Division of Counselling Psychology – October newsletter

Some of you may remember that in last October's e-letter I told you about Hop-Tu-Naa, a Celtic celebration that takes place on 31 October on the Isle of Man. It's the longest unbroken tradition on the island. Notably, it's traditional during Hop-Tu-Naa to carve raw turnips, which I can confirm is really hard. Children sing about Jinny the Witch, who was a lady named Joney Lowney and she was believed to be a witch after allegedly "hindering the production of corn" and "mysteriously obtaining fish during a nocturnal disappearance" for which she served a 14-day prison sentence. 

The Isle of Man is a small island between England and Ireland measuring 32 miles long and 14 miles wide. Following an escape from the wildlife park in the 1960s, the island is also home to wild wallabies. It is also the birthplace of the band the Bee Gees and host of the world-famous TT races.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Isle of Man was my home for 15 years and is the home of our new chair, Dr Brian Murray.

As always, if you have anything that you would like to contribute, please do email me to discuss: [email protected]

Warmest wishes,

Helena Fitzpatrick

Editor

Message from our new Chair

Dear Members,

I am grateful for your participation in the recent Chair election. Your voice is crucial in shaping the direction of our profession and in choosing the right representative. I encourage you to keep providing feedback on the issues that are most important to you in the field of Counselling Psychology. Your ongoing input is vital for our collective growth and success. 

To introduce myself, I have what was once considered a typical career for a Counselling Psychologist, often referred to as a 'portfolio career'. I am a Consultant Counselling Psychologist in a CAMHS service on the Isle of Man.

Additionally, I am part of the training team for the PG Diploma in Child and Young Person IAPT Therapy (Interpersonal Therapy for Adolescents) with Anna Freud in partnership with UCL. I also have a small independent practice offering online and in-person therapy.

As a profession, we have made significant strides in recent years. Counselling Psychologists are now in leadership positions in the NHS and other sectors. The ongoing mission to highlight these achievements, including at platforms like the BPS Careers Festival, is a testament to our progress and the promising future opportunities for our profession.

Other positives include:

• An increasing number of paid placements are offered for final-year trainee positions, and in some areas, training and employment are funded throughout the course of their study.
• Financial support from the Black and Asian Applied Psychologists Fund, an initiative founded by and supported by the Division of Counselling Psychology, offers much-needed financial assistance with training and professional development costs. 

However, there are still barriers we encounter as Counselling Psychologists. There has been a recent reduction in the number of training places available. Meanwhile, we can observe that NHS England-funded opportunities for colleagues in Clinical Psychology are on the rise. This runs parallel to the current extended hiatus to the independent route to qualification, QCoP, despite the revised qualification being approved by the Qualifications Committee. The DCoP Executive Committee has done some fantastic work highlighting the issues in how this has come about and will continue to prioritise QCoP in their agenda.

Across the pond, the Irish government has invested €750,000 to train their Counselling Psychologists. They are clear that 'Counselling psychology is a critical intervention across a broad array of health care settings' (Irish Minister Butler, 2023). This is incredible and, more importantly, shows it is possible!

We can grow as a profession in several ways, from improving access to training through mentorship and CPD, to nurturing whatever path you choose after qualifying. With your input, I will work with the executive committee to maintain what we have achieved and continue to flourish.

Dr Brian Murray

Division of Counselling Psychology Chair

Message from our outgoing Chair

Dear Members,

As I step away from the Chair role, I would like to thank both Professor Ho Chung Law and Dr Brian Murray for putting themselves forward for election to Chair of the Division. This was the first election in my recollection and an important opportunity for members to consider who might be best placed to lead the Division and represent them.

It was a close result and I am looking forward to supporting Brian over the next couple of years as an appointed committee member.

I would also like to thank the committee and our members for the encouragement and support they offered me during my tenure as Chair.

Thank you

Dr Sue Whitcombe

Applications open for the Black and Asian Psychologists Fund

The fund supports the professional development of Black and Asian psychologists and trainees, and provides grants for activities such as attending conferences, training, and supervision.

The deadline for applications is November 30, and applicants can request funding for up to £2,000 to further their careers. Find out more and apply.

Tell us why Psychology Matters

Psychology Matters is a campaign, organised by the BPS, celebrating the impact of psychology in everyday life and advocating for positive societal outcomes.

It would be fantastic to see counselling psychologists getting involved to showcase the diverse ways psychology benefits society and to highlight the excellent work we do as a profession. 

Events

Trainee Zoom sessions

Date: 4 December

Time: 6pm - 7pm

These are always a great way to network and see what others are doing on taught courses or the Qualification for Counselling Psychology (QCoP). Find out more here.

Psychological Professions Network (PPN)

Date: 11 - 15 November 2024 

Where: Online

Programme includes talks such as: Psychological Practice in Physical Healthcare and Patient Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) and Beyond – Enriching our practice using intersectionality. Find out more here

BPS Psychology Careers Festival 2024

When: 4 - 8 November 2024

Where: Online

Cost: From £7

At this year's Careers Festival, you'll find several talks about Counselling psychology from training to post qualification.

Monday 4 November

11:00 - 11:35 – Pathways to Counselling Psychology with Dr Charlie O'Brien and Julie Raworth

13:15 - 13:50 – Counselling Psychology: Who, What, Where? With Dr Charlie O'Brien, Dr Anna Maciak and Dr Betul Tatar

14:45 - 15:45 – Leadership in Counselling Psychology with Dr Sue Whitcombe, Dr Kirsty Charlton, Dr Brian Sreenan and Dr Sunil Lad

Tuesday 5 November

12:15 - 12:50 – Post-Qualification Job Opportunities in Counselling Psychology with Dr Pollyanna Valente

Wednesday 6 November

15:00 - 15:35 – Careers in Counselling Psychology: Working with Physical Health and Long Term Health Conditions with Dr Anna Maciak

Thursday 7 November

13:45 - 15:30 - Research Day Session 3 – Diverse Career Paths in Psychology research with Dr Charlie O'Brien

Friday 8 November

10:145 -11:20 - Equality Diversity and Inclusion in the Field of Counselling Psychology with Dr Ishba Rehman

For the full programme and ticket information, visit the event webpage.

Networks and Groups

DCoP Black and Asian Counselling Psychologists Group (BACPG)

The DCoP BACPG provides community, raises awareness, and shares resources for Counselling Psychologists of Black or Asian backgrounds/origin. This group is being chaired by Dr Khushi Haria.

Contact email: [email protected]

Environmental and Climate Crisis reading group!

All DCoP members are welcome to this reading group. This group is intended to be a place to develop our knowledge and engagement with the climate and environmental crisis and to offer a supportive place to share our personal reactions to this knowledge, as well as to develop our capacity to support clients in their reactions to this global crisis.

Please email [email protected] for information regarding the next date, the associated reading and the link to join.

Research Participation Requests

My name is Ghazaleh Ghazanfari and I am a trainee Counselling Psychologist at Middlesex University and NSPC. I am currently recruiting participants for my doctoral research project on the experience of changing career to counselling psychology.

Title

Phenomenological exploration of the experience of career change to counselling psychology

Aim of the study

This doctoral research aims to bring some understanding about how a person's life would be impacted if they decide to change their career to counselling psychology.

I am looking for people (1) who are 30 years of age or over, and changed their career to counselling psychology when they were under the age of 50; (2) who are either registered by HCPC as a counselling psychologist less than a year ago, or a trainee counselling psychologist enrolled in an HCPC accredited DCPsych program and have completed at least 150 hours of placement client work as part of their studies; (3) their previous career(s) prior to career change to counselling psychology was not in mental health services (for example, they were not a psychotherapist, counsellor, mental health nurse, social worker, support worker, etc.); (4) who have at least five years of work experience in their previous career.

What I am asking of participants

As a participant, you will have a brief screening phone / Teams audio / Teams video call with me to tell you more about the study and decide if you would like to attend an interview. Then, if we agree on an interview, you are invited to an online interview to talk about what it has been like for you to change your career to counselling psychology. Interviews will last approximately 60–90 minutes and will be conversational and led by you.

If you are interested in participating or would like more information about the study, please contact me at: [email protected]

This study has been approved by the ethics board at NSPC and is supervised by Professor Fabio Sani and Dr Natalie Lancer.

My name is Magdalen Howard and I'm being supervised by Dr Nathan Faulkner.

Title 

How therapists work when they are unsure how their client's spiritual or religious beliefs are affecting their psychological wellbeing

Aim of the study

Have you ever worked with a client and wondered how their spiritual or religious beliefs were affecting their psychological wellbeing? What did you do? How did you work with the situation?

If you would like to share your experience, I am keen to hear from you. I am a Trainee Counselling Psychologist at Regent's University and am conducting a grounded theory study into this topic for my doctoral thesis.

Research suggests that working with client's spiritual and religious beliefs can sometimes pose challenges for therapists. In considering the processes at play, I hope to support counselling psychologists in reflexive practice.

What I am asking of participants

Your participation would involve the completion of a demographic questionnaire followed by an interview with me (in person or online) and possibly some follow-up questions. I am looking for psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors from a range of theoretical disciplines, and I just need you be in current practice and accredited with a body such as the UKCP, BACP or HKCPC.

The project has received ethical approval from the Regents University Ethics Panel. If you would like to take part, or if you have any questions, please contact me on [email protected]

My name is Garima Chaturvedi, and I am a third-year trainee counselling psychologist at York St John University.

Title 

Practitioner perspectives on supporting adolescent refugees and asylum seekers

Aim of the study 

I am currently seeking participants for my doctoral research, which focuses on practitioner perspectives on supporting adolescent refugees and asylum seekers undergoing acculturation and pubertal changes.

I am reaching out to invite you to participate in this study if you meet the following criteria:

• You are a registered practitioner with the HCPC, UKCP, or BACP.
• You have been practising in the UK for at least six months.
• You have previously worked with, or are currently working with, adolescent refugees or asylum seekers.

The aim of this research is to explore the extent to which acculturation processes and pubertal changes are addressed, if at all, within therapeutic spaces. Additionally, I hope to understand how counselling practitioners ensure cultural sensitivity and responsivity in their work with this population, while also considering ethical aspects, especially when discussing these topics.

Please note that the study will focus on your professional experiences and will not collect any personal information about your clients.

If you are interested in participating or would like to learn more, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]

Fauzia Khan meets…

'What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?'

Fauzia Khan meets Dr Sian Williams, Counselling Psychologist, BBC presenter and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. Sian shares her journey in journalism and what led her to retrain in counselling psychology.

Since 2021, Fauzia Khan has been meeting psychologists and other allied mental health professionals to discuss their life and work. The interviews she has carried out cover a wide range of topics, including lived experience, co-production, trauma-informed practice, challenging systems and models, EDI, anti-racism, equity for older people, islamophobia, among many other important subjects.

You can access her collection of interviews here.