust Adult & Child Protection process and strategies.
• To work with families who have children under Children’s Social Care; contributing to care plans and working within trust guidelines.
• To ensure accurate and concise record keeping for service users and interaction with their babies.
• To communicate effectively using a variety of communication skills: verbal and non-verbal, written, and electronic, with a range of individuals and organisations within and external to the organisation.
• To establish and maintain effective working relationships with members of the MDT using excellent interpersonal skills.
• To provide specialist consultation on psychological therapies in the context of mental health to other staff within the service.
• To provide advice, consultation, training, and supervision, where appropriate, to other health and social care staff working with the client group.