DCoP Wales Conference 2025 - Leadership and Innovation in Counselling Psychology

10 April 20259:00am - 5:00pm

Counselling and psychotherapy
Leadership and teamwork

See Registration Tab

Conference

About

DCoP Wales would like to invite you to join us on 10 April 2025 for an exciting day of talks, discussions and networking opportunities, exploring our roles as leaders, and celebrating innovations in Counselling Psychology practice.

Counselling Psychologists are demonstrating their skill and value as clinicians, researchers, leaders and innovators in both public and private sector settings, academic institutions, and independent practice, and we can see their contributions and influence all the way from clinical practice through to organisational developments and public policy.

The theme of our conference this year aims to acknowledge these contributions and shine a light on our role as leaders and innovators.

The event is open to qualified and trainee psychologists, as well as anyone who might be interested in either the profession or the themes of the day.

The event will be held at:

Millennium Lounge
Principality Stadium
Westgate Street
Cardiff
CF10 1NS

Download directions to the venue

The programme will include speakers, panel discussions and presentations:

Our key note speakers will be talking on subjects of leadership and innovations in the discipline that will help inform and develop your practice.
We will be joined by a panel of Counselling Psychologists with extensive experience of leading within the profession who will be talking on their experiences, as well as sharing their reflections on future challenges and opportunities.
Throughout the day trainee Counselling Psychologists will be introducing their new and innovative research projects, with prizes available for their poster presentations.
The day will conclude with a joyous talk by TEAM (previously known as National Theatre Wales) who will be presenting their most recent community project 'Joy Club' which is an innovative collaboration between theatre makers and Counselling Psychology.

Booking is now open for the event and we hope to see you there.

See the Registration tab for more details.

Registration

The registration fee includes daily lunches, refreshments and access to all content.

All rates listed are inclusive of VAT at 20%, and exclusive of booking fee.

Last-Minute Discounted Rate

Non-BPS Member - £60
BPS Member - £50
DCoP Member - £35
Non-Member Student / Assistant Psychologist - £15
In Training Member DCOP - £10

How to register

Please note: conference booking is being provided by Oxford Abstracts on behalf of BPS.

When booking online, you are leaving the BPS website and will be directed to Oxford Abstracts.

Both the BPS and Oxford Abstracts terms and conditions and privacy policies will apply.

The registration deadline is 09 April 2025.

TEAM / Joy Club

NTW TEAM has been a significant success story of National Theatre Wales' since its beginnings in 2010, and now TEAM has evolved into its own unique organisation.

At its core, TEAM believes in the power of creativity to drive social change, offering people the tools and platforms to express themselves, share their stories and shape their communities. With a pan-Wales perspective and collaborations that represent the culture of Wales globally, TEAM's work is a pioneering, community-driven approach to Theatre, Education, Arts and Music, focused on inclusive, grassroots engagement and co-creation. Joy Club is one of TEAM's most recent projects and is a collaboration with Counselling Psychologist Dr Annie Beyer, who has a specialist interest in creativity and innovation in the practice of psychology, and in bridging the gap between psychology and the arts.

Joy Club; Ten strangers, eight weeks, one task; to redefine joy. A group of ten chancy-play-testers came together for 8 weekly sessions throughout January and February 2025. Through community, participation and co-ordinated action they formed the very first Joy Club.

This group engaged in a series of curated sessions that explored and experimented with different ways one might experience joy.

TEAM and Annie will be presenting this collaborative project as an example of how psychology and the arts can come together to create real world impact for individuals and for communities.

Biographies:

Justin Teddy Cliffe

Justin makes theatre; on stages and in other places. He does this because he believes there are few things more powerful than a shared experience and a live event. At TEAM, he will continue to create work, while also supporting early-career artists in exploring new projects. With a focus on supporting emerging artists who feel under-represented in the sector, he is eager to meet, chat, and figure out how NTW can support both the ambition and ideas of others.

All good things start with ambition and ideas, and he enjoys being someone who helps people combine these two elements. As he continues to create work that connects people in unique ways, he aims to support others in doing the same. Through co-creating, changing, making, communicating, and simply having a go, amazing things can happen.

In his role as Creative Associate, he will support emerging artists living in Cardiff who feel under-represented in the arts. 'Emerging' can mean different things to different people, so it's up to the individual to decide how they might be emerging. No formal training or specific experience is required; the goal is to connect with people who envision a future in theatre or who have a story, moment, feeling, or experience they want to share with others right now.

For Justin, theatre is about risk and shared experience. When it works, it connects people in ways no other art form can.

Dr Annie Beyer

Dr Annie Beyer (CPsychol, DCounsPsy, PgCert, PgCert Humanities (Open), BSC(Hons)), is a Chartered Psychologist, HCPC registered Counselling Psychologist and current Chair of the Division of Counselling Psychology in Wales. Annie has a clinical background in adult mental health having spent over twelve years working in Secondary Care mental health services across England and Wales. She is currently Senior Lecturer on the Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology at the University of South Wales. She is also Director of Beyer Psychology Services, an independent practice through which she provides clinical supervision, teaching, training, and consultation.

Annie has a specialist interest in creativity and innovation, with a particular focus on the understanding and use of creativity in the practice of Psychology, and on exploring the various contributions that psychology can make to organisations and to the arts. It is this cross-disciplinary interest that has led to Annie's work with artists and creative communities, bringing the knowledge, theory and practical skills of the psychological professions to help them conceptualise, plan, and evaluate the impact of their work.

Learn more about Annie's work.

Charlotte Lewis

Charlotte is an international theatre director with several years of experience and also works as a consultant, helping individuals speak with confidence. She is excited to be collaborating with the team at Joy Club and as an Associate Director on the project, to experiment and create sessions for the participants.

In addition to her work with the sessions, Charlotte's focus on this project will include the creation of an audio documentary, which aims to celebrate the process and inspire others to find joy in their own lives.

Frank Thomas

Frank has worked in a variety of roles within the arts for over a decade. Early in their career, Frank focused on creating serious art, driven by a desire to prove themselves as a serious artist. This phase saw his work centered around intense emotions such as grief, and weighty topics like politics and the environment. Over time, he began to shift focus, coming to appreciate the value of art that celebrates fun, silliness, and, of course, joy.

Frank will be joining Joy Club as a Dramaturg, where his role will be to assist in crafting and facilitating the events participants will engage in. Additionally, he will take a broader view of the project, evaluating its strengths and weaknesses in order to help shape its future and ensure the continued vitality of Joy Club.

Keynote speaker: Dr Owen Hughes

Consultant Counselling Psychologist

Talk title: Leadership Journeys and Reflections on Leadership in the Counselling psychology Profession

Owen is a Consultant Counselling Psychologist who currently has two distinct roles. He is National Clinical Lead for Persistent Pain at Welsh Government and is also the Head of the Powys Living Well Service. He did his undergraduate psychology degree in at Cardiff University and University of Liege, Belgium (where he focused on the psychology of music). After graduating he worked in the wine trade and financial services before returning to studying for his professional qualifications. He trained at City University, London whilst working as a trainee counselling psychologist in South Essex before moving to Northampton and then Wales where he has lived for the last 20 years.

Owen has also held a variety of voluntary positions with the British Psychological Society having been a member of the DCoP Divisional Committee, the Training Committee in Counselling Psychology, Press Committee and organised two DCoP conferences. During his career he has also had secondments as Leadership Development Manager for AHPs, Psychologists and Healthcare Scientists, Head of Therapies and even Head of Speech and Language Therapy. He has been an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Cardiff University as well as a variety of visiting lecturer positions.

Dr Sue Whitcombe

Counselling Psychologist and former Chair of the Division of Counselling Psychology, Division of Counselling Psychology Wales and the Training Committee in Counselling Psychology

Dr Sue Whitcombe is a Counselling Psychologist who works with families, adults and children who have experienced harm or abuse, live with complex family dynamics or in challenging social contexts. As well as working therapeutically, she is instructed as an expert witness in family proceedings, offers consultancy and supervision, and is Senior Lecturer and Regulations, Policies and Procedures Lead for the Doctorate in Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy at Metanoia Institute.

Sue has volunteered in several capacities for the BPS over many years. She is former Chair of the Division of Counselling Psychology, Division of Counselling Psychology Wales and the Training Committee in Counselling Psychology. She served two terms on the Expert Witness Advisory Group shaping guidance for Expert Witnesses, and those working in the Family Justice System in particular. Sue currently sits on the committees for the Male Psychology Section and the Division of Counselling Psychology.

Dr Lynne Jones

Counselling Psychologist and former Chair of Division of Counselling Psychology Wales

Lynne is a Principal Psychologist working in Swansea Bay University Health Boad (SBUHB), jointly leading a psychology service for adults experiencing medical trauma and she also works in private practice. Lynne studied for her undergraduate degree in the University of Bristol and qualified as a counselling psychologist in 2021 after completing the professional doctorate in UWE. She is an EMDR Europe accredited practitioner, she holds a postgraduate diploma in CBT from Cardiff University and a Masters in clinical psychology from Swansea University.

Lynne has worked with adults and older adults for over twelve years in several roles across three Welsh health boards. She offered psychology provision to SBUHB’s Local Primary Mental Health Services for two years post-qualification, creating and evaluating a new Low Intensity provision for the service. In her current role, she has been involved with the Traumatic Stress Wales implementation team, contributing to policy and strategy within the health board, offering specialist trauma focussed CBT supervision and consultation, participating in the core data set and sexual trauma workstreams and delivering trainings on trauma-informed care and safety and stabilisation.

Following several years of attendance at DCoP Wales committee meetings, Lynne was elected as Chair in May 2022 and handed over the reins to an incoming Chair in July 2024. She worked with the committee to respond to consultations, co-ordinate networking events and organise a well-received national conference in Wales. She represented the interests of DCoP Wales members at APHNSAG meetings and on the DCoP Executive Committee (EC). Lynne has remained on both committees and leads on professional practice for the Division.

Lynne is passionate about promoting better provision and access to therapy for people experiencing psychological distress, particularly those affected by trauma and has a strong interest in how policy, strategy and stakeholder engagement can facilitate this.

Dr Jenny Nam

Chartered Counselling Psychologist and former Chair of Division of Counselling Psychology Wales

Jenny runs a private practice, which she established in 2010. Initially, she saw a few clients while working full-time in the NHS. As she balanced raising a young family, Jenny gradually increased her private practice hours and transitioned to part-time work in the NHS. In 2021, she made the decision to leave the NHS entirely and pursue full-time self-employment in her private practice in Monmouth. This shift was driven by the desire for greater flexibility to meet the needs of her family, as well as the opportunity to explore her passions within the field of psychology.

Jenny did her doctorate training at City University London. Since 2007, Jenny has worked within Welsh Health Boards, primarily in adult community mental health teams, before moving into older adult services in 2018. During her time in the NHS, she took on a leadership role, working alongside colleagues from other Welsh Health Boards and the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) to develop assessment and diagnostic services for adults on the autism spectrum.

Jenny has also been an active member of the Division of Counselling Psychology Wales. She began as a committee member, later served as honorary secretary, and ultimately became Chair from 2019 to 2022. During her tenure, Jenny represented the British Psychological Society (BPS) by giving oral evidence to the Senedd's Health Committee inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jenny is deeply passionate about creating a space where individuals can connect with their core life values. She offers a safe and supportive environment to help people explore and overcome barriers that may be hindering their path to a fulfilling life. Her therapeutic approach is primarily based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), integrating EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) as part of her holistic approach.

Hâf Rees

Trainee Counselling Psychologist

Talk Title: An insight into working with the Welsh Language within Counselling Psychology

Haf is a member of the DCoP Committee and nearing the end of her training as a Counselling Psychologist with the University of South Wales.

She has been researching into exploring the lived experience of Welsh speaking practitioners. She has used a qualitative approach using IPA and conducting interviews in both Welsh and English.

Hâf has experience of working both within the NHS and third-sector organisations where she practices bilingually in Welsh and English. She has worked across various physical health settings including cancer services, medical trauma and Adult Weight Management. She is passionate about being involved in developing resources and support networks for Welsh speaking practitioners and aims to continue to raise awareness in working multilingually with service users.