Special Group for Psychology, Health and Social Care Newsletter - September 2024

Welcome

We're thrilled to bring you the latest edition of our newsletter. It's been a bustling summer, and we've got so much to share with you, from the success of our recent conference to exciting upcoming events, including our joint autumn conference with the London and Home Counties Branch (see more details below). Settle in and read on.

We hope you enjoy the newsletter and find it informative but if you have ideas for content you'd like to share, please get in touch with the special group's network lead, Anne Kerr.

• The editorial team
  Special Group for Psychology, Health and Social Care

A message from Dr Peter Woods

I am delighted to welcome you to this, the first edition of the SGPHASC newsletter since the special group changed its name, broadened its function, and the new committee was appointed. Our committee member lead for communications, Valerie Hero, who is ably assisted by Melissa Hall and Millie Dalton, will provide you with details of our committee memberships and their designated roles, as well as keeping you informed about forthcoming events.

As our community continues to grow, I would like to share a little of the background to the PHASC special group, which I have had the good fortune to be associated with for a number of years.

The special group is one of over 50 member networks of the BPS but is unique in that its membership is not limited to specific subsections of psychology (e.g. occupational or clinical). Rather, its 'pan-BPS' membership includes educational, coaching, occupational, counselling, clinical and academic psychologists, as well as individuals at every stage of their career.

As such, the PHASC special group strives to cover a broad range of issues and topics of relevance to its wide and diverse professional base, and is very keen to hear from members about the types of events and activities of professional and personal interest.

In the past we have used questionnaires to gather information from our membership on the kinds of professional events of interest to them. However, due to low response rates, it has not always been easy for us to understand the interests and requirements of the membership. So, we now plan to reach out to our members through other channels (details to come) in the hope that you will tell us about how the special group, PHASC, can serve you.

We are delighted to welcome several new committee members and extend an open invitation to anyone expressing an interest in joining the committee. In particular, we are keen to provide opportunities to members who are in early to mid-career to join us in order to invigorate the committee and bring fresh ideas. Initially, there would be no need to take on any particular role and there would be lots of time to see what we do, settle in and get to know the other committee members.

If you have any suggestions for future events that the committee might consider, or if you are interested in joining us, please contact Anne Kerr at the BPS and one of us will get back to you.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Recap: Summer conference at the RSM, London

What a fantastic event we had this summer at the Royal Society of Medicine, Wimpole Street, London. A hybrid event which was well attended live and online. The conference entitled 'Valuing past voices' was a huge success, filled with insightful talks and lively discussions. Thank you to everyone who attended and made it such a memorable experience.

ASM highlights and new committee members

Our annual strategy meeting was held following the June summer conference, where we welcomed new committee members who bring fresh perspectives and energy. Please join us in congratulating the newly-elected committee who will be working hard on your behalf over the coming year.

Over the coming newsletters, we'll be sharing their full biographies, so you can get to know them better.

Upcoming event: Joint autumn symposium with the BPS London and Home Counties Branch

Mark your calendars! This autumn, we're teaming up with the BPS London and Home Counties Branch for a joint hybrid event entitled 'Bullying and cyberbullying in schools – The evidence base for prevention and intervention', to be held on 17 October at the prestigious Royal Society of Medicine in London and streamed live online.

This symposium will be of benefit for a wide range of professionals working in schools, child health services, social services, CAMHS, etc, including teachers, psychologists, nurses, social workers, psychological therapists, parents and family members. A CPD/certificate of attendance can be issued to all who register and attend.

Full details of the event and how to book are now live on the BPS webpage.

Don't miss out. Book your place now.

Meet your new committee members

As promised, we will feature biographies of our committee members in forthcoming newsletters. In this edition, we would like to introduce our lead committee member for finance, Harry Davies, and Valerie Hero, who has re-joined PHASC as lead for communications.

Harry Davies

Hello, my name is Harry Davies, and I am a retired chartered clinical psychologist who has been working with adults with intellectual disabilities in Hertfordshire and then the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, over 36 years.

Aside from my general clinical psychology work, I have specialised in safeguarding issues with vulnerable adults, and I managed a multidisciplinary service for service users who presented with some challenging behaviours.

I have been a committee member in the BPS Special Group for Psychology, Health and Social Care (PHASC), formerly PASC, for around 24 years as honorary secretary, until our annual strategy meeting (formally known as AGM) in June 2024. I am now treasurer on this committee.

Valerie Hero

Hello everyone, I am Valerie Hero, a consultant educational psychologist and expert witness with specialism in paediatric clinical neuropsychology. I completed an Advanced Diploma in Paediatric Clinical Neuropsychology at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health.

Prior to training as an educational psychologist at the Institute of Education in London, I achieved a BSc honours degree and a postgraduate certificate in education. I have taught in primary and secondary mainstream schools, and in the context of special units attached to mainstream schools.

I have worked in a number of local authorities as a main grade educational psychologist and now work as an independent educational psychologist. I am experienced in collaborative working with other professionals, in particular speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

I volunteer at the education charity SOS! SEN, providing advice at drop-in centres, as well as offering training and running webinars. I have been a member of PHASC for many years off and on, serving as secretary at one stage.

I am interested in the field of sensory processes and the impact of sensory dysregulation on emotional and behavioural regulation.

Get your discounted ticket for the BPS Careers Festival

You can receive 10 per cent off the price of your ticket if you purchase before Monday 30 September.

Find out more about the festival.

Book your place now!

New supervision guidance for psychologists published

The new guidance covers principles, theories and models for safe and effective practice for practitioner psychologists.

The guidance is available to download free for members via BPS Explore.

Read more