Assistant Psychologist Project
GP Mental Health Placement Planning Tool Project
We have been working with the GP Deanery to develop a tool to offer brief, locality based educational placements in mental health and psychological services to all GP Resident Doctors threaded through the 3-year training programme. Approximately a third of a GP’s consultations present mental health problem. By contrast most GP Resident Doctors placements take place in secondary or acute settings, inversely proportional to the presenting needs of people with mental health difficulties.
These placements will allow all GP Resident Doctors opportunities to improve knowledge, skills and understanding in assessing and managing patients who present with mental health symptoms including who and how to refer to and increase awareness of local services.
Placements are agreed locally and will likely vary between half and full day placements with mental health services. If you'd like to view the directory tool you can find it here. If you are a member of a mental health service in the North West and would like to offer placements to GPs please get in touch with us
PPN Ambassadors Network
We have been developing a group of Psychological Professions Ambassadors to work with us to inspire young people to get into Psychological Professions. We are developing an Ambassador Resource pack which the Ambassadors will use at various events to engage with young people around psychological professions - who they are, what they do and how to get into psychological professions. There will also be CPD Leadership competencies associated with the PPN Ambassador role.
We are always looking for new, passionate ambassadors to join the network - you can find out how to sign up on the Become an Ambassador page of the website.
Widening Participation
The Children and Young People’s Team at the Psychological Therapies Training Centre organised a webinar in July 2025. The ‘Opening doors: Developing psychological trainings to create a more representative & diverse workforce’ event bought together speakers from service alongside academics. The key aim of the morning was to support stakeholders with the knowledge and tools to create a more representative children and young people’s mental health workforce.
The event explored the literature as to why increasing diversity improves service outcome, the literature review produced is attached.
Presentations covered in detail recruitment methodologies to support diversity through interview processes and the use of youth participation. Using new roles and supporting career development pathways for progression were presented on and the Positive Recruitment Toolbox for Widening Participation in the Children’s Mental Health Workforce produce by Northumbria University.
You can find the PowerPoint for this event on the North West PPN Publications page of our website.