South West of England Branch
Our aim is to create a lively, informative and supportive network of Psychologists to bring Psychology to all our members (students, academics, practitioners) and the wider public.
About
How the South West Branch operates
The Branch covers a large area from Bristol in the north, Cornwall and the islands of Jersey and Guernsey in the south; and to the east we border on the Wessex Branch in Dorset.
Coordinating activities over such an area requires a structure that guides the strategy of what we do (by the co-ordinating working groups) and local activities (by the Hubs).
Mindful of wishing to support members during every stage of their journey in the study and application of psychology we have four co-ordinating working groups.
A note from the co-chairs, Liz Edwards-Smith and Anne-Marie Rowson
Hello and welcome to the South West of England Branch.
The branch represents over 3,600 psychologists and stretches from Bristol in the north to Cornwall and the islands of Jersey and Guernsey in the south.
We are delighted to say that our committee has Hubs representing all these areas so you will not be too far away from a local group.
We are keen on collaboration in the south-west working with the Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP), the Special Group of Independent Practitioners and the Division of Coaching Psychology (DCoP) in the South West to name but a few. We are also in regular contact with our colleagues in other regional branches.
As a group all the branches communicate through a Branches Forum so that we can share ideas, leverage best practice and support each other to deliver for our members.
We are both business and coaching psychologists by profession, with Liz being actively engaged in research as well as coaching and Anne-Marie working independently as a consultant and executive coach.
We have enjoyed putting together a series of events for the second half of 2024 and resurrecting our eNewsletter and we are soon to start preparing our activity plan for 2025.
We will be recruiting new committee members to join the committee, as and when required. Please keep an eye out in our e-newsletter to find out more when available.
Current activities
Our current activities are focused on:
- helping undergraduates and postgraduates build their knowledge and practice
- offer career coaching and mentoring enabling psychologists to make informed career decisions
- enabling continuous professional development for all grades of psychologists
- collaborating and supporting activities in our communities
Co-ordinating working groups
- Student Experience are working with schools, colleges, and universities to increase student membership and engagement, and to collaborate with psychology teachers and lecturers. Key aims are to: raise awareness of student and teacher benefits, including available bursaries; bring together BPS student representatives to make the role more meaningful; and encourage progression from A level/GCSE psychology to further study and career.
- Career Development continues to support psychologists in their career journey after leaving higher education on to developing as senior members of their applied speciality. The group aims to foster and support expertise across a range of applied areas of speciality; supporting continuous professional development. This group is developing a career mentoring and coaching community.
- Community Outreach has been established to work with local communities promoting the value and use of psychology. Its aim is to join with other community groups and organisations to sustain and develop initiatives aimed at public support and development.
Hubs
Our Hubs operate in the following geographic areas:
- Bath
- Bristol
- Exeter
- Guernsey
- Jersey
- Plymouth
- Truro
How can I contribute to the SW Branch?
We are keen to establish other local groups (Hubs) and maybe you would like to help us do this? Or perhaps you would like to join a co-ordinating working group and contribute to Branch activities? No matter what, we would encourage you all to get as actively involved as you can.
In particular, we are looking for:
- Contributions for our newsletter - articles, photographs, or events, etc
- Event updates - what's going on in your local area? Do you have any suggestions?
- Website updates - let us know if you would like to share information with others
If you have any comments, queries, or would like to help us out please email us
News
Events
Guidelines
The South West Branch Coaching and Mentoring Scheme
The branch has established a career coaching and mentoring community.
The scheme was initiated in April 2021, with experienced mentors offering one-to-one career coaching and mentoring sessions (up to three sessions of 60 minutes). So far we have put through 6 cohorts of mentees and there are more planned.
Mentoring takes place online, unless both mentee and mentor agree to a face to face meeting and has been carefully evaluated to ensure we tailor our approach to suit our members' needs. Previous cohorts found the sessions immensely useful and were involved in developing our next steps.
If you are interested, please contact [email protected].
New BPS mentoring service platform
Since January 2023, we have used the BPS mentoring service platform, which allows both mentors and mentees to create their own bespoke profile. Based on the information you provide, mentees are then matched with potential mentors.
Find out more about the mentoring service
What's in it for me as a mentor?
- Support for mentors through regular coach mentor group supervision sessions, which adopt an action learning approach
- The opportunity to discuss any questions that arise during your mentoring sessions, gain knowledge and receive feedback through networking with your scheme leader and peers
- Ad hoc one-to-one coach mentor supervision in addition to the group sessions
- Additional access when you need support and guidance with topics that cannot wait until the next group supervision meeting.
Read Laura's BPS mentee experience and Allison's journey to becoming a mentor to find out more.
Interested in becoming a mentor or mentee?
Develop a rapport, manage your goals, send messages and plan your meetings all in one place as you set out on your own mentoring journey.
Contact [email protected] to register your interest.
Awards & funding
Bursary Scheme for Members
The South West of England Branch committee are pleased to be able to offer a number of Bursaries for its membership to attend BPS conferences and CPD (continuing professional development) workshops.
Bursaries will cover fees; however, accommodation and travel costs will not be covered.
Applicants would be required to arrange cover for any accommodation and travel costs.
The South West of England Branch intends for the bursaries to offer colleagues support and the opportunity for attending conferences or workshops which may contribute to aspects of their professional and/or academic development.
It is not the Branch committee's intention to substitute any responsibility from an employer to support their continuing professional development, but to offer the bursary in cases where the member does not have the financial resources.
Deadline
The completed form should be returned at least three weeks before the event.
Criteria:
- Bursary awards are limited to one per individual in any one calendar year
- Following the event, the applicant must submit a reflective or evaluative piece for publication in the Branch newsletter. This should summarise your experience and the benefits (or otherwise) or attendance at the event. This will need to be between 400-500 words and completed within three weeks of attendance at the event. Further details relating to the publication will be made available to successful applicants.
- The applicant must be a member of the South West of England Branch.
- The applicant must identify a rationale of between 150 and 200 words as to how attending the conference/workshop will contribute to their development
How to apply
Applications are now open.
Submissions will be reviewed by a sub-panel of the South West of England Branch committee members
Please contact [email protected] if you have any further questions.
Please note that if you are successful in obtaining a bursary and then fail to attend the event without evidence of acceptable extenuating (non-work related) circumstances, then you will be charged the cost price for the place.
This is to avoid the Branch paying fees for colleagues who then choose simply not to attend. This incurs an unrecoverable cost to the Branch membership.
We look forward to receiving your applications.
Committee
Chairs: Anne-Marie Rowson and Elizabeth Edwards-Smith (co-opted: May 2024 - Nov 2024)
Appointed Members:
- Harry Rowley (Secretary: Nov 2022 – 2025)
- Mandy Morrison (Treasurer: Nov 2023 – 2026)
- Alexander MacLellan (Bath Hub Lead: Nov 2022 – 2025)
- Anne-Marie Rowson (Career Development Working Group Lead: Nov 2023 – 2026)
- Elizabeth Edwards-Smith (Plymouth Hub Lead: Nov 2023 – 2026)
- Gemma Adams (Student Ambassador Co- Lead: Oct 2023 – Nov 2026)
- Katheryn Edwards (October 2024 - 2027)
- James Walker (Nov 2023 – 2026)
- Kelly Lambert (Student Experience working group (SEWG) link: May 2023 – Nov 2026)
- Leticia Kemp (Guernsey Hub Lead: Nov 2023 – 2026)
- Mansi Raut (Student Ambassador Co- Lead: Oct 2023 – Nov 2026)
- Sarah NG (Social Media Lead: Nov 2023 – 2026)
- Shokraneh Moghadam (Exeter Hub Lead: October 2024 – 2027)
- Stella Woods (Truro Hub Lead: October 2024 - 2027)
- Steve Heigham (Bristol Hub Lead: Nov 2022 – 2025)
- Terri Passenger (Student Experience Working Group Lead: Nov 2023 – 2026)
Towards psychology's role in social advocacy and action: the implications of climate and ecological harm
As part of our longstanding commitment to issues of social justice and wellbeing, the South West Branch and the DCP South West Branch Hosted a number of events during 2023.
Poverty and Climate Change: Psychological Perspectives
18 July 2023
Homelessness and Climate Harm: Psychological Perspectives
26 September 2023
Intergenerational Concerns and Climate Change: Psychological Perspectives
04 December 2023
These events were inspired by the recent establishment of the society's Climate Environmental Action Co-ordinating Group.
Join
When you join the BPS you are automatically made a member of your local branch.
The South West of England Branch covers the following areas/postcodes:
- Bath (BA)
- Bristol (BS)
- Exeter (EX)
- Guernsey (GY)
- Jersey (JE)
- Plymouth (PL)
- Torquay (TQ)
- Truro (TR)
- Taunton (TA)
Benefits of belonging
Member Announcement Email List
The South West of England Branch uses its membership announcement email list to inform its members of activities and initiatives that are relevant to their interests and to make requests for engagement on topical issues.
By becoming a member of the Branch you are automatically added to the announcement list.
To receive these emails you will need to:
- become a member of the South West of England Branch
- opt into receiving email communication and provide a working email address
These preferences can be updated by logging into your member portal.
If you have any queries, please contact Member Network Services.
To assist us in responding to your query please make sure to include your membership number and quote 'BPS South West of England Branch announcement email' in the subject line.
Getting involved with the South West of England Branch Committee
The South West of England Branch relies on a wide range of people getting involved, and the work of the Branch is largely achieved through the dedication of unpaid volunteers.
Our volunteers come from a wide range of different backgrounds, whether they be practitioners or academics, or full members or in-training members, and together form an open and inclusive community.
South West Branch Newsletter
One key benefit of being a South West Branch member is receiving our e-newsletter, which provides regular updates from our members and our branch, and news of upcoming events in our region.
Click below to view previous editions: