Our mission

BACP Private Practice aims to:

  • support those in, or contemplating going into, private practice by offering advice and facilitating the sharing of knowledge and experience of members
  • provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and best practice and to respond to professional inquiries from members concerning private practice
  • develop an internet-based online network of mutual support among those already in or those about to set up in private practice
  • establish, maintain and regularly update a members’ website with information sheets and online pages providing answers to FAQs and details of training opportunities
  • provide CPD and networking opportunities with other private practitioners through regular conferences and regional events
  • protect both clients and private practitioners by promoting BACP professional standards and ethics
  • publish the quarterly journal, Private Practice, focusing on issues relevant to the private practitioner
  • raise the profile of private practice within BACP, and through BACP with employers, agencies and government, by being the ‘voice’ of counsellors in private practice

Our executive

Jo Cook - Chair

I gained a psychology degree in 1998 and then worked in commerce, local and central government, eventually working at the Department of Health on Primary Care Policy. After a rewarding career break to raise my children I retrained in yoga and psychotherapy. My PGDip was with Leeds Beckett University and after working in a charity supporting women and men to heal after experiencing domestic abuse I entered Private Practice in 2020. 

In my private practice I bring together my strands of experience in psychology, body work, EMDR and psychodynamic psychotherapy and I have a special interest in Complex PTSD.  

I joined the Executive to contribute more to the profession. Particularly to help private practitioners feel less isolated in their work, and to be well heard by their professional body. 

Indu Khurana - Deputy Chair 

From being in various types of therapeutic employment positions including the NHS (CAMHS & Eating Disorders), helplines, homelessness and Domestic Abuse charities, schools and colleges as well as in private practice for about 20+ years, I now work full time in my portfolio business (www.indukhurana.com), providing counselling/ psychotherapy, supervision, coaching and more.

I specialize in transitions, including life-limiting health conditions, and bring knowledge and experience of working with children /young people, couples, and families as well as individual adults to the table.

I joined the Private Practice Executive to make a tangible difference for others working in private practice.

Margaret Ward-Martin

I have been in private practice for over 5 years with my main area of work focussed on supporting clients recovering from narcissistic abuse and coercive control.

I came to the profession after a long teaching career during which I qualified as a coach. Becoming a therapist felt like natural progression to me rather than some great masterplan! It seemed to bring together decades of personal and professional experience.

In 2021 I founded The Grace Project to provide resources, psychoeducation and support to those effected by psychological abuse and coercive control.

I work in London and online from my home in Surrey where I live with my husband and Border Collie. My two adult sons continue to be a source of inspiration to me.

It is a privilege to be part of PP Executive Division.

Claire Djali

My interest in psychology was first aroused when I attended lectures on the subject at Teacher Training College. At the time I thought, if I had known about the subject earlier, I may have chosen it as a career direction.

Twenty years later I found out about counselling when I attended couples counselling with my then-husband. I was intrigued and enthralled. This was, in my mind, psychology in action. I continued my interest and relationship with counselling (but not with my husband!) and decided to train, out of interest and fascination.

And so, another 30 years later, my learning and work have evolved, initially working with individuals and later also in couples' work, I continue with an avid interest in counselling, in people’s minds and why and how we think and act as we do.

Karen Spencer

Karen, a psychodynamic psychotherapist based in South West London, specialises in working with couples and individuals in her private practice. She holds an MA from the Tavistock NHS Trust, specialising in intercultural psychotherapy, and is trained in Cognitive Analytic Therapy and EMDR. Embracing a pluralistic approach, Karen tailors therapy to meet the unique needs of each client. 

With extensive experience in the educational and charity sectors, Karen has worked with marginalised communities, focusing on the intersection of identity and belonging. She has delivered training in organisational settings on wellbeing support and team dynamics and is now concentrating on her private practice and charity work and is delighted to be part of the PP Executive Division.