Listening In

In this episode we are delighted to welcome a man whose interest in human behaviour began with the story of someone he never met. The grandfather of Simon Coombs was a dispatch rider who served at Dunkirk and the D-Day landings, and he returned deeply changed by war. That family legacy sparked a lifelong curiosity in Simon about how experiences shape people. After going through multiple redundanci...

NAPAC: Belief, the Most Valuable Currency We Possess   Please be aware this episode explores the topic of childhood abuse.   At a time when the media landscape once more forces us to confront the awful reality of childhood abuse, we are blessed to be joined by Olivia Peri, Head of Learning with the National Association of People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC). We look at what happens for victim survi...

As the Brand & Integrity Manager at Happiful, Katherine (Kat) Nicholls knows a great deal about how clients find therapists and how therapists find clients.  In this conversation, Kat shares tips and advice about how to promote your work online ethically and authentically – something we know practitioners can struggle with.  How can you build a practice that feels right, that feels aligned wit...

Claire Thompson is, amongst many other things, Neurodiversity Ambassador for the NCPS. In this role she has shared research-informed insights through her writing and conference work, all with the aim of creating a more accepting world for neurodivergence. There’s a reason why Claire is such a passionate advocate; and that is due to her own lived experience.  She tells us how being a Mum to 3 neuro...

Meera Vohora is a pluralistic counsellor, grief and loss specialist  and refugee support volunteer with Care4Calais. She holds a Master’s in Refugee Care from the University of Essex, where her training was rooted in a psychosocial approach — one that views psychological wellbeing as inseparable from social, cultural, political, and relational contexts. Born in Kenya of Indian heritage and later m...

Please be aware, the topic of suicide is briefly mentioned in this conversation. Meg Moss is Head of Public Affairs and Advocacy with the NCPS.  An increasingly important part of Megs work involves researching and exploring the use of AI in mental health provision - to better understand its potential impact on the work of the counselling profession, the future provision of services, and how it mig...

Pamela Kirkpatrick is a practitioner, trainer and co-founder of NCPS Recognised Counselling Service, uHub. But Pam, along with her colleague Cara, also invest considerable time and energy into their community; a community that continues to bear the bruises from its history.   Communities in Transition, was designed by the NI Executive in 2015 to support projects that would empower individuals and...

Lynda Graham is the NCPS Regional Representative for Northern Ireland and a prominent and experienced voice across the counselling profession, particularly on the subject of adoption.  Originally a social worker, her work with children and families, took her along what felt like a natural path, to counselling.   Lynda is a passionate advocate for counsellors and the profession as a whole, especial...

Cherelle Mead, is many things, both professionally and personally.  A counsellor, supervisor, charity trustee, and now the NCPS Regional Representative for Wales, Cherelle is also a proud and devoted Mum, neurodivergent, gender fluid, and biracial. Coming from social disadvantage and a chaotic upbringing, she searched for safety and security which she found in community, rather than family.  It’s...

Content: Please be aware there is a brief mention of suicide in this episode.   Gemma Khairi is Director of Operations for Helplines Partnership, the membership body for organisations that provide information, support or advice via phone, email, text or online. Gemma and her colleagues work to maintain standards, offer training, advice and support across the helplines sector.   Having a kind and g...

Content: Please be aware that this episode contains graphic content around sexual violence, sex, misogyny and pornography, that some people may find upsetting. Jocelyn Anderson is CEO of West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre, and the NCPS Ambassador for survivors of rape and sexual violence.  Moving from an unfulfilling job in finance to a career in counselling, Jocelyn has become a fierce advo...

Please be aware that suicide and bereavement by suicide is the main focus of this episode. Steve Roodhouse left for work one day, and never came home. Caroline, his wife was faced with the awful reality that Steve had taken his own life, and found herself in the unimaginable position of having to tell their two young daughters; Evie who was 9, and Ada, who was 2. Since then Caroline has help other...

Lana Foster, Managing Director of Bright World Guardianships, joins us in conversation.  Recorded in February, Lana talks about her niche line of work, which is to ensure that international students who come here to study in the UK, are supported appropriately and adequately, especially with their mental and emotional health. The children that Bright World Guardianships support, find themselves al...

Content warning: suicide and domestic abuse are briefly mentioned in this conversation. In this episode we are revisiting Northern Ireland, as Eilish Craig clinical lead of West Wellbeing joins us for a chat. We talk about the unique challenges faced by people living in post-conflict Northern Ireland, and shine a light on a service that knows it’s community and holds it at the heart of all it does...

From the cradle to the grave, music therapy can support people in a way talking therapy is not always able. Stuart Watson is a music therapist and the clinical lead, of Make a Melody Ltd. based in Northern Ireland and in this episode, he helps us understand who music therapy can help, and how it works. Music is its own language, through which we can communicate, understand each other, and build re...

Content warning: Please be aware the topic of suicide is the focus of this conversation.   In this episode, we are joined by Charlotte Edwards, service manager of Hopeline247, the helpline for Papyrus - Prevention of Young Suicide. The work of helpline advisors plays a vital role in mental health support, and yet their work is often unrecognised and underappreciated. In our chat, Charlotte explain...

In this episode we are joined by Rory Lees-Oakes, co-founder and director of Counselling Tutor. In this episode we are joined by Rory Lees-Oakes, co-founder and director of Counselling Tutor. Despite Counselling Tutor's extensive library of resources and training, and Rory's background as a senior lecturer, it may be surprising to hear of the challenges he faced as a student himself. Perhaps that...

In this Episode, we welcome Elaine Bousfield MBE, who talks to us about the use of literature in therapy. Elaine is founder and CEO of Zuntold which is a therapeutic service offering bibliotherapy, as well as a publishing company.  Always trying to find ways of making therapy more accessible, especially for young people, Elaine created and founded the online platform Kooth. When she decided it was...

Content warning: the focus of this conversation is suicide prevention. When Chris Sibley lost his 16 year old son TJ to suicide, he sought support from a charity where he was able to meet other parents, sharing the same dreadful grief. From this, Chris, along with parents Stuart Falconer and Jane Johnstone, decided to form their own charity; The OLLIE Foundation. Our conversation shines a light on...

At 16 years old, Tony Kelly took a step towards his childhood dream when he was signed to Bristol City as an apprentice footballer. By the time he was 22 he was a fully-fledged professional, scoring winning goals against Liverpool FC. What happened along the way, was to eventually leave Tony bankrupt and homeless.  In this episode, Tony shines a light on his struggle with gambling, how he found hi...

Recorded just after the UK general election in early July 2024, in this episode Meg Moss, Head of Policy & Public Affairs at the NCPS, and Kelly Budd, Chief Professional Standards Officer at CPCAB, discuss a joint campaign, 'Therapeutic Relationships: the Human Connection'. How concerned should we be about the increasing use of AI and technology in both counselling/psychotherapy training and d...

In this episode, we are joined by Louisa Rose, CEO of the children and young people's (CYP) mental health charity 'Beyond'. Louisa talks about how setbacks can play a part in progress, about the value of young people’s voices and the importance of humanising the therapeutic relationship. Content warning: Please be aware the topic of suicide is briefly mentioned in this episode.   To learn more abo...

Content Warning: mentions suicide and bereavement by suicide throughout   In the second episode of ‘Listening In’, Amelia Wrighton from Suicide&Co, joins us to discuss the complex nature of being bereaved by suicide and the challenges of running a charity working in this sector. What inspired her and colleague Emma to start a charity? What makes Suicide&Co special in the services it offers...

Pursuing the Power of Nature In this first episode of 'Listening In', Ally and Robert from Hawk and Heath discuss 'forest bathing', its Japanese origins and the science behind it. Forest bathing can benefit those that suffer symptoms such as stress, anxiety and poor sleep. What led Ally and Robert to this work, how do they use it, and how can we all learn to benefit from nature, ourselves? And wha...