Parent Infant Therapist

NHS

  • Radlett, Hertfordshire
  • £50,008-56,908 per year
  • Permanent
  • Part-time
  • 1 day ago
This post is an exciting opportunity to join an established team of Parent Infant Therapists within the Community Perinatal Team and to contribute to the development of parent infant interventions in this thriving, supportive and well-regarded specialist multi-disciplinary team.The team serves the county of Hertfordshire, supporting women with mental health needs, through pregnancy and the postnatal period as well as working closely with maternity staff and providers of primary, secondary and inpatient care. Whilst the team covers the whole of Hertfordshire, the postholder will cover a geographical patch within Hertfordshire and the location of this is open to negotiation. As the parent infant therapists mainly offer home visits, driving is essential to the role.You will receive specialist supervision and support for your development from the Clinical Lead for Parent Infant Interventions and the Community Perinatal Service Manager.Main duties of the jobThe post holder will join an established, supportive team of Parent Infant Therapists to deliver specialist parent infant therapeutic interventions as well as offering consultation, training and supervision to the wider workforce. We are looking for someone who isa flexible and enthusiastic team memberhas experience of therapeutic work with parent - infant dyadshas a good knowledge of infant mental healthis passionate about making a difference to the wellbeing of families with young childrenAbout usHertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.Our family of over 3500 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:Our Trust values are:Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?Then please read on..."DetailsDate posted01 September 2025Pay schemeAgenda for changeBandBand 7Salary£50,008 to £56,908 a year per annum, pro rata (Inclusive of 5% HCAs)ContractPermanentWorking patternPart-timeReference number367-SS-9677Job locationsThumbswood Mother and Baby Unit2 Bowlers Green, Harper LaneRadlettWD7 9HQJob descriptionJob responsibilitiesThe post holder will join an established specialist parent infant therapy team within Hertfordshire inpatient Perinatal Mental health team based in Thumbswood Team (MBU). Thumbswood provides perinatal mental health care for women who are pregnant, or up to 12 months postnatal, with, or at risk of, a wide range of mental health problems, including complex and severe presentations (including postnatal depression and psychosis).The post holder will be responsible for-offering therapeutic interventions to parent infant dyads.-offering advice / consultation to members of the multi-disciplinary team, liaising with colleagues within the inpatient mother and baby unit, the community perinatal mental health team, psychology, psychiatry , as well as non-professional carers and other agencies on matters related to the psychological needs of parent/ infant dyads and issues relevant to the service and its users.-providing supervision and training to other staff, enabling the provision of high quality psychologically informed practice within the Inpatient Perinatal Mental Health Team and other community services.- supporting the wider health and social care environment in raising awareness around infant mental health issues.-working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of team policies and procedures.- commuting across sites and attending home visits.All staff should comply with the Trusts Anti-Discriminatory Statement, Employee Charter, Trust Policies and Procedures, Code of Conduct and Equality and Diversity.Job descriptionJob responsibilitiesThe post holder will join an established specialist parent infant therapy team within Hertfordshire inpatient Perinatal Mental health team based in Thumbswood Team (MBU). Thumbswood provides perinatal mental health care for women who are pregnant, or up to 12 months postnatal, with, or at risk of, a wide range of mental health problems, including complex and severe presentations (including postnatal depression and psychosis).The post holder will be responsible for-offering therapeutic interventions to parent infant dyads.-offering advice / consultation to members of the multi-disciplinary team, liaising with colleagues within the inpatient mother and baby unit, the community perinatal mental health team, psychology, psychiatry , as well as non-professional carers and other agencies on matters related to the psychological needs of parent/ infant dyads and issues relevant to the service and its users.-providing supervision and training to other staff, enabling the provision of high quality psychologically informed practice within the Inpatient Perinatal Mental Health Team and other community services.- supporting the wider health and social care environment in raising awareness around infant mental health issues.-working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of team policies and procedures.- commuting across sites and attending home visits.All staff should comply with the Trusts Anti-Discriminatory Statement, Employee Charter, Trust Policies and Procedures, Code of Conduct and Equality and Diversity.Person SpecificationQualificationsEssential
  • Post-graduate doctorate in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, or fully completed training as a Counselling Psychologist or qualification as a child and adolescent psychotherapist or Systemic therapist or in a core profession such as Occupational Therapy / nursing / social work or Psychology degree or similar followed by Post Graduate Diploma in Children and Young People's IAPT Therapy - Under 5's.
  • Full registration with relevant professional body such as HCPC , NMC, ACP except for applicants who have followed the post graduate diploma CYP IAPT - under 5s route
Desirable
  • Full accreditation as a Video Interaction Guidance practitioner.
  • Training in specialised parent infant interventions
ExperienceEssential
  • Experience of using VIG in a clinical setting, particularly in the NHS
  • Experience of formulating the difficulties within the parent infant relationship based on a variety of assessments including observation of the dyad, where formulations integrate information from range of sources.
  • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of parent infant dyads with severe and complex relational difficulties.
  • Experience of working with clients with complex and enduring mental health problems including: severe depression and psychosis and personality difficulties.
  • Experience of working with women who are pregnant or up to 2 years postnatal, who have, or are at risk of a range of complex mental health problems (such as post-natal depression and postpartum psychosis).
  • Experience of drawing upon attachment models and parent-infant relational models.
  • Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan
  • Experience working within multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary teams.
  • Experience of risk assessment and risk management strategies and their application to practice, particularly in the perinatal period
Desirable
  • Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision of other mental health professionals
  • Experience of working within a multi-cultural framework.
Person SpecificationQualificationsEssential
  • Post-graduate doctorate in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, or fully completed training as a Counselling Psychologist or qualification as a child and adolescent psychotherapist or Systemic therapist or in a core profession such as Occupational Therapy / nursing / social work or Psychology degree or similar followed by Post Graduate Diploma in Children and Young People's IAPT Therapy - Under 5's.
  • Full registration with relevant professional body such as HCPC , NMC, ACP except for applicants who have followed the post graduate diploma CYP IAPT - under 5s route
Desirable
  • Full accreditation as a Video Interaction Guidance practitioner.
  • Training in specialised parent infant interventions
ExperienceEssential
  • Experience of using VIG in a clinical setting, particularly in the NHS
  • Experience of formulating the difficulties within the parent infant relationship based on a variety of assessments including observation of the dyad, where formulations integrate information from range of sources.
  • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of parent infant dyads with severe and complex relational difficulties.
  • Experience of working with clients with complex and enduring mental health problems including: severe depression and psychosis and personality difficulties.
  • Experience of working with women who are pregnant or up to 2 years postnatal, who have, or are at risk of a range of complex mental health problems (such as post-natal depression and postpartum psychosis).
  • Experience of drawing upon attachment models and parent-infant relational models.
  • Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan
  • Experience working within multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary teams.
  • Experience of risk assessment and risk management strategies and their application to practice, particularly in the perinatal period
Desirable
  • Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision of other mental health professionals
  • Experience of working within a multi-cultural framework.

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