Senior Perinatal Psychotherapist — Parent‑Infant Specialist

The position is for a suitably qualified Parent‑Infant Psychotherapist to work within the Brent and Harrow Community Perinatal Mental Health Service. The role involves delivering specialist interventions for families, extending care up to 24 months post‑natal, and providing psychotherapeutic treatment that supports the mother‑infant relationship.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Deliver autonomous psychotherapeutic assessment, treatment and discharge for clients with complex perinatal mental health problems.
• Formulate, document, implement and review treatment plans for women and partners during pregnancy, birth and the post‑natal period.
• Assess risk, develop risk‑management plans and advise other professions on psychological aspects of risk.
• Provide specialist interventions for disturbed mother‑infant attachment and other complex factors.
• Develop and facilitate group therapeutic sessions with new mothers and infants.
• Lead professional liaison, coordinate care reviews, and monitor multidisciplinary progress.
• Engage in audit, policy review and research to advance service delivery.
• Work flexible opening hours, including early/late clinic appointments, home visits or training sessions.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

• Post‑graduate or doctoral level training in Parent‑Infant Psychotherapy or in Child/Adult psychotherapy with a Parent‑Infant component.
• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist or with the ACP as a Psychotherapist, or equivalent PIP accreditation.
• Post‑doctoral or specialised training in areas such as couples work, CBT, groups, etc.
• Formal training in Parent‑Infant Psychotherapy or Psychoanalytic parent‑infant psychotherapy.

Previous Experience

• Experience as a psychotherapist (honorary, trainee or paid) in perinatal, CAMHS or similar settings, including MDT work.
• Experience exercising clinical responsibility for psychotherapeutic care and treatment of clients.
• Experience teaching, training, supervision and providing professional and clinical supervision.
• Experience working within a CMHT or similar multidisciplinary mental‑health team.
• Experience representing Psychology or Psychotherapy within multidisciplinary clinical care.
• Experience supervising other mental‑health staff.

Other

• Ability to identify and promote appropriate support for carers and staff exposed to distressing situations.
• Ability to use clinical governance mechanisms to maintain practice standards during exposure to challenging behaviours.
• Ability to develop and use complex multimedia materials for public, professional and academic presentations.
• Experience working within a multicultural framework.

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

• Extensive experience in specialist psychotherapeutic assessment and treatment of pregnant and post‑partum women.
• Experience with a wide range of children and parents across the whole age spectrum presenting with varied problems.
• Experience with mothers and families facing severe mental illness and self‑risk.
• Ability to conduct audit and research in perinatal mental health.
• Advanced knowledge of newborns, early infancy and child development, and theories of infant and child mental health.
• Ability to monitor risk and act accordingly.
• Ability to create a therapeutic milieu for parents and infants together.
• Experience applying psychological interventions across diverse cultural contexts.
• Experience training and consulting with other psychotherapists on pre‑registration courses and case consultation.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

AI may be used as a support tool but not as a replacement for the applicant’s own work. Applications must remain personal, accurate and reflective of the candidate’s real experience. Over‑reliance on AI‑generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant’s chances of success. AI‑generated content must not misrepresent skills, qualifications or experience. The use of AI is prohibited during the interview process.

Additional Information

Applications may expire before the advertised closing date. Jobs requiring sponsorship for work in the UK are considered, provided the applicant is eligible under UKVI points‑based system. Employment contracts are subject to a 13‑week probationary period (Agenda for Change). Successful applicants will have information transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system.