November 21, 2016

Counselling for Depression Gathering

We were delighted to welcome Professor Robert Elliott who joined us for the first Counselling for Depression (CfD) Gathering held in Dearing Building at the University of Nottingham on September 17th .

Robert was a key contributor and researcher in the development of CfD and is an originator of Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) which is a key element of CfD and originates from the person-centred approach. Robert’s commitment to the progress and development of CfD is evident and his contribution to the day was highly valued by all present. Robert will be returning to the University of Nottingham in January 2017 to run a Level One certificate in EFT.

Counselling for Depression is based on the theoretical stance established by Carl Rogers (1959) that each individual has an inherent potential for growth. This potential is called the actualizing tendency. It is considered the client will grow towards health regardless of the nature of the distress. The CfD practitioner is thereby guided by the client’s process and is not posing as an expert on the client’s experience. It is an approach that brings together person-centred (PCE) and emotion focused therapies (EFT).

Over 50 delegates attended the gathering from all over England. Many had completed their CfD license and others were CfD supervisors. Some were still in training and a few about to train. We were also happy to welcome a visiting professor from Japan:

Tomonori Motoyama, as well as our colleagues Dr David Murphy, Emma Tickle Professor Stephen Joseph and Catherine Hayes.

The aim of the CfD Gathering was to support and encourage qualified and in training CfD practitioners as well as qualified and potential CfD supervisors.

The first part of the day took the form of a consultation.

Delegates divided into four groups and each answered and discussed topics related to the following questions:

What is it like working for IAPT?

How to maintain a person-centred stance in a medical setting?

How to collect data and engage with research?

How to practice self-care

Sharing research interests in the wider CfD community is one of the exciting developments the ‘gathering’ is able to initiate. Fundholders will benefit from receiving research evidence and be able to strengthen their rationale for investing in counselling for the benefit of all clients. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you involved and interested in counselling .We hope to continue to develop this community of support and look forward to welcoming you back in 2017.

More information is available here:

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/education/study/counselling-depression/gathering.aspx