Highly Specialist Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist inMilton Keynes inMilton Keynes PUBLISHED MON 6 JAN 2025

We are seeking a dynamic and enthusiastic B8a Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to cover Maternity Leave on a Fixed Term contract in the Perinatal Mental Health Team in Milton Keynes. It is anticipated that this cover will be from mid February 2025 to mid February 2026. The team provide specialist care for women (and their babies) with moderate to severe mental illness, this includes offering pre-conceptual counselling alongside working with women during their pregnancy and up to 2 years postpartum where there is a perinatal need. T

The role includes working across our Perinatal Mental Health Team and Maternity-Trauma, Loss and Care Service (M-TLC) in Milton Keynes. This post is for 22.5 hours per week. The M-TLC Service provides consultation, advice, signposting and targeted interventions to women with moderate-severe/complex mental health difficulties associated with loss and trauma occurring in the maternity/perinatal/neonatal context including the parent infant relationship. This may include PTSD following birth trauma, perinatal loss and severe fear of childbirth (tokophobia).

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

The postholder will join the Principal Psychologist in the M-TLC alongside a Clinical Psychologist and Psychological Therapist in the Perinatal Service both delivering and supporting the delivery of psychological interventions as part of a multi-disciplinary team. The team includes a Psychiatrist, Specialist Doctor, Specialist CPN's, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker, Peer Support Worker and a Nursery Nurse with administrators supporting the team.

The successful applicant will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team delivering care to women in a range of community settings including the woman's home; children's centre's; GP surgeries, maternity wards and the use of virtual technology. The ability to work flexibly in multidisciplinary teams and in a range of settings is therefore essential. As a specialist psychologist you will provide specialist assessment and treatment for women in the perinatal period which will also involve close liaison with the wider MDT such as Midwives; Health Visitors; Safeguarding and Children's Centres.

Please note this post is based at Milton Keynes Headquarters which is currently situated on the hospital site. However a consultation is currently underway with staff regarding moving the Headquarters to the Open University within Milton Keynes in the new year. If this moves goes ahead as proposed the successful candidate would be based at the Open University site.

About us

You must have experience of working in mental health services at secondary care level with complex presentations with women who may also be in crisis and who express suicidality. Experience of working in the Perinatal Mental Health field is desirable, and/or a keen interest in this specialist area alongside experience of facilitating group treatments. Experience of trauma focussed care and working with bereaved families is desirable.

The team is part of the wider Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) specialist perinatal mental health provision and there will be opportunities for networking with perinatal psychologists in this new and developing area of specialism across BLMK, the East of England Region and within CNWL.

Both regionally and locally we are committed to further training all disciplines within the team and there will be provision for training in line with a regional training programme.

For further information about this post please see attached job description