28th Division of Counselling Psychology Annual Conference review

On 15 and 16 July 2022, I attended the online 28th Division of Counselling Psychology Annual Conference with support from West Midlands BPS Branch. The conference was held in hybrid mode and created a platform for researchers and colleagues to discuss their research regarding minorities groups and development in the field during the pandemic.

Coming from an Asian displaced community and counselling education background, contextualised by my career path development in the UK, it was interesting to learn insights from first-hand clinical experiences gained with marginalised groups, opportunities in placements and the developments in meeting diversified needs.  

I was impressed by the comprehensive topics that covered differing needs from various marginalised groups that were shared at the conference.  These included individuals' psychological difficulties understood from the perspectives of physical status, gender, age, sexuality and cultural impacts.  The challenges of counselling psychology during the pandemic were also covered, looking at how it may be applied not only as talking therapies but also other options, such as text-based support, that considered the enforced social isolation. 

Something that particularly resonated with me was the concept of 'Expert by experience' presented in one of the Keynote speeches delivered by Dr. Liza Morton, who illustrated the importance of personal life experiences in the development of a professional career. 

Through the sharing of her journey from a patient transforming into a counselling psychologist, she demonstrated resistance and challenges to the hierarchy in the medical system.  Reminding us that our own life experiences as well as our training can help us to respect and care for other individuals, while acknowledging that we are a part of traditional systems that may be  influenced by power-inequality within these systems.  

Another impressive presentation was delivered by Dr. Hamilton Fairfax regarding the continued growth of counselling psychology in the NHS.  Although there is huge demand and potential for prospective career developments in the NHS, the feedback from those engaged in training reflected the difficulties for colleagues from underprivileged backgrounds to pursue a career as counselling psychologist. 

The high level of competition for funded training in NHS counselling psychology and the institutional fees for non-funded programs can be a barrier for potential practitioners to consider this as a career. 

Overall, I found that the conference created a space for colleagues to share their experiences and research to widen the audience's horizon.  It gave me an impression that the profession can be dedicated to supporting both visible and invisible groups in the communities, to facilitate the meaning-making process of their mental health issues. 

I can also see a lot of self-reflection in the position of counselling psychologist, from exploring alternative assessments in response to culturally diverse needs to developing creativity in building therapeutic skills.  

I would highly recommend the Division of Counselling Psychology Annual Conference to students and psychologists in their early career path. Particularly those interested in counselling and working with clients to cope with psychological difficulties in the perspective of a wider context, not only physical health, but also people's social, cultural, economic, and spiritual factors.

The Conference guided me to a more in-depth and all-round consideration for my career development. I am grateful to BPS West Midlands for supporting and facilitating my attendance at the Conference. 

About the author

Ada Sze Hang KOT relocated from Hong Kong in 2022, is a private practice psychotherapist based in Birmingham for digital talking therapies referred from the NHS and Barnardo's.  She is committed to practice narrative therapy with people facing various challenges and collaborative narrative research with communities.