Making Connections programme
Newport, 21 January 2025

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We’re delighted to welcome back our free in-person Making Connections events.

Our regular face to face Making Connections events take place throughout the year across all four nations of the UK.

This time, we’re heading to Newport in Wales and we’d be delighted if you’d join us.

As well as networking with other members, you’ll watch three CPD presentations and have the opportunity to meet BACP staff and some of our divisional executive committee members.

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Programme

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10.00am – 10.30am	Registration
10.30am – 10:50am	Welcome from BACP
10.50am – 11.35am	Healing Through Understanding: Addressing Challenges in the Black Community, presented by Audrey James
11.35am - 11:45am	Comfort break
11:45am – 12.30pm	Counselling expatriate clients: shining a light on the challenges and needs of this unique population, presented by Kathy Swords
12.30pm – 1.30pm	Light lunch
1.30pm – 1.50pm	Local member two-minute platforms
1.50pm – 2.40pm	Connecting together The room will be divided into different areas of interest, for more focused and structured networking. You’ll be encouraged to move around the room and engage with colleagues, volunteers and BACP staff to network, share ideas and meet new people with similar interests. You’ll be able to add a new area of interest if yours isn’t represented.
2.40pm – 3.10pm	Refreshments
3.10pm – 3.55pm	Presentation to be confirmed
3.55pm - 4.00pm	Event close

This programme is subject to change.

Presentation information

Counselling expatriate clients: shining a light on the challenges and needs of this unique
population

10.50am – 11.35am

In our increasingly mobile world, many people take the opportunity to spend time living and working overseas. While these life experiences can be exciting and engaging, expatriate living can also negatively impact individuals on multiple levels, sometimes leading to significant mental health challenges. It is suggested that frequent mobility, cultural dislocation, high demand for adjustment and adaptation, disrupted attachment and repeated cycles of loss, place expatriates at a higher overall risk for mental health problems. Anxiety and depressed mood play a central role for expatriates experiencing emotional problems. Given this, and the notion that repatriation is one of the most difficult moves a person can undertake, implications for UK based therapists working with expatriate CYP’s and adults may be more pronounced than imagined.

The session will take you through the Ages and Stages of expatriate living to shine a light on how mental health challenges evolve through growing up/living/working overseas. It will serve as an introduction to the key psychological and emotional aspects of expatriate living, provide you with an understanding of the needs of expatriate clients and offer a model designed to support counsellors working with high mobility.

Presentation slides are available here on the day.

Kathy Swords is an accredited BACP Integrative Counsellor, and accredited EMCC Coach at Senior Practitioner Level. She has extensive experience working in UK/international schools and Expat
communities. Kathy’s area of expertise focuses on challenges arising from high mobility associated with living/working/growing up overseas. She has developed her own model, supported by a range of adapted/tailor-made interventions that allows her to work effectively across the coaching/counselling continuum to meet the needs of expatriate clients.

Kathy works in Private Practice at EXPAT YP, whilst undertaking her Doctorate at Bath University. Her thesis focuses on
how UK Boarding Schools could best meet the needs of ‘Traditional Third Culture Kids’. Kathy has spoken at numerous conferences including ‘Families in Global Transition’ Amsterdam, Dubai Psychological Conference. She has worked with Shell Outpost and International Schools Group assisting families during transition. Kathy is passionate about shining a light on the hidden needs of this unique population.

Healing Through Understanding: Addressing Challenges in the Black Community

11.45am - 12.30pm

In this session, I will share my journey to becoming a psychotherapist and the founding of Restore Black, an initiative dedicated to addressing mental health challenges within the Black community. Recognising the hesitancy tied to seeking help, especially among Black men. Our approach confronts the historical traumas stemming from enslavement and systemic racism, aiming to dismantle the stigmas and inequalities that impede mental well-being.

to provide a personal account of my experience as the only Black student throughout
my training in a predominantly white organisation, discussing the impact of this isolation
and the challenges I faced.
to promote the importance of white therapists engaging in their own learning regarding the challenges faced by Black individuals, including reading works by Black therapists and attending training provided by Black professionals.
to encourage therapists to engage in discussions and trainings around unconscious bias and empower therapists to become effective allies for Black individuals in the therapeutic context.
to raise awareness about the unique mental health challenges faced by the Black
community and advocate for proactive engagement in mental health care.
to explore the dynamics of difference in the therapeutic space, focusing on the
interactions between Black clients and white therapists, and the difficulties surrounding discussions of race and identity.
to encourage therapists to consider how to address difference when it is not brought up by clients, fostering a more open dialogue about race and its implications in therapy.

Audrey James has dedicated her career to understanding and addressing the unique mental health challenges faced by the Black community. Audrey has gained extensive experience through her work where she has the opportunity to engage with clients from various backgrounds, including 7 years working with Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (GARAS); 11 years working with the Bridge Foundation, in inner city schools in Bristol offering psychotherapy to parents who would never have had access to therapyThis role allowed me to witness firsthand the impacts of systemic barriers, such as discrimination and economic inequality, on mental health and well-being. Audrey has been part of the planning team and participated in community outreach programs aimed at destigmatising mental health within the Black community. Audrey has produced 3 “Black Men on the Couch” events to raise awareness of the challenges faced by black men in accessing mental health care in the UK. She has facilitated discussions on mental health awareness, resilience, and the importance of seeking help. Additionally, she have launched her own project, ‘Restore Black’ focusing on mental health within the black community by doing live on stage therapy events and a series of podcasts discussions (to be released beginning of December).

Audrey's ongoing commitment to professional development has led her to pursue specialised training specific to black mental health and the many challenges we face as community, enhancing her capacity to provide effective support. Furthermore, she continually seeks feedback and engage in reflective practices to ensure that her approach remains responsive to the needs of my clients. Through my experiences, I have developed a deep understanding of the importance of building trust and rapport with clients, fostering a safe space for healing, and advocating for mental health resources within the community. Audrey is passionate about equipping other therapists with the tools and knowledge necessary to serve the Black community effectively and compassionately.