Clinical/Counselling Psychologist

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 61,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider seeks a Clinical Psychologist for its Perinatal Services, focusing on improving maternal mental health within a multidisciplinary team. The role involves conducting psychological assessments, managing complex caseloads, and contributing to service development. Candidates should be HCPC registered and have experience in women's health and trauma. This position offers a competitive salary and opportunities for professional growth.

Qualifications

• Registered with HCPC as a clinical/counselling psychologist.
• Specialized training in trauma and perinatal mental health.
• Strong knowledge in adult mental health and parent-child attachment.

Responsibilities

• Oversee clinical psychology caseload and contribute to service development.
• Conduct assessments and therapy sessions per NICE guidelines.
• Support and supervise team of psychologists ensuring effective care delivery.

Skills

Communication

Consultation

Training

Supervision

Knowledge of adult mental health

Knowledge of women's health

Parent-child bonding

Education

Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a clinical or counselling psychologist

Post-qualification specialist training in trauma, loss, perinatal mental health

Evidence of continual professional development

Job description

The North London NHS Foundation Trust Perinatal Services comprise of the Maternal Mental Health Service, Maple and the Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service (SPMHS).

The Maple Service is for people whose trauma symptoms have a moderate to severe impact on their mental health. This may be due to a traumatic birth experience, pregnancy loss, neonatal death, or the loss of a baby as a result of social care procedures due to safeguarding concerns. The trauma may also exist prior to conception, e.g. when tokophobia prevents a woman from achieving a wanted pregnancy. The service has been running since 2021 and is a service which primarily offers psychological therapy.

The aim of the Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service (SPMHS) team is to detect, prevent and treat perinatal mental health needs to improve the experience of pregnancy and the two years postpartum for service users, the babies and their families. The service has been running since 2017 and delivers care utilising skills from a multi disciplinary staff group.

The North London NHS Foundation Trust Perinatal Services provide care across five boroughs in the North Central London area; Camden, Islington, Barnet, Enfield, and Haringey.

Main duties of the job

Maple and SPMHS operate across 3 clinical sub-teams:

• East Team (Enfield & Haringey): Team base: Forest Road Primary Care Centre, Ground Floor, 308A Hertford Road, London, N9 7HD
• West Team (Barnet):Team base: Cedar Place, North London Partners NHS, 890 High Road, North Finchley, N12 9RH

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.

This post will be based in the South Team working with service users who live in Camden & Islington.

About us

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.

• We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
• With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
• We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
• We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.

In order to meet the needs of the Trust 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 Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

Job responsibilities

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. They will be supervised by the Lead Psychologist within the team.

Person Specification

Education

• Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a clinical or counselling psychologist
• Post-qualification specialist training in areas relevant to the post (trauma, loss, perinatal mental health)
• Evidence of continual professional development

Experience/ Skills

• Well-developed knowledge of adult mental health, women's health, and parent-child bonding
• Significant post-qualification experience working with adults with severe and enduring mental health needs as well as their families, carers and networks
• Experience of working with women in the perinatal period and with infant-parent attachment
• Experience of teaching, training and supervision.
• Well-developed skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.

Personal Qualities

• Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with clients, their families, carers, and other professional colleagues.
• Evidence of interest in and ability to contribute to service development

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.

£61,927 to £68,676 a yearPer annum including HCAS