Leanne Cook

Qualifications

Diploma in Mental Health Nursing, PG Dip Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapies, MSc Perinatal Mental Health Nursing

Specialisms

Perinatal High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist

Introduction

I qualified as a registered mental health nurse in 2007, and specialised in adult mental health. I worked in a variety of positions as a band 5 staff nurse, including in adult and older adult mental health acute inpatient units, and psychiatric intensive care units. As a band 6 mental health practitioner since 2009, I worked Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams (CRHTT), A&E and hospital psychiatric liaison teams, and adult community mental health teams (CMHT), completing mental health examinations and risk assessments of clients, for a variety of common and serious mental health problems. I have been responsible for administering medications, and treatment interventions, completing care documentation, formulating risk management plans collaboratively, mentoring students in practice, providing supervision, writing mental health tribunal reports, writing child strategy meeting reports, writing coroner’s inquest reports, attending court and liaising with other professionals and families. Additionally, I have acted as a serious untoward incident reviewer for my trust, reporting on root cause analysis, working with the patient safety panel and clinical governance, to implement lessons learned as part of these reviews.

Since 2021 I have specialised further in perinatal mental health, working as an outreach mental health practitioner on a mother and baby unit, and currently work in the specialist perinatal community mental health team (SPCMHT). I have developed specialist knowledge by studying at the University of Bolton 2022-2024, obtaining a PgDip in cognitive behavioural psychotherapies. Simultaneously, I studied at Sheffield Hallam University 2021-2024, obtaining an MSc in Perinatal Mental Health. My current role is a Band 7 Perinatal High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, where I manage a caseload of parents in the perinatal period, delivering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) interventions for a range of conditions including perinatal anxiety, perinatal depression, tokophobia, birth trauma, perinatal OCD, complex infant bereavement and trauma. I collaborate with the perinatal clinical network to develop and share best practice, and I contribute to the NHS Northwest Coast IAPT sub-group. I maintain my nursing registration within this role, as a member of the wider multi-disciplinary team. I receive regular supervision in practice and provide additional training to the perinatal clinical network. My knowledge and skills are maintained with additional training, including aspects of parent-infant bonding. Finally, I have commenced a Doctoral program for a PhD in Health and Social Care at Sheffield Hallam University, working on perinatal-specific mental health formulations and interventions that are adapted and modified inclusive of perinatal risk factors.

I accept instructions from both claimant and defendant solicitors and insurers. I have undergone formal training in the medico-legal process and am fully aware of my responsibilities under Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) pertaining to expert witnesses.