Division of Counselling – March newsletter

This issue brings together some key events, and opportunities shaping counselling psychology right now. As some of you may have already seen, the BPS qualifications consultation will be opening soon which includes QCoP as well as other Stage 2 BPS qualifications. You can find the details below alongside details of the DCoP Wales conference taking place in April.

We've also got several research participation requests that you may wish to participate in. Please do share widely! Finally, our trainee engagement lead shares an overview of the last trainee event.

As always, if you have anything that you would like to contribute, please do email me to discuss: mailto:[email protected]

Warmest wishes,

Helena Fitzpatrick

E-Letter Editor

Have your say: The future of BPS qualifications

You're invited to share your views, as part of an online survey, to help inform the future of BPS qualifications. You have until Monday 12 May 2025 to complete the online survey here, or visit the consultation webpage for full details.

BPS is reviewing its Stage 2 (doctorate level) qualifications, including Counselling Psychology (QCoP) – and is inviting responses to this open consultation.

Other qualifications in the consultation include:

• Clinical Neuropsychology
• Educational Psychology (Scotland)
• Forensic Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Occupational Psychology
• Sport and Exercise Psychology

It does not cover qualifications offered by other providers that are accredited by the BPS.

Key information

• Survey opens: 2 April 2025
• Closes: Midday, 12 May 2025
• Completion takes approximately 15 minutes
• Link is available via BPS channels

Please note: The survey must be completed in one sitting as there is no save function.

This consultation, run by Seymour Research, invites BPS members, non-members, trainees, employers, educators, and other stakeholders to help shape the future of these qualifications.

You can also volunteer for interviews or focus groups via the survey or by contacting [email protected]

DCoP Wales Annual Conference 2025

When: 10 April 2025, 9am – 5pm 

Where: Principality Stadium, Cardiff

Theme: Leadership and Innovation in Counselling Psychology

This year's DCoP Wales Annual Conference will explore our evolving roles as leaders and highlight innovations in Counselling Psychology across a range of settings.

Counselling psychologists are making a difference in public and private sectors, academia, independent practice, and policy development, and this event celebrates those contributions and invites reflection on our professional impact.

The day will include:

• Keynote speakers on leadership and innovation within the profession
• A panel discussion featuring experienced counselling psychologists
• Trainee research poster presentations with prizes
• A closing talk by TEAM (formerly National Theatre Wales) sharing their community project
• Joy Club - a collaboration between theatre makers and counselling psychology

The event is open to qualified and trainee psychologists, as well as those interested in the profession or conference themes.

Booking is now open and final registration closes on 9 April.

Tickets range from £10 to £85 depending on membership status.

Booking link and full details available here

Trainee talks sessions

The first Trainee Online Event of 2025 was held on Monday 3 March, hosted by DCoP's Trainee Engagement Lead, Betul Tatar, along with Executive Committee member, Dr Lynne Jones. The trainee event series has been commissioned by the Divisions' Executive Committee upon consultation with trainees and aims to provide a space of connection and an opportunity to network for trainees during the year.

The March event was well-attended by eight participants at various stages of their training. The meeting opened with introductions and a general check-in, followed by Betul and Lynne sharing information on the upcoming DCoP Annual Conference (4 - 5 July 2025). The main themes of discussion were trainees' experiences of doing placements in various clinical settings and impressions of specific course components across various doctoral programmes. This was followed by an engaging critical comparison of the theoretical and applied aspects of counselling psychology and clinical psychology as professions.

We would like to thank the attendees for joining and contributing. As always, we welcome your feedback and thoughts. 

We look forward to seeing you at the next Trainee Online Event on Wednesday 4 June 2025 at 6 - 7pm. Please make sure to register to attend on the DCoP Events webpage at least 24 hours in advance so that you receive the Zoom link for the event. Find out more here.

Please note: this event is for DCoP members only. You must be signed in to register for this event.

Networks and Groups

DCoP Black and Asian Counselling Psychologists Group (BACPG)

The DCoP BACPG provides a community, raises awareness, and shares resources for counselling psychologists of Black or Asian backgrounds/origin. This group is being chaired by Dr Khushi Haria.

Contact email: [email protected]

Environmental and Climate Crisis reading group!

All DCoP members are welcome to this reading group. This group is intended to be a place to develop our knowledge and engagement with the climate and environmental crisis and to offer a supportive place to share our personal reactions to this knowledge, as well as to develop our capacity to support clients in their reactions to this global crisis.

Please email [email protected] for information regarding the next date, the associated reading and the link to join.

Trainee Research Participation Requests

Doctoral research project: Personal experiences of the perinatal period in counselling psychology training: a critical realist approach

Study outline 

I am looking to recruit current and former counselling psychology students who:

• Personally experienced at least some of the perinatal period while enrolled on a university-based counselling psychology programme in the UK. The perinatal period is defined here as pregnancy and one year after giving birth. This includes experiences of perinatal loss.
• Are willing to talk to me about the experience in a one - two hour qualitative research interview via Microsoft Teams. Please note that I would like to speak to current / former doctoral students regardless of their stage / training outcome (i.e. including those who exited training early / have paused their studies).

How to apply to join

If you may be interested in taking part please email me for further details:

Georgia Forth, Trainee Counselling Psychologist

School of Psychology, University of Roehampton and Email: [email protected]

Research supervisor: Dr Paul Dickerson

Ethical approval

This research has been approved by the University of Roehampton Research Integrity and Ethics Committee under the reference PSYC 24-490.

Research project: Mental health practitioners' attitudes to the implications of AI for therapy and service delivery

Study outline

What does artificial intelligence mean for mental health services? Participants needed to explore the attitudes of mental health practitioners towards future technological innovations.

AI and technologies like virtual reality have the potential to influence many industries. Mental health is unique, as the human relationship is so crucial to the healing process within therapy. Despite this, new technologies have already emerged.

This is why we want to understand the attitudes of practitioners to AI and possible technological developments that could occur. As well as giving your view on an exciting and important area, we hope taking part in our study will be enjoyable and will give you further insight into the different ways AI might develop and influence mental health services.

• Are you a counselling/clinical psychologist, trainee counselling/clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, CBT therapist, systemic/family therapist, health psychologist, forensic psychologist, or other registered therapist in the UK?
• Are you willing to explore potential future innovations that could influence therapy and mental health practices?
• Will you take part in a short online questionnaire to explore your attitudes to AI in this field?

If so, please consider signing up to give 10-20 minutes of your time for an online questionnaire via this link. All information you share will be kept confidential. For more information about this study, or to take part, please follow the link above or contact:

How to apply to join 

Sam Price, Trainee Counselling Psychologist [email protected]

Supervised by: Dr Andreas Kappes ([email protected]) and Dr Trudi Edginton [email protected]

Ethical approval

Please note, this study has been reviewed by, and received ethics clearance, through City, University of London Ethics Committee. If you would like to raise concerns about any aspect of the study, please contact Annah Whyton, Research & Enterprise Office, City, University of London, Northampton Square, London, EC1V 0HB, Email: [email protected]

Doctorate research project: Exploring therapists from the Black or African Diaspora's lived experience of covert racism during their therapeutic training.

This research project forms part of a Doctorate in Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy from NSPC and Middlesex University.

Participants and procedure

This research is seeking eight participants who meet the following criteria listed below:

• Being from and identifying as being part of the Black or African Diaspora (racial identity)
• Completed a minimum two-year BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) accredited Level 7 counselling qualification
• A minimum of three years post-qualification
• To have the belief that you had experienced covert racism during your counselling training

The research will take place in a private space/room in a therapy centre located in North West London, where an individual one hour-long semi-structured interview will occur and be audio recorded.

Data analysis: The semi-structured interviews will be transcribed, and confidentiality will be maintained.

Contact details: If you would like further information or would like to participate in this research please make contact using the details below.

Researcher name: Ama Dankwa   

Researchers email: [email protected]

Supervisor: Dr Dwight Turner

Doctorate research project: Furthering our understanding of the relationship between demographic factors and intent to seek counselling services among NHS doctors: The mediating role of perceived barriers

What is the purpose of the study?

The purpose of this study is to understand how demographic factors may influence NHS doctors' perceived barriers to psychological help-seeking, as well as their intent to seek help from counselling services. This study is being conducted as a requisite for a Doctorate in Psychology (DPsych) programme at City St George's, University of London.

Who can take part?

You can take part in this if you are a medical doctor, over the age of 18, fluent in English, and employed by the NHS. Unfortunately, you are not eligible to participate in this study if you are currently on extended leave or if you are currently attending, or have previously attended, counselling services.

What will happen if I take part?

If you decide to take part in this study, you will be asked to complete a one-time online, anonymous survey, which will take about 10 minutes of your time. You can participate from any location with internet access that is convenient for you.

The survey will ask about your demographic background, any potential barriers you may perceive to seeking psychological help, and how likely you would be to seek counselling support for various psychological and interpersonal concerns. Responses to survey questions will be in multiple-choice format, and once you have completed the survey, you can submit your responses.

For the full information sheet, please follow this link.

Researcher details

Paula Adamopoulos, Trainee Counselling Psychologist City St George's, University of London

Email: [email protected] Supervisor: Alan Priest 

Ethical approval

This study has been approved (ETH2425-0297) by City St George's, University of London Department of Psychology Research Ethics Committee.

Psychology Matters programme

Psychology makes a difference to everyone's lives, whether that's through supporting people directly, influencing policy, or providing much needed psychological services.

To highlight the positive impact that psychological professionals have on people's lives, our Psychology Matters programme showcases the power of psychology through your inspiring stories about your work and careers.

The programme has four workstreams that focus on key areas of psychology: Psychology-powered policy Early intervention and prevention Psychology at work Careers in psychology

If you have a story to share that you think fits in any of these areas, please let us know. We'd love to hear from you! If you need some inspiration for getting in touch, you can take a look at the interviews with Dan, Heather and Lynne who've told us why they think psychology matters to them.

Visit the Psychology Matters website to find out more about the programme, read the stories from BPS members, and find out how you can get involved.