Parent-Infant Psychotherapist

CNWL Parent-Infant Mental Health Service (PIMHS) is an exciting new service being developed in Brent. We are looking for a Parent-Infant Psychotherapist to join this new team. The post-holder will be based in Brent CAMHS and will have clinics in the community and in Family Hubs across Brent.

In line with the Start 4 Life Programme, the service will offer support to infants in the first two years of life with mild, moderate or severe mental and emotional health needs, and their mothers in the first two years postpartum; who have mild to moderate mental health concerns past or present, risking the mother-infant relationship. This service also extends to fathers, co-parents and the overall familial relationship with the infant, with the infant remaining the focus of the work.

The service will be delivered by a MDT consisting of a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, a Lead Parent-Infant Psychotherapist, a Senior-Parent Infant Psychotherapist, two Parent-Infant Psychotherapists, and an Assistant Psychotherapist.

Main Responsibilities:

1. To provide an efficient, effective, comprehensive and specialist Parent-Infant psychotherapy assessment and treatment to service users, and support and signposting to parents, to promote the quality of parent-infant relationships.
2. To contribute to multi-disciplinary assessment and treatment of parents with a range of mental health and social and emotional difficulties, particularly focusing on providing interventions flexibly which are adapted to the needs of infants and their mothers/carers in complex and varying degrees of illness and distress.
3. To offer consultation, teaching and training on Parent-Infant mental health and Attachment to multidisciplinary colleagues as required.
4. To contribute to audit and research.
5. To actively engage in outcome monitoring, including the use of normed routine outcome measures associated with CYP IAPT where appropriate.
6. To work in clinical practice, making use of supervision, within the overall framework of the CAMHS Directorate’s and the Trust’s policies and procedures.

This post necessitates working directly and indirectly with women who have vulnerable infants and are experiencing complex and severe mental health difficulties. Some clients/patients may be difficult to engage and their behaviour may significantly challenge the integrity and welfare of the post holder. The post also necessitates the post holder to travel regularly across Brent and when necessary, to local community amenities or independent sector establishments often transporting test materials, audio-visual and IT equipment.