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Division of Counselling Psychology

The Division of Counselling Psychology (DCoP) promotes the interests of Counselling Psychologists across the UK.

About

Our mission is to advance the profession of Counselling Psychology in promoting the well-being of our diverse society, and we support our members by providing training, advice, events and news designed to keep them informed and involved.

Be reflective scientist-practitioners
Work creatively, compassionately and collaboratively
Work ethically and effectively

The Division of Counselling Psychology is committed to:

Equality of access to resources, research, education and training
Fairness, equality and social justice
Leading and influencing the design and delivery of innovative policies and services
Meeting the psychological needs of people

Division of Counselling Psychology Strategic Objectives and Goals: 01 January 2024 - 31 December 2025

Support, promote and advocate for equality of opportunity for our community of members
1. Review the structure of the Division and grades of membership to ensure effective governance and accountability
2. Challenge misunderstanding and misrepresentation of counselling psychology competences
3. Actively engage with employers to promote best recruitment by competence
4. Lobby for equitable funding for the training of counselling psychologists
5. Produce best practice guidelines relating to paid placements for trainees
6. Financially support the BPS Black and Asian Psychologists Fund
Encourage, support and champion the generation and use of scientific knowledge and practice-based evidence to shape public policy and professional practice
1. Develop an effective system to enable informed, timely contributions to consultations, briefings and requests for information
2. Develop research support for independent practitioners – to include exploration of an effective, accessible ethical review process
3. Foster creative, accessible, co-produced dissemination of members' research
4. Lead on the development of best practice guidelines for working with domestic violence and abuse
Cultivate and foster an innovative, creative and agile counselling psychology workforce to effectively meet the dynamic psychological needs of a diverse population
1. Launch our sponsorship programme for Clinical Neuropsychology Training
2. Publish guidance to support and empower practitioners in working therapeutically with neurodivergent populations
3. Showcase best practice and excellence in counselling psychology leadership
4. Launch a mentoring scheme to support professional development and leadership
5. Promote, and develop opportunities to share, good practice in the area of Physical Health
Build confidence through improved engagement, collaboration and co-production with our membership, stakeholders, allied organisations and the public
1. Conduct a member survey to better understand our membership and their needs and wishes
2. Develop an effective communications strategy to improve engagement with our members, stakeholders and the public
3. Implement a review schedule for current Division publications
4. Ensure the Division of Counselling Psychology web-site is an effective first port of call - up-to-date, relevant and accurate
5. Maintain current relationships and foster new opportunities and alliances across member networks, organisations, public bodies and with stakeholders

DCoP Northern Ireland
Visit the DCoP Northern Ireland Branch
DCoP Scotland
Visit the DCoP Scotland Branch
DCoP Wales
Visit the DCoP Wales Branch

How to get your research advertised

DCoP often promotes trainee research for participants to get involved in. If you would like your research to be advertised in the e-letter, please contact the e-letter editor by email on [email protected].

We ask that you email the e-letter editor with a short blurb which should state a title, what this research is about, why it is important, who can participate, an explicit statement of what you are asking participants to do (interview/ survey etc), your contact info, a statement about ethical approval from your institution and your research supervisor's name.

This blurb should be accompanied by a formal ethical approval letter from your institution - you can either forward on the official email that confirms your ethical approval from the ethics board directly, or the letter-headed document that confirms this.

Please note: we will not be able to accept any other form of confirmation. Please include your research supervisor in the email so that they are fully aware of your research being disseminated in this manner.

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DCoP

Division of Counselling Psychology Networks

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Sign up to the newsletter

The Division of Counselling Psychology e-letter is released monthly and aims to update our members on our activities. You can find the e-letter by going to the News tab.

If you are not receiving the e-letter and Society emails, or are not sure if you are receiving it, please follow the instructions below to check or change your settings. You can also follow us on twitter at: @dcopuk

Instructions to check your email settings

There are three checks you can do:

Check if the emails have gone into your spam folder and adjust your email settings.
Check the email preference settings on your Society account and opt into receiving society emails.
Ensure that you are using the email that is on your membership record to communicate with your Committee.

DCoP

Careers in counselling psychology

Find all you need to know about becoming a counselling psychologist and what career options are available.

Find out more

Resources

Climate change resources

This includes:

Reports about Climate Change
Systematic reviews
Climate Change and (Mental) Health
Climate Change and Young People
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
Climate Change and Pro-Environmental Behaviour
Climate Change Perception
Popular Books
Websites
Podcasts

Access climate change resources

Counselling Psychology Position Paper

This position paper aims to provide a global perspective on Counselling Psychology for the purpose of education and creating a unifying voice.

Download paper

Why Counselling Psychology?

2021 DCoP Conference

Guidelines and publications

Working Relationally Series

Useful links

DCoP Annual Conference 2022

Ariele Noble

Claire Lewry

Daisy Best, Andy Divers, Nikki Carthy

Daisy Best, Helen Nicholas, Mark Bradley

Jose Syam Kumar Bandi

Awards and funding

Annual prizes

Do you know or work with a Counselling Psychologist who deserves recognition? If so, please nominate them for one of the awards below.

These awards are aimed at all levels of experience and practice and submissions are welcome from applicants at all stages of their career including trainees, early and later stages.

Single one-off projects as well as broader initiatives are likely to make for a good quality submission.

Self-nominations are also invited.

The prize categories are:

Annual award for carer and service user involvement - recognises genuine commitment to putting the needs of the service user or carer at the heart of the work.
Annual award for diversity - shining examples of individuals who have been creative in recognising and valuing diversity which has benefited all.
Annual award for innovation - outstanding contribution to innovative practice or research, this could include the full range of practice from individual practice or one off projects to service development or theoretical model development.
Annual supervisor/mentor/ trainer award - outstanding contribution to supervision and development of others.

Prizes:

A summary of the winners work and all of the nominations will be placed on the website and will be disseminated more widely, including to training courses and independent route candidates to increase visibility and to inspire others.
Free one day registration to DCoP Annual Conference for the winners in the four categories.
Award presentation ceremony at DCoP Annual Conference

The nominated psychologists must be members of the Division of Counselling Psychology.

Judging will be completed by a panel of judges.

Submissions will reopen in 2025.

The Trainee prize aims to promote and encourage excellence in the training and practice of counselling psychology in all its professional arenas.

The purpose is to stimulate Trainee Counselling Psychologists to attain excellence in their written work during the course of their training.

The winner will be awarded a prize of £100, while the two runners-up will receive £50 each.

In addition the winner and runners up will receive a one day registration at the DCoP Annual Conference, where the award ceremony will take place.

If any of the winners cannot attend, their prizes will be sent in the post.

Submissions must:

Be a piece of course work which has been assessed as part of the trainee's counselling psychology training. Trainees are allowed to edit work for submission to the Prize; this can include editing work to the required word length including for example client studies, theoretical essays, and literature reviews.
Demonstrate excellence and originality in an area relevant to Counselling Psychology and other applied psychologies.
Have a word limit of 5,000 words (not including quotes, references and bibliography).
Includes critical evaluation and is written according to APA style at an academic standard equivalent to Level 7.

Only one submission is allowed per student.

Submissions will reopen in 2025.

We are proud to celebrate the outstanding work of Counselling psychologists and with your help we hope to continue to develop and recognise the high quality and innovative work of our members in more categories for many years to come.

In 2018 we relaunched the DCoP Practice prize awards. The prizes were aimed at celebrating and disseminating the outstanding work of Counselling Psychologists in practice.

2019 Annual award for Carer and service user involvement: Heena Chudasama
2019 Annual supervisor award: Dr Miltos Hadjiosif
2019 Annual award for Innovation: Mabel Martinelli
2019 Annual award for Diversity: Professor Rachel Tribe and Dr Farah Farsimsdan
2018 Annual Award for Carer and Service User Involvement: Dr Robin Dundas

Robin has won the award for his tireless commitment to service user care and involvement. A group of his colleagues nominated him and all described his outstanding and inspiring work. I think their words capture his work and passion. So here in his colleagues words is a summary of Robins outstanding contribution.

Dr Robin Dundas has undoubtedly a genuine a commitment to service user care and involvement which he has tirelessly exercised within a busy NHS gender service, through often challenging and difficult times. His role has spanned individual and group psychotherapy, complex assessments and endorsements for medical interventions, delivering training and supervision, developing new projects and leading on parts of the psychology service, as well as covering service lead responsibilities. He has always not just represented his patients above and beyond what is required, but sought out where inequities may exist in the service and service users' needs not best being met. As his Line Manager and Head of Department for near a decade of his career, I have no hesitation in nominating him for this award and as can be seen from the testimonials below, neither do his other colleagues. Dr Penny Lenihan, Consultant Psychologist.

Robin is a passionate Counselling Psychologist who holds the values of social justice and person centred care at the heart of all he does. He frequently goes above and beyond for patients, and tirelessly fights for patients' best interests both within our service, and with other agencies our patients are involved with. Dr Jess Gran, Highly Specialist Psychologist.

It seems that this reward is such a small symbol of gratitude when compared to the tremendous contribution you have made not only to the patients you've served, but to those other professionals such as myself. Thank you Robin for this gift to us all!! Dr Craig B Rypma, Ph.D., M.B.A. Highly Specialist Psychologist.

2018 Annual Award for Innovation: Simon Proudlock

Simon was nominated for his work with EMDR Therapy for treatment of individuals who are on an acute psychiatric ward or who are under the care of the Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team (CRHTT). Using EMDR Therapy in this setting, and taking a trauma focused approach to those presenting in acute services, had not been previously tried anywhere else within the UK or internationally.

Patients were offered immediate access to specialised treatment in a safe and supportive environment with the aim of alleviating their trauma symptoms and facilitating early discharge from services. The project ensured continuity of care, from the ward to the community, which has shown to be a time where patients are at higher risk of suicide.
Overall the initial aims of the project were met and in some cases exceeded. The project successfully treated 70 patients, demonstrating a strong case for the use of EMDR therapy with clients in an acute mental health crisis. The project revealed that therapy with this client group does not increase clinical risk but in fact reduces the desire for suicide, anxiety, depression and PTSD symptoms to a clinically significantly level. In addition, the project demonstrated an increase in clients' confidence in managing their mental health, resulting in a reduction in reliance on services, with the majority of patients treated being discharged from Mental Health services.

The project provided a considerable cost saving to the NHS by reducing the need for inpatient beds, CRHTT support and further psychological therapy. Of those treated in the project, there was on average a 70% reduction in their use of acute mental health services compared to the 12 months prior to treatment.

This unique approach has been an very important service development. Taking a trauma focused approach seems to be an important intervention to help individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. EMDR Therapy used in this environment has provided a new care pathway for acute mental health services and has helped prevent a revolving door service for some patients. Simon was able to show significant savings for the NHS as well as the huge savings in emotional costs to the client once successfully treated. The project showed that treating individuals who have a trauma picture and high levels of suicidal ideation with EMDR Therapy reduces the desire for suicide and clinical risk.

DCoP Funding Requests

If you have a project or event that you would like to take forward and would like some financial support, the Division might be able to support this.

The form has all the information to guide you, such as establishing the nature of activity or event you are planning, costing, and the subsequent internal procedures involved. All activities are to be in line with DCoP Strategic Objectives.

Download the funding form

Counselling Psychology Review

The Counselling Psychology Review is the Division of Counselling Psychology's peer-reviewed research publication, bringing together high quality research pertinent to the work of counselling psychologists.

It primarily focuses upon work being undertaken in the UK, but it is also likely to be of interest to international colleagues and those in related therapeutic disciplines.

The content is pluralist in nature, with its focus being on excellent work rather than methodological or paradigmatic preference.

Counselling Psychology Review

Counselling Psychology Review is published twice a year.

Download the latest edition

Latest articles - Counselling Psychology Review

Periodicals