Parent/Infant Psychotherapist/Specialist Clinical Psychologist

To make a significant contribution to the strategic development of a highly specialist psychoanalytic/early attachment interventions for parents and their young babies, where there are difficulties with attachment and a parent may be experiencing mental health issues. To provide psychotherapeutic assessments of the emotional development of the infant and the forming attachment relationship, including the impact of any psychological difficulties in the parent, with a view to providing either short or long term psychotherapeutic treatment addressing the parent infant relationships for babies under six months at referral. To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a service users problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the persons problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across a full range of care settings. To provide a variety of interventions including Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) and Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale (NBAS). To work on a daily basis in face-to-face individual, family and/or in group therapy settings with service users presenting with highly complex and distressing psychological problems. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of service users whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans. To provide highly specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals (both psychologists/therapists and non-psychologists) contributing directly to service users formulation, diagnosis and treatment plans. To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all users of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the service user group. To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual service users and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management. To coordinate, where appropriate, complex intervention plans, taking responsibility for initiating planning and reviews of plans, and including service users, their carers, referring agents and others involved in the network of care. To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of service users under their care and to monitor progress during both the course of uni- and multi-disciplinary care. Teaching, Training and Supervision To receive regular clinical and service-related supervision from a appropriate qualified professional practice and following Trust guidelines. To gain additional highly specialist experience and training relevant to child and adolescent psychotherapy. To maintain and develop skills in post-graduate teaching, training and supervision. To participate in an annual PDR process. To attend to CPD and training needs as identified in supervision and PDR To provide supervision to trainee Psychotherapists and other MDT staffs psychological work, as appropriate. To provide highly specialised advice, consultation and training to staff (including both psychologists/therapists and non-psychologists) working with the service user group across a range of agencies and settings. Management, Recruitment, Policy, Organisational and Service Development To maintain records consistent with the current legislation and trust procedures using the Trusts electronic recording system. To undertake the administrative duties appropriate to the tasks. To be aware of the mechanisms of Clinical Governance, Quality Assurance and audit of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy services. To participate in the audit and evaluation of child psychotherapy services. To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of aspects of the teams clinical practice through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit. To contribute to the governance of psychological practice within their own team by developing and collecting relevant measures of outcome and audit and to provide consultation to other health and social care professionals to enable them to develop their own effective systems of governance. To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing. To be involved, as appropriate, in the shortlisting and interviewing of psychologists and other staff. To manage the work of assistant psychologists within the framework of the team/services policies and procedures. To manage any waiting lists within the team and participate as a senior clinician in the allocation of cases taking into account skill mix and caseload. To respond to referrals, making autonomous professional and clinical judgements based upon complex information, prioritising accordingly and contributing to multidisciplinary decision making. To implement the policies and propose changes to working practices/procedures concerning professional good practice for the provision of psychological services as applicable to Perinatal Services in order to ensure the highest standards of service to the service user group. To propose policy or service changes which impact beyond own area of activity by participation in Trust working parties and other local development groups. Research and Service Evaluation To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members. To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research. To initiate, undertake and supervise project management, service evaluations and complex audits with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision. To disseminate research findings through publications and conference presentations. Working Environment To provide psychological care to service users and their carers in the least restrictive and least stigmatising environment. The job role will involve working alone in situations where there may be some risk of verbal or physical aggression from service users, carers, and the general public.