PPN NW Newsletter

Thursday, 3rd April 2025

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Welcome to the latest edition of the Psychological Professions Network North West newsletter. We aim to bring you the latest updates about our work to join up psychological professionals, associated stakeholders, carers and experts by experience in the region. 

NW LOCAL HIGHLIGHT

Genomic Lunch and Learn, Friday 25^th April, 12.30 – 13.00

This free 30 minute online event is for members of the Psychological Professions Network North West (PPN NW). 

Genomic Medicine is becoming embedded into many different services including those with Psychological Professions.

This webinar aims to improve your knowledge of genomic medicine and aid interactions with patients and improve your practice.

This session gives an overview of the role of a Genetic Counsellor and also Genomic counselling in relation to psychological conditions.

There is also a Q&A at the end for any questions you may have for the  Genetic Counsellors.

To book the free webinar Genomic Lunch and Learn, just click here.

For more information on the North West Genomic Medicine Service Alliance including resources for patients and professionals click here.

A Day in the Life of… Alice Lowe, a Child Psychotherapist

What is your name and job title?
Hi, my name is Alice Lowe and I’m a Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist. I currently work at both Oldham CAMHS and Oldham Early Attachment Service.

Tell us about your role, and a brief description of what you do?
As a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, I work with children and young people (0-25 years) to help them unlock and better understand what is happening for them underneath their current difficulties. Psychotherapy sessions are led by the child/young person where they are able to use age-appropriate items from their own therapy box to express their emotions and experiences through a combination of talking, play and drawing.

What do you like most about your role?
The thing I find rewarding and therefore like most about my role is working alongside and enabling children to communicate their experiences and emotions in a way that can give greater meaning and understanding for not only themselves but also those around them; E.g. you don’t need to talk to be heard.

What could colleagues/PPN members do to help you with the work you’re doing?
Be curious…ask questions about Psychotherapy. One challenge of Psychotherapy, in my opinion, is the perceived secrecy around the work, as to protect the privacy of the therapeutic relationship there are no opportunities for colleagues to shadow sessions. This inevitably means Psychotherapy may not be widely understood or therefore considered as a viable therapeutic offer. I openly encourage you to be curious with your Psychotherapy colleagues about their work and how Psychotherapeutic thinking doesn’t just happen in the therapy room or in isolation by a sole Psychotherapist.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
The only rule is to always think! This advice was given to me by my Clinical Supervisor when I was training. I’d become too fixated on what I ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ be doing during sessions rather than wondering about why I had responded or acted into certain behaviours. I, as I think we all can, had become paralysed by my own persecutory thoughts of not being good enough or doing something wrong. Yet, when free of those ‘rule/s’ I was able to think and consider what had happened/was taking place in that moment. This piece of advice has followed me through my own training and is now something I pass on to those I supervise.

What’s your one top tip when remote or home working?
Stay connected…and I don’t just mean to the internet (although where I live that can be challenging enough!). I think it can be too easy to forget the importance of linking up with colleagues and not always to solely discuss work. I think the importance of simply ‘catching-up’ with one another can easily become lost in the busyness of working from home. 

What things do you do to look after your health and wellbeing?
With two young boys aged 5 years and 18 months I don’t get a lot of ‘me’ time. However, when I’m able I enjoy baking, in particular cakes and cookies, which in a feeble attempt to stay healthy I try to take in the offerings to colleagues at work. I am also currently enjoying, if that is the correct word, the escapism that is afforded by watching “Severance”. A though provoking series based on the concept of being able to divide the memories of your work and home lives. If you haven’t had an opportunity to watch it yet, I highly recommend. 

What would your colleagues be surprised to learn about you?
During the summer’s while at University I worked as a Ride Operator at Camelot Theme Park in Lancashire. I have many stories from that time in my life, not least knowledge of operating rides such as the Log Flume and Caterpillar ‘rollercoaster’ but also being one of the few female drivers of the diesel powered ‘Dragon Flyer’ which would break down frequently, resulting in me evacuating guests on building rooftops!

Alice can be contacted at alice.lowe4@nhs.net.

Talking Therapies Leadership and Innovation Forum 
Thursday 1st May 09:30 – 13:00 (remote) 

Places are still available for the Talking Therapies (TT) Leadership and Innovation Forum.

The forum is for those involved in clinical leadership, management of services, commissioning or education of the TT workforce in the North West and North East and Yorkshire Regions. It aims to share knowledge and understanding of the TT model and exchange and develop innovation and ideas. 

May’s event will focus on what it looks like to be a compassionate leader, how we can integrate physical activity into TT services, how we can better involve experts by experience in TT services and learning from setting up the Southport Post Event Response Service (SPERS).  

To register for the event click here. 

NATIONAL NEWS

Mental Health Wellbeing Practitioners (MHWP)
National Steering Group

Meeting Summary March 2025

Following the MHWP and PPNs meeting held on 21 November 2024, an MHWP National Steering Group has been established, chaired by Adrian Whittington, including representatives from NHS England, service leads, PPNs, MHWP communities of practice (CoP) and MHWP education providers. This will meet 4 times a year and the first meeting was held on Monday 03 March 2025.

The following points summarise the content:

The second stage of MHWP curriculum review is complete. Key changes will be shared with course providers, including:

• Removal of guided self-help for bulimia and binge-eating interventions (this will still be in scope of role post-qualified for those who have undertaken the training in the intervention, and may be added as a CPD option for others,
• Introduction of a Working with Worry intervention (group to explore CPD options for those trained prior to the changes)
• Additional content on risk and safety across components 1 and 2
• Requirement for 50% in person training when courses are re-procured

Almost all MHWP courses have been accredited.

Individual registration is planned for Summer 2025 via BPS and BABCP processes.

Draft preceptorship guidance is under review.

The Working Group will develop exemplar Job Description and Person Specifications for Senior MHWP roles.

PPN regions establishing and/or identifying existing regional MHWP CoP/multi-professional working groups, with a view to sharing evaluations of the MHWP role.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITY

The Northern Mental Health Nursing Qualitative Research Forum (NorQual)

UCLAN and Sheffield Hallam are running The Northern Mental Health Nursing Qualitative Research Forum (NorQual) on Friday 9th May 2025, 10am – 3.30pm at The University of Central Lancashire (Preston)  

This is a free research conference available to all.

Whether you are an academic, clinician, student, service user, or just interested in mental health research you are welcome.

The aim is to support anyone interested in mental health research to develop, enquire, and to progress their research and developmental journey.

If you are interested in attending, or presenting, please contact:

Karen or Jim: kmwright1@uclan.ac.uk or James.Turner@shu.ac.uk

Population Health Fellowship

Applications open for NHS England’s population health fellowship

NHS England’s Population Health Fellowship for health and care workforces in England aims to develop and grow a workforce of professionals who will incorporate population health into their everyday jobs.

Providing exciting opportunities for a wide range of health professionals successful applicants will embark on a year-long part-time fellowship, two days a week, alongside their substantive posts. As part of the initiative, they will receive a taught learning programme provided by the University of Salford and will be required to undertake a project in the workplace.

Applications for the fellowships fifth cohort are open until 27 June 2025.

RESEARCH REQUEST

Have Your Say On the Future of BPS Qualifications

The British Psychological Society (BPS) invited to share your thoughts and views, as part of an online survey, to help to inform the future of BPS qualifications.

The survey will form part of a consultation commissioned by the British Psychological Society, and conducted by Seymour Research Limited, an independent research company.

It will be launched in the coming days and all members will receive an email with a link to the survey. Once the survey has opened there will also be a link on our website.

The survey is part of a call for evidence to support the qualifications consultation process. (Please note that the survey should be completed in one sitting as your progress will not be saved if you close your browser part way through).

The call for evidence covers the following stage 2 (level 8 / doctorate level) BPS-offered qualifications:

• Clinical Neuropsychology
• Counselling Psychology
• Educational Psychology (Scotland)
• Forensic Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Occupational Psychology
• Sport and Exercise Psychology

It does not cover qualifications offered by other providers that are accredited by the BPS.

As well as BPS members, the consultation survey is also open to anyone with an interest in the BPS qualifications – including non-members, employers of practitioner psychologists, current and former trainees, representatives of higher education, professional bodies / networks, and those working in roles across the range of psychological professions.

Please share the survey with anyone else who might like to contribute their views. Visit the consultation webpage for full details about the survey.

Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression (GLAD)

The GLAD Study aims to better understand depression and anxiety in order to find effective treatments and improve the lives of people experiencing these disorders.

To take part in the GLAD Study you must:

• -Have experienced depression and/or anxiety during your life.
• Aged 16 and above
• Live in the UK

For more information click here.

JOB VACANCIES

Clinical Lead – Clinical Psychologist
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

LSCFT are seeking an innovative and experienced colleague to join the leadership team of NHS Lancashire & South Cumbria Talking Therapies.

The service is a large provider of psychological therapies in the Lancashire and South Cumbria region.

For more information and to apply please click here.

Are you a member of one of our Communities of Practice?

By receiving this email you are a confirmed member of the PPN NW; however, have you considered joining one of our Communities of Practice (CoP)? Please see links below for information on how to join one of our CoPs:

PPN NW Mailing List Review

The Psychological Professions Network depends on the engagement of its members. To do this we need to ensure we have an accurate and up to date register and mailing list to enable us to keep you regularly updated with events, policy changes, projects and more.

Due to an error on our website registration form, a number of people who have created PPN NW accounts have automatically been opted out of communications and, therefore, are not receiving professional updates or event opportunities – effectively negating any benefit of being a member! We are therefore in the process of opting all of these members back into communications. Please do email us if you wish to remain opted out of communications.

What are we asking you to do?

Being a member of our PPN NW Mailing List allows us to invite you to bespoke Community of Practice events and workshops, receive our newsletter.

We will not share your information with any third parties or send you any promotional emails that are not connected to delivering psychological health and wellbeing within an NHS-commission space.

Please email the PPN NW at england.ppn.northwest@nhs.net if you wish to be removed from the PPN NW Mailing List.

You can update your own details, for both Membership and Communications Preferences, at any time by visiting the website here, this includes your profile with your most recent job title, professional role, banding and ICB etc.

Share Your News!

Please email the PPN-NW team at england.ppn.northwest@nhs.net if you have an update from your work or local network that you would like featured in one of our upcoming newsletters. We want to boost important events and developments from around our region, so let us know what’s going on where you are! 

Interested in joining the PPN?