PPN NW Newsletter
Thursday 19th September 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.
PPN NW Annual Conference
PPN NW Annual Conference
Wednesday 12th November 2025, 09:30 – 16:00
Bolton Wanderers Toughsheet Stadium, Burnden Way, Bolton, BL6 6JW
Pre-registrations are now open for this year’s conference!!!
Psychological Professions week 2025 promises to be another amazing day focusing this year on neighbourhoods, community psychology and engagement.
There will be a range of keynote speakers and, in the afternoon, the inaugural Psychological Professional Recognition Awards acknowledging the great work done by Psychological Professionals across the North West.
If you would like to pre-register your interest to attend you can do so here.
By pre-registering you will be reserving your place at the conference when the invites are circulated at the end of September and will receive a calendar invite in due course.
Hope to see you there!
Registration for Talking Therapies Leadership & Innovation Forum is now open!
Talking Therapies Leadership & Innovation, 9:30– 13:00 15th October 2025
You can find the sign-up form for the Talking Therapies Leadership and Innovation Forum here.
This will be an online event, held on 15th October 2025, 09:30 - 13:00.
Topics on the agenda include:
AI supported digital front door to services
Trauma informed resources
Preceptorship for PWPs
Psychotherapeutic Counselling
National Update
Hope to see you there!
Psychological Professions Network in Mersey and West Lancs – call for people to get involved!
Dr Leila Eccles, Head of Psychology and Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is looking to develop a Trust wide network of Psychological Professions to help connect them and their work, share quality practice and provide professional support.
If you are a Psychological Professional working for Mersey and West Lancs Teaching Hospital please contact leila.eccles@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk
Mental Health Conference for Staff in Education
Organised by the Liverpool Learning Partnership (LLP), in collaboration with Liverpool’s Children and Young People’s Mental Health Support Partnership, the event will be held on Thursday 13th November 2025, 09:00 - 16:00 at the Liverpool Guild of Students, University of Liverpool.
Speaking about the event, Kath Fraser, Strategic Development Lead at LLP, said: “Over the past five years, Liverpool has seen rising levels of need and ongoing impacts from COVID-19. Education in Mind 2025 will bring together educators, mental health professionals, and community partners to share knowledge, explore solutions, and
strengthen support for pupils and staff.”
Each Liverpool school is entitled to one free place. Any schools contributing to the running of the day will be given further places.
Please Kath@LiverpoolLearningPartnership.com if you would like to contribute a best practice presentation.
You can book your place on the conference here.
NHS England’s Staying Safe from Suicide: Best practice guidance e-learning session has been launched
Following the Staying Safe from Suicide Guidance, which was published earlier this year, a new e-learning course has been developed to support this guidance.
The e-learning session is specifically designed for mental health practitioners working in the NHS as well as in private, voluntary, and charity care settings. Registering and signing up to complete the e-learning is simple and available to all colleagues. When colleagues register we would encourage them to add their name and organisation so we can track the take-up of the e-learning, however if that is not possible for everyone then the e-learning can be undertaken without logging a name.
The session provides practical, evidence-based guidance on how to approach and support people to stay safe from suicide, and only takes 75 minutes to complete. It features case study-based exercises that allow practitioners to develop their knowledge and apply the guidance in real-world scenarios. The training covers the key principles of the Staying Safe from Suicide guidance launched earlier this year, and explains the evidence behind the approach, and provides clear implementation strategies.
Participants will learn how to deliver the guidance effectively in their daily work and service delivery, regardless of their specific role or setting.
NHS Talking Therapies Education and Training Update
NHS England have been able to agree a standardised funding model for the course fees with the education providers commissioned to deliver Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP) and High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (HIT CBT) education and training programmes. This will ensure alignment and consistency across education providers across the country.
The key changes are:
Adoption of the standardised funding model (tuition fees) for the Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) and the High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (HIT CBT) training programmes. Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) will be uplifted to £7,000 per trainee (education providers in the Midlands are already priced at this level) High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (HIT CBT) will be uplifted to £13,000 per trainee
Alignment of delivery to the most recent National Curriculum for each programme (PWP and HIT CBT)
Implementation of the Framework for Adapted training for part-time staff.
Shift patient journeys from analogue to digital at no cost with NHS 111 online
We invited NHS Talking Therapies services interested in improving the referral pathway from NHS 111-online to get in touch with the NHS 111 online team.
Already more than a dozen services have contacted the NHS 111 online team to discuss and make improvements to the journey in their area.
Email nhs111online@nhs.net to find out how 111 online can direct patients to your Talking Therapies website, when clinically appropriate, at the point of need. There is no cost for this, and our implementation managers can help configure your listing to suit your local needs.
ADHD Awareness Month
October is ADHD Awareness Month, and this year's theme is ‘The Many Faces of ADHD’. ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a complex condition that impacts many aspects of life, yet remains misunderstood in several ways. The goal of this awareness campaign is to provide reliable information, debunk myths, and promote a deeper understanding of ADHD to support those affected by the disorder.
You can find out more about this year’s ADHD awareness month and how to get involved here.
New meta-review paper on TT and dementia
New analysis has been released looking at NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and dementia.
The paper concludes that CBT-informed interventions can reduce depression in people with dementia and family carers, including online interventions for carers. It also points to the NHS Talking Therapies Positive Practice Guidance for Older people which provides recommendations on adaptations to clinical practice to support those with dementia and other conditions to access and maximise the benefit of their NHS Talking Therapies treatment.
EDI Innovations & Best Practice in Mental Health Service Delivery
The University of Liverpool is hosting a full-day workshop and CPD event exploring best practice in Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, developed in collaboration with the Liverpool DClinPsy global majority mentoring scheme.
Hear from an inspiring line-up of professionals and leaders from community, academic, and healthcare settings.
Take part in discussions, share experiences, and leave with practical ideas you can put into action in your workplace.
Date & Time: Friday 10th October, 09:30 – 16:30
Venue: The Florrie, 377 Mill St, Liverpool L8 4RF
Lunch included
You can book onto the event here.
Contact ste@liverpool.ac.uk or chris.millar2@merseycare.nhs.uk for more information.
Clinical Psychology Workforce Sustainability – conditions needed to return to working full-time within NHS commissioned services
Are you a Clinical Psychologist working with both NHS patients and in private practice? This study is looking at the conditions people would need to be met to return to full-time working within NHS commissioned services and if these conditions differ depending on what career stage people are at.
The study would involve completing an anonymous 15-minute survey for 2 – 3 rounds until a consensus is found. There is also an optional focus group for participants to take part in. A £10 Amazon voucher would be provided as a thank you.
If you would like to take part in this study, please complete the form here. You can also get in touch with the lead researcher Hannah.Baily@UEA.ac.uk if you have any further questions.
Experiences of Working-Class Clinical Psychologists in the NHS Clinical Workforce and beyond
Are you a clinical psychologist from a working-class background working in the NHS, private sector or split between the two? This study is looking to explore people’s experiences from working class backgrounds and how it has shaped their personal journey in this profession.
The study would be looking to recruit people to take part in interviews via MS Teams for around 60 – 90 minutes.
If you’d like to take part, please email Tom Westwood t.westwood@uea.ac.uk
To Share or Not to Share intervention – professionals sharing their own experience of mental health
A study is currently recruiting participants to take part in a pilot of the new To Share or Not to Share online peer group intervention. This study will test the delivery and impact of a new online group intervention which is designed to support mental health professionals in reaching decisions around sharing of mental health difficulties they have experienced.
Participants need to meet all the following criteria:
You are a qualified or trainee mental health professional, residing in the UK
You have current and/or past lived experience of mental health difficulties, whether or not these have been formally diagnosed
You would like an opportunity to consider whether or not you would like to be (more) open about your lived experience in various settings including work and/or social environments
If you are interested in taking part, see the participant information sheet and how to sign up here. You can get in touch with the lead researcher Natasha Kumar (natasha.kumar.22@ucl.ac.uk).
Costal Community and Creative Health
Coastal Community & Creative Health is a three year project (2024-27) funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s ‘Mobilising community assets to tackle health inequalities’ programme.
Uniting a range of stakeholders and community members to generate an evidence-based plan to support cross-sector collaboration to tackle health inequalities.
The project focus is three key areas identified by our communities:
young people’s mental health and wellbeing
drug and alcohol (substance) use
serious illness and bereavement
The project aims are:
To generate evidence and resources to improve mental health in our focus areas by enhancing and widening access to community assets
To enhance the skills and knowledge of people working with our communities to tackle mental health and wellbeing inequalities through community assets
To create a model of collaborative working across sectors and with communities which uses community assets to tackle inequalities in coastal towns
Each site holds discussion forums twice a year.
These forums are open meetings for local organisations and individuals to hear about the project and get involved.
If you would like to get involved with the Blackpool project then please contact ccch@liverpool.ac.uk or B.Mezes@liverpool.ac.uk
Research Paper - Eating Disorders and Suicide Risk
Note, the article below makes reference to suicide
Published Research - Eating Disorders and Suicide Risk
A final published paper from qualitative research exploring suicide and eating disorders is now available.
Interviews for this MQ funded study exploring why people with eating disorders are at risk of suicide took place in late 2023 - early 2024, exploring why people with eating disorders are at risk of suicide.
After long data analysis and the lengthy peer review process, the final published paper can be shared - the first qualitative study exploring suicide and EDs.
Please note: This paper explores suicide risk and may be difficult reading. While we've been careful with the quotes used to ensure they don't share specific numbers or details, the content may be triggering.
Please consider whether you want to read it and if it feels personally safe to do so.
You can access the article for free here.
The paper demonstrates how important lived experience voices are in research and beyond.
Clinical Psychologist - Band 7
Clinical Psychologist Vacancy in Wesham Rehabilitation Unit, Preston. Band 7, Permanent contract and 22.5 hours per week.
MH Rehabilitation Services within the Specialist Network are seeking a dedicated, forward thinking Clinical Psychologist to apply for an exciting opportunity at Wesham Rehabilitation Centre.
We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic and has proven clinical skills to provide and support the development and delivery of high-quality psychological care to achieve rehabilitation and recovery goals. Your key role will be to ensure high quality clinical standards are achieved consistently by providing inspirational and visible clinical input to improve outcomes for patients.
Psychologically Informed: Celebrating Neurodiversity
Welcome to this week’s Psychologically informed, a space where PPN NW members can share something psychologically related that stirred them in some way.
This week Reb Aziz-Brook talks about the British Psychological Society’s podcast on Celebrating Neurodiversity.
In the episode, Sophie Doswell and Ukwuori-Gisela Kalu, the EDI subcommittee members, spoke to Lola Freedman, trainee clinical psychologist, Vicky Jervis, consultant clinical psychologist and Nikita Shepherdson, trainee clinical psychologist about their experiences of autism, how their neurodiversity affects their work and advice they have for aspiring clinical psychologists who have autism.
The episode was a great insight into the exploration of what it means to navigate professional life as a psychologist with an autism diagnosis, considering both the internal and external challenges faced by autistic practitioners in a field that often overlooks their lived experience.
Lola and Nikita discuss the common assumptions and myths about autism, especially as they intersect with the expectations of psychologists, and the notion that autistic professionals must continually “mask” in order to fit institutional or evaluative standards. They talk about how much energy is spent managing other people’s comfort, often at the expense of their own wellbeing. Often there is an additional professional pressure for autistic psychologists, to prove that they are worthy of being a psychologist “in spite of their autism”. This can lead to an unspoken demand to minimize or hide one’s challenges to maintain professional credibility.
During a discussion around adaptations, Vicky discusses something she calls ‘two-way tolerance’. She described it as "they beautifully tolerate my coming into an office not greeting them and just information dumping all over them about something that I'm excited about and I will also tolerate them just wanting to make a cup of tea and then wanting to make small talk with me about things that I'm not necessarily interested in, but we tolerate each other and it becomes a kind of a lovely two-way street really in that respect." I found this to be an important way to frame tolerance and understanding. It was an important reminder that understanding and flexibility must flow both from neurotypical colleagues and toward them, reframing inclusion as a shared responsibility rather than a one-sided demand.
Nikita and Lola discussed how training structures are rarely designed with real accommodations in mind and the podcast highlights systemic shortcomings that go beyond individual attitudes. This focus shifts the conversation from “fixing the person” to reimagining environments that actually support diverse practitioners.
The conversation ended on messages for other practitioners with autism . Vicky talked about how feeling “you have to see it to be it” drives her to be visible . To have more people with lived experience in the profession, who are able to bring this value to the profession, they need to see others like them.
I would really recommend giving it a listen!
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?
Anyone can join the Psychological Professions Network! Whether you are a member of one of the psychological professions, another professional of any discipline, an aspiring psychological professional, or a member of the public, you can sign up and join us for free.
