Personal Development
Student conference 2025

Read presentation information for the 'Personal Development' strand, and view presenter biographies.

What can I do beyond the therapy room? Harnessing therapeutic training and therapeutic principles in social action projects - introducing the Social Response Cycle

1.55pm to 2.40pm

Against a backdrop of global issues and unrest it can be hard to feel anything but helpless in the face of the challenges. It can seem that training in counselling and psychotherapy does not equip you to set up initiatives that deal with social issues. In this talk, Beverley will attempt to encourage people to feel that they have some power to act and some power to effect change using their therapeutic frames. The practical model of The Social Response Cycle (SRC) https://www.bacp.co.uk/cpd/social-response-cycle-member-resource/ is designed to facilitate effective therapeutically framed social action. Beverley will begin by describing how, shortly after qualifying as a psychotherapist, she developed the SRC to address gaps in services and responses to social problems. That was in the year 2000. The SRC is more relevant now than ever before.

When you are a student or you have recently qualified you may feel that it is not the right time for you to take action. But why wait? You may not be able to change the world on your own but multiple micro social justice initiatives can form part of a jigsaw for greater social change and impact.

Beverley will give examples of how she has used the SRC to set up several new projects locally, nationally and internationally. They are all very small and yet some of these initiatives have been of disproportionately large value to individuals and communities

The session aims to provide inspiration for members to focus on their own social justice initiatives and to regain a sense of control on the positive impact they could have now and in the future.

This presentation is available in person and online.

After training as a psychotherapist Dr Beverley Costa set up Mothertongue multi-ethnic counselling service in 2000 and a Mental Health Interpreting service in 2009, in response to a gap in services she observed in Reading, the town in which she lived and worked.

She founded the Pasalo Project in 2017 to disseminate the learning from nearly two decades of Mothertongue’s service, research and creative activities. She set up the Bilingual Therapist and Mental Health Interpreter Forum in 2010 and in 2013 she established Colleagues Across Borders offering pro bono peer support to refugee psychosocial workers and interpreters who are based in North Africa.

Beverley is a Senior Practitioner Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London and a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Reading. Her book: Other Tongues – psychological therapies in a multilingual world, was published in 2020 by PCCS Books.

Self care as a therapist

1.55pm to 2.40pm

It’s often said that it’s important to “put your own oxygen mask on, before helping someone else to put theirs on”. It sounds wise, but what does this mean in practice as a therapist? Some evidence would indicate that people in helping professions find this a difficult maxim to employ – why is this?

We will be sharing establishing what we mean by ‘self-care’, particularly in the context of providing talking therapies. We will also be considering what we need to look out for in ourselves and others, that might indicate that more self-care is needed. Finally, we will be exploring some options for self-caring, based on what people evidentially find useful.

This presentation is available in person only.

Andrew Langford has been with Cruse Bereavement Support for over nine years. He is a qualified psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, and coach, accredited with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Andy has worked in support services and in clinical roles for over 27 years, in both senior and front-line positions. Andy holds an MSc is voluntary sector management, and is currently a researcher with the Open University, University of Oxford, and Brunel University, completing a PhD focused on bereavement support delivery. To complement his work with Cruse, Andy runs his own therapy practice and consultancy, specialising in bereavement, trauma, managing risk around suicide and self-harm, and dealing with high impact and emergency events. Andy has recently published on men and loss, and trauma in the context of grief. He also sits on various national bodies, including research, equality and inclusion, and has membership of several All-Party Parliamentary Groups.

Bridging the gap: from trainee to trainer and beyond

1.55pm to 2.40pm

Join Aisha Gordon Hiles - Accredited counsellor, author, coach, supervisor and tutor, for an inspiring and transformative workshop designed to empower counselling students and new professionals to imagine and achieve the unimaginable in their careers. In "Bridging the Gap: From Trainee to Trainer and Beyond," Aisha will share their personal journey—from deciding to become a counsellor, navigating the path to qualification, and even taking an unexpected detour out of the sector. We’ll explore how they found their way back, securing a job in the field, and ultimately expanding their horizons through writing a book and working in the media.

This workshop isn’t just about their story—it's about sparking ideas and possibilities for your own career. We'll discuss the challenges they faced, the things they wish they'd known, and how to make informed choices about your future. You’ll be encouraged to reflect on your journey so far and envision what lies ahead. Through guided questions and interactive discussions, you’ll leave with renewed motivation and a clearer sense of direction, ready to bridge the gap from trainee to trainer, and beyond.

This presentation is available in person only.

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