Andrew Reeves, Chair
Who?
Senior Counsellor at the University of Liverpool, Senior Lecturer at the University of Chester, Project Director with the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, independent practitioner and author.
Why join the Board?
For me, BACP should be an organisation that is about relationships first, not business first. I wanted to play a part in bringing the philosophy of counselling and psychotherapy back to the heart of the association.
Your vision?
Short term, for BACP to continue to work collaboratively to create a culture in which we can create a stronger voice for the profession. Mid-term, for clearer training standards and points of entry into the profession, clearer career structures, more paid employment opportunities for counsellors, and for counsellors to be paid a proper wage for their skills. Ultimately, for clients to be able to access a choice of counselling services when they need to and how they decide to do so, and for services to be freely accessible for all.
Wisest advice you’ve ever been given?
‘Give it time.’ Quick change is not always sustainable, even though it can look good in the short term.
Sophie-Grace Chappell
Who?
Professor of Philosophy at the Open University.
Why join the Board?
Because counselling has been enormously helpful to me, and because I believe I have something to contribute to BACP as a professional ethicist.
Your vision?
Untackled, individual unhappiness and psychological malaise is not only a profoundly bad thing in itself; it is also a significant drag on economic and social efficiency. Counselling and psychotherapy are key tools for freeing people from their inner traumas and dysfunctions, and unsatisfactory relationships, and letting them live in a way that realises their real potential. I would like to see a government and a counselling profession that are united in their understanding of this, and in their aspiration to make it happen.
Wisest advice you’ve ever been given?
‘The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.’
Mhairi Thurston
Who?
Lecturer in counselling at Abertay University in Dundee and Programme Leader for the MSc counselling course.
Why join the Board?
I’m nearing the end of my second term of office and I’ll be standing again this year. BACP and its Board have never been in better shape. It feels so important to keep continuity and stability so that key strategic intentions can be developed and progressed.
Your vision?
Employability is high on my wish list. I would love to see a proper career structure developed for the counselling professions, where employees are valued and paid a decent wage.
Wisest advice you’ve ever been given?
‘You can’t change the cards you’re dealt, but you can change how you play the hand.’
Natalie Bailey
Who?
A counsellor/psychotherapist/supervisor working with 16- to 19-year-old students on the apprenticeship scheme at a further education college in east London. I also work in private practice in London’s Canary Wharf, and supervise trainee and newly qualified counsellors.
Why join the Board?
I wanted to make a contribution to change in areas I am passionate about – access to counselling for young people, parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities, and for hard-to-reach communities.
Your vision?
In five years: that there are trained counsellors in all school settings, and the necessary funding to pay them for their work; and more support for parents/carers of children with disabilities. In 10 years: that the public can have confidence in the quality of counselling; we have cracked the issue of stigma; and that there is universal recognition of the relevance of counselling in our everyday lives.
Wisest advice you’ve ever been given?
‘Never eat burnt toast.’ It reminds me of the importance of self-care, both personally and professionally.
Andrew Kinder
Who?
Chartered counselling and chartered occupational psychologist, registered coach, Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, registered practitioner psychologist, and senior accredited BACP counsellor.
Why join the Board?
To make a difference within the counselling professions and, in particular, to highlight the issues of employability of counsellors.
Your vision?
The counselling professions need to be flexible, innovative and forward-looking. BACP’s strategy highlights the importance of positioning our services to commissioners and employers so that many more people can benefit from the counselling professions. But we need to avoid being purist and at the same time ensure we highlight best practice. In essence, BACP has a crucial role to meet the needs of its members better, especially around employability.
Wisest advice you’ve ever been given?
‘The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honourable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.’ (Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet.)
Vanessa Stirum
Who?
A divorce mediator.
Why join the Board?
Because, as a non-member, I wanted to make a contribution at board level to the future of the organisation.
Your vision?
For BACP to be a leader in the delivery of counselling and psychotherapy, and to be recognised as a key influencer in defining the future of talking therapies.
Wisest advice you’ve ever been given?
‘Take responsibility for yourself and your actions.’
Caryl Sibbett
Who?
A senior accredited counsellor/psychotherapist, art psychotherapist, supervisor, lecturer and researcher. I offer these services through my own consultancy business.
Why join the Board?
Because I believe in the values and work of BACP. I also want to promote the work of the counselling professions in the UK, and particularly in Northern Ireland.
Your vision?
That BACP will extend access to counselling for more clients. I am passionately committed to developing more paid work for practitioners, with appropriate working conditions and pay rates that are professional, fair and constructive. In the longer term, to continue to develop and champion the value of counselling and the counselling professions.
Wisest advice you’ve ever been given?
‘Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath.’
Eddie Carden
Who?
Chief Executive of Renew Counselling, a BACP-accredited charitable counselling agency in Essex.
Why join the Board?
I felt that, as an organisational and individual member of BACP, I have experience and insights that would enable BACP to better understand and meet members’ needs and champion our profession.
Your vision?
More collaboration between the professional bodies in our field, to give a strong, united voice on the significance of our work. Personally, I would like to see statutory regulation for our profession, as I consider that voluntary regulation leaves us in a no-man’s land.
Wisest advice you’ve ever been given?
‘If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly.’
Myira Khan
Who?
Accredited counsellor and qualified supervisor in full-time private practice, Associate Tutor at the University of Leicester, and founder of the Muslim Counsellor and Psychotherapist Network (MCAPN).
Why join the Board?
I believe I can represent and reflect the diversity within the counselling profession and networks, as well as promote counselling to black and minority ethnic and Muslim communities. I wanted to be able to contribute to and pay back the organisation that has been so supportive to my work and to MCAPN.
Your vision?
I would like to see the profession genuinely represent the vast diversity of the clients and client groups we work with. We need to encourage and support people from a greater diversity of ethnicities, cultures and religions to train as counsellors or psychotherapists, take up clinical and teaching/training roles, and work in our professional bodies. Short term, I would like to see the BACP Register become the industry standard for counselling training and qualifications, and eligibility to apply for jobs.
Wisest advice you’ve ever been given?
The best thing is to be kind – to treat everyone, including myself, from a place of love and care. My dad told me that. He taught me about self-care before I even heard the term.