Clinical or Counselling Psychologist or Accredited Cognitive Behaviour Therapist

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 48,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare trust in London is hiring a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist/CBT Therapist for their Perinatal Mental Health Service. The role involves providing psychological assessment and interventions to women and their families during the perinatal period. Applicants are required to have relevant professional registration with opportunities for ongoing training. The team values equality and diversity and promotes a supportive working environment, contributing towards improving mental health outcomes for women during pregnancy and postpartum.

Qualifications

• Professional registration as Clinical Psychologist, Counselling Psychologist, or CBT Therapist.
• Experience with women and families in the perinatal period desirable.
• Desire to develop skills in perinatal mental health preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychological assessment and interventions for maternal mental health.
• Deliver NICE compliant interventions for depression and anxiety disorders.
• Contribute to a multi-disciplinary team in the perinatal mental health context.

Skills

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR)

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

Mental health assessment

Education

Clinical Psychology or Counselling Psychology registration

Job description

The Perinatal Mental Health Service has a highly skilled team of perinatal psychological therapists who are committed to providing evidence-based interventions to women, birthing people and their families that are accessible and acceptable to the diverse South London population. We are recruiting a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist/CBT Therapist to work in Lambeth and across the Trust as required.

This post focuses primarily on delivery of perinatal psychological therapies for maternal mental health problems, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). There is a focus on coproduction, quality, supervision and ongoing audit and evaluation, keeping the experience of service users at the heart.

The successful applicant will join a friendly and supportive psychological therapies service that offers excellent opportunities for research and continuing professional development. We are committed to get the very best out of our staff and support staff in their career aspirations. Dependent on the role we offer ongoing training and development in different therapeutic modalities relevant to the area. Specialist perinatal psychology clinical and professional supervision will be provided from within the service.

Perinatal Mental Health Teams (PMHTs) are secondary care mental health teams that specialise in supporting women and birthing people in the perinatal period (pregnancy through until 12 months postnatal) who have severe and complex mental health difficulties. We assess and treat a range of difficulties including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychosis, personality disorders and eating disorders. The service is designed to provide timely input to families to mitigate the impact of mental health disorder on the child.

We are a multi-disciplinary team including psychiatry, psychology, nursing, occupational therapy, and nursery nursing. The service works closely with maternity/obstetric services as well as other agencies (e.g., health visiting and social services). We have close links with the Mother‑Baby Unit (MBU) in‑patient unit at the Bethlem Royal Hospital.

Role description

We are looking for a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist or Accredited Cognitive Behaviour Therapist to provide psychological assessment and intervention to women, birthing people and their families in the perinatal period, as well as contribute to the multi‑disciplinary team. The role involves delivering NICE concordant interventions for depression, anxiety disorders, psychosis and bipolar affective disorder. Experience working with women and birthing people within the perinatal period and a keen interest to develop knowledge and skills in this area are desirable. Specialist perinatal supervision will be provided and you will join a friendly and supportive team of specialist perinatal psychologists and psychological therapists.

Qualifications and registration

This post is open to Clinical Psychologists, Counselling Psychologists and Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapists who have the relevant professional registration. Perinatal mental health experience is not essential, but desirable. Qualification/accreditation in one or more of the following is very relevant, although not essential: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).

NHS Affordability and Trust information

NHS AfC: Band 8a. South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond. We are recognised for the quality of care we provide and the Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The Trust is a Disability Confident Employer. We welcome applications from people with lived experience of mental illness, and consider them an asset to the Trust. We are committed to providing services which embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and promoting equality and human rights.

Application process notes

Please note: all applications for this post must be made online and the Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria. The closing date listed is a guide only and the vacancy may close earlier if a sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible. Applications will be assessed by the Trust and, where necessary, transferred to a third‑party e‑recruitment system. Successful candidates will be subject to an Inter‑Authority Transfer process. The Trust is smoke‑free.