21st Anniversary of the founding of the Division of Counselling
Psychology Annual Conference 2015. Positive Approaches: Challenging
Contexts. By Gulshan Vazir, Trainee Counselling Psychologist.
This year marked the 21st Anniversary of the founding of the Division of
Counselling Psychology, and what a celebration it was! The conference ran
from 10 -11 July in historic Harrogate at the stunning Majestic Hotel. With a
packed schedule, the event brought together keynotes speakers, invited talks
and presentations from practitioners, trainees and professors from around the
world. The conference showcased the work of members of the Division,
providing networking opportunities for the delegates, implementing the
Division’s strategies, whilst promoting knowledge, clinical skills and
expertise.
I am a final year trainee at Teesside University, and at the moment nervously
awaiting my viva. A few months ago I was encouraged by my supervisor to
submit an abstract for a poster to help build confidence when speaking about
my research. Each year the Division generously offers trainee bursaries
covering fees, accommodation and the conference dinner. So, I submitted an
abstract, applied for a bursary and before I knew it I was in beautiful
Harrogate, nervous and buzzing with excitement.
The theme this year, Positive Approaches: Challenging Contexts, focused on
work within challenging settings in which positive approaches are used. The
programme opened with keynote speaker Professor Markus Bidell, the 20142015 Regent’s Fulbright Scholar, addressing our complex relationship with
LGBT matters. As he relayed his deeply personal story he spoke with humour
and genuine compassion. Professor Bidell was impressive and thought
provoking, with the take home message on how there needs to be more LGBT
training, both clinical and supervisory, on university courses.
Throughout the day delegates were given wide options of symposiums, paper
and workshop presentations to attend. In an ideal world I would have
attended them all, however I chose two papers in the area of chronic pain.
First was Lis Dreijer Hammond’s ‘Exploration of potential for clinical application
of theoretical model of psychosocial adjustment to the area of chronic pain’. The
presentation was sharp, informative and extremely relevant for counselling
psychologists, as it addressed barriers typically seen in pain management and
physical health overall. The second presentation on chronic pain was Daisy
Best’s research, ‘The lived experiences of women with chronic low back pain who
have survived intimate partner violence’. The presentation left me feeling
motivated and inspired and wanting to know more about the future of
counselling psychologists working with this client group. Both presentations
were delivered with such passion, reminding the audience how important it
is to challenge our own preconceived ideas when working in this field.
After a delicious lunch in the Majestic Hotel restaurant, I attended a symposia
which reached out to counselling psychologists, encouraging the best practice
when working within cancer care. Three different papers presented by Joel
Vos, Joanna Omylinska-Thurston and Kate Harrison stressed the importance
of strong therapeutic relationships focused on individual needs while
empowering this client group. The symposia was incredibly moving and left
me thinking about how I can broaden my own perspective when working
with clients in physical health fields.
The symposia was followed by a keynote presentation from Professor
Stephen Joseph, addressing issues on how paying attention to positive
psychology, counselling psychology is able to reconnect with it humanistic
roots and promote human flourishing. Professor Joseph was charming and
captivating during his presentation allowing the audience to really push the
boundaries when thinking about Positive Psychology. Shortly after, the
Division celebrated its 21st birthday with cake and champagne, a delicious
treat and wonderful way to celebrate such a successful day!
Day one closed with members of the Division presenting posters in the
ballroom, including myself where I anxiously stood waiting for delegates to
circulate around. Although I was so very nervous, I can honestly say that
delegates were friendly and respectful as they approached me with relevant
questions about my research. In fact, the more confortable I felt the more I
wished others came around. On reflection, I am so pleased that I was
encouraged to present, as it has helped me gain a significant amount of
confidence about my research and presentation skills overall.
After a day of thought provoking presentations and discussions, delegates
were invited to attend The Conference Dinner in the exquisite grounds of the
Majestic Hotel with a BBQ, drinks and entertainment from Swing Dance
Leeds. It was the perfect way to end such a fantastic day.
Day two began with me feeling reenergized and ready for what the
conference had to offer. After a delicious breakfast, I quickly hurried over to
the ‘Preparing for your doctoral viva workshop’ by Rachel Tribe and Aneta
Tunariu. As I anticipated, the workshop was completely full with trainees in
very similar positions as myself. The workshop began as audience members
applauded with admiration while each ex-counselling psychology trainee
proudly announced that they had recently passed their viva and inspired us
that we could all do the same. The workshop successfully normalized all the
negative thoughts that had been invading my thinking for the past few
months. It was good to see that I was not the only trainee feeling nervous and
anxious. Towards the end I felt like I had gained a new set of strategies and a
‘tool box’ for how I was going to manage days leading up to and including the
viva.
After another brilliant lunch, I chose a stimulating workshop by Mike Evans,
‘Working with men and emotional dysregulation in primary care psychology.’ The
workshop successfully got delegates involved through professional
conversation when thinking about how men engage in the therapeutic
process. Together we were able to share our experiences, which allowed
delegates to develop a further understanding about how to work with this
client group within primary care services.
As the day came to an end, the conference was closed by keynote speaker, Dr
Jacqui Dillon, national chair of the Hearing Voices Network in England,
Honorary Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at the University of East London.
Dr Dillon was both engaging and inspiring and allowed the audience to
further think about alternative ways of understanding and working with this
phenomena. It was the perfect way to end such a great conference.
After two amazing days at the conference, it feels absolutely essential that I
take this opportunity to convey my experience to other trainees out there. I
feel like I want everyone to know not only how inspired I am, but also how I
have been challenged to revaluate my way of thinking. After two days of
networking, inspiration and personal development I have left feeling
motivated and confident to what is that start of my exciting career ahead. I
can only hope that this short review encourages other trainees to apply for a
bursary, attend the conference, and also allow yourself to be engaged with
others who are equally as committed in this field. It is one of the most
challenging life experiences training as a counselling psychologist. You find
yourself writing endless essays, meeting deadlines, finishing 450 hours of
client work, and of course, working on your thesis. The conference has
reminded me that it’s important to take time and reflect why you started the
Doctorate training in the first place; because at the end of the day that’s what
truly matters.