Today is World Mental Health Day. I suppose it’s natural for me to want to put out a post about it – I’m a trainee therapist with lived experiences of mental illness. I don’t think that mental health is something we should only speak about on one day of the year, but I do thinkContinue reading “World Mental Health Day”
Category Archives: Articles
BACP and the Misguided Therapy Today
In August, the Psychologist (which is the British Psychological Societies member magazine) published a misguided open letter by Dr Kirsty Miller. Her article created a twitterstorm (and comments on their website showed equal amounts of shock and dismay). I managed to engage with Dr Miller somewhat about the article and her views. The Psychologist proactively responded to many of the comments, the editor took responsibility, listened and then removed the article in question. They have actively continued to engage with their readership and the general public on the topic.
Suicide and Suicidal Ideation
Today is World Suicide Prevention Day – an internationally recognised day to prevent suicide. I don’t like days like this, because it suggests that we should only focus on it for one day – but nonetheless, it is important to do so. I have personal experience with suicide and suicidal ideation. I will only discuss my own story in this post, out of respect of the survivors that I know and their right to privacy.
D&D, LARP and RPGs
Have you ever wanted to escape from the world? Ever found yourself fantasizing “what if”? Ever wondered what it’s like not to suppress certain characteristics or qualities? Table Top and Live Action Role Play are just some ways that we can achieve that.
Trusting in a Therapist: Disclosure of a Sensitive Subject
My therapist suggested that I try to draw or write about what my condition looks like to me.
Taboo: Self Harm and Self Injury
Content/Trigger Warning: Self-Harm/Injury
SCoPEd: Upcoming Q and A
Tomorrow marks the first Q&A session that the BACP will be running on the latest iteration of the SCoPEd project. I’m disappointed as I’m unable to attend it. It’s taken until the past couple of days for spokespeople of the BACP to explain where they will be getting the questions from.
A Reply to Dr Kirsty Miller
I have written a couple of posts in regards to Dr Kirsty Miller, a practicing psychologist, who wrote publicly of her decision to leave the British Psychological Society. She has taken it upon herself to reply to my articles (which I appreciate), and whilst I don’t have much further to add to my original points, I would like to clarify a few points.
SCoPEd: What About the Clients?
When looking into SCoPEd I have been trying to make sense of the reasons that the BACP, BPC and UKCP have decided that they need to design and implement this framework. As counsellors and psychotherapists, we work for our clients and their wellbeing. So why is it that clients appear to be an afterthought to the project?
SCoPEd: Article One
Last year, the BACP, UKCP and BPC released the first iteration of the SCoPEd project – Scope of Practice and Education. I was a little out of the loop, as I wasn’t a member of any of these bodies and was taking a break in my studies. It was all a bit overwhelming when I tried to engage with it, and so I decided to leave it be at the time.