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Psychotherapy Section

The Psychotherapy Section is the main forum for psychologists and others who share an interest in psychotherapeutic psychology.

About

As one of the oldest specialist groups within the BPS, the Psychotherapy Section has a long and distinguished history as a meeting space for discussion of psychotherapy and related issues.

Over time, the landscape of issues around psychotherapy continues to develop – we face new challenges and welcome new voices to the discussions. 

Register of Psychologists Specialising in Psychotherapy

The Register of Psychologists Specialising in Psychotherapy (ROPSIP) allows qualified Psychologists to demonstrate their experience in the field of psychotherapy.

Registration can be at either Practitioner or Senior Practitioner level, demonstrating a minimum of two or eight years post-Charter experience respectively.

Strategic Goals

Strategic Goals of the BPS
  1. Promote the advancement in psychological knowledge and practice
  2. Develop the psychological knowledge and professional skills of our members
  3. Maximise the impact of psychology on public policy
  4. Increase the visibility of psychology and public awareness of its contribution to society
  5. Attract new members and broaden our membership
  6. Develop our organisation to support change
Within the context of psychotherapy, these translate into the following aims (Strategic Goals) of the Psychotherapy Section:
  1. Promote the advancement in psychological knowledge and practice of psychotherapy
  2. Develop the psychological knowledge and professional skills of our members within the context of psychotherapy
  3. Maximise the impact of psychotherapy on public policy
  4. Increase the visibility of psychotherapy and public awareness of its contribution to society
  5. Attract new members and broaden our membership
  6. Develop our Section to support change
  7. Promote equality and diversity in psychotherapy (Strategic Goal 7 is not in the BPS Strategic Plan)

Aims

The aims of the Psychotherapy Section are:
  • To further psychological understanding of the personal, social and cultural issues; (Strategic Goal 1)
  • To promote scientific investigation of psychotherapy which employs research paradigms appropriate to its subject matter; (Strategic Goal 1)
  • To provide a forum for the discussion and exchange of ideas in relation to the above which avoids aligning itself with any school within the broad discipline of psychotherapy; (Strategic Goal 7)
  • To work closely with other Sections, Divisions and Special Groups of the society in pursuit of these aims, and where appropriate, to collaborate with external agencies and organisations. (Strategic Goal 6)

Objectives

The objectives of the Section are:
  • To disseminate information about such new ideas and approaches by means of a Review, e-newsletter and Facebook page; (Strategic Goal 1)
  • To explore and communicate issues of importance for the discipline of psychology which are especially highlighted within psychotherapy and which challenge more simplistic notions of science; (Strategic Goal 1)
  • To make available information about psychotherapy within the society and to relevant external bodies; (Strategic Goal 1)
  • To actively reach out to marginalised and diverse groups and engage with a collaborative approach across people and communities to enhance the input of as many voices as possible; (Strategic Goal 7)
  • To organise a varied and accessible annual programme of events, which promotes the discussion of new ideas and approaches within psychotherapy and are relevant to the Section's aims (Strategic Goal 1)
  • To increase the numbers and breadth of our membership base; (Strategic Goal 5)
  • To represent interests in psychotherapy and the psychology of psychotherapy on the Society's Council and Scientific Affairs Board; (Strategic Goal 6)
  • To work towards becoming a Special Interest Group. (Strategic Goal 6)
Psychotherapy Section

News

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Psychotherapy Section

Events

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Publications

Psychotherapy Section Review

Psychotherapy Section Review is the main forum within the BPS for psychologists and others who share an interest in psychotherapeutic psychology. It is concerned with the relationship between psychotherapy and psychology, and seeks to further an understanding of how social and cultural factors have a bearing upon psychotherapeutic theory and practice.

Find out more about the Psychotherapy Section Review

Latest articles - Psychotherapy Section Review

  • Periodicals

Psychotherapy unchained: The Comprehend, Cope and Connect approach - Psychotherapy Section Review

Volume: 1 Issue: 69

Author(s): Isabel Clarke

Psychotherapy Section
  • Periodicals

Editorial: Uniting communities: Cultivating equality, diversity and inclusion - Psychotherapy Section Review

Volume: 1 Issue: 69

Author(s): Ho C. Law

Psychotherapy Section
  • Periodicals

Psychotherapy Section Survey of Members 2023 - Psychotherapy Section Review

Volume: 1 Issue: 69

Author(s): Ho C. Law, Erica Brostoff, Laura Devlin, David Hills

Psychotherapy Section
  • Periodicals

Obituaries - Psychotherapy Section Review

Volume: 1 Issue: 69

Author(s): Philip Cox

Psychotherapy Section
  • Periodicals

Letter from the Chair - Psychotherapy Section Review

Volume: 1 Issue: 69

Author(s): Ho C. Law

Psychotherapy Section

Committee

Professor Ho Law

Chair

Ho Law

Professor Ho Law is an internationally renowned consultant in counselling and coaching psychology, psychotherapy, research & development with over 35 years’ experience. Ho has conducted 100s of training workshops in the UK and abroad (the East and West), in over 15 countries and 50 cities. He was one of the first equality advisors to the Assistant Permanent Under Secretary of State as a senior scientist in the UK Home Office (1988-2003), then senior lecturer at the University of East London (2009-2015) and Programme Advisor to Coaching at the University of Cambridge (2015-2016).

Ho is a Chartered Psychologist registered with the Health & Care Professions Council, a Registered Applied Psychology Practice Supervisor, Research Lead for the BPS Counselling Psychology Division (2018-2021), Founding Chair (2016-17) of the BPS East of England Branch; Chair (2014-15) of the  BPS Psychotherapy Section; Founding Member & Chair (2010-11) of the BPS Special Group in Coaching Psychology; Founding Director of the International Society for Coaching Psychology (ISfCP) and Empsy® Cambridge Coaching Psychology Group, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy; ISfCP; Associate Fellow of British Psychological Society (BPS) & Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine; Founding Director of the International Society for Coaching Psychology and Empsy® (Empowerment Psychology) Cambridge Coaching Psychology Group; Chair & Convenor of Mindfulness & Psychotherapy Workshops, which run quarterly each year in London.

Ho values diversity in people, respects their cultures and believes in equal opportunities for all. Ho is passionate about empowering people to develop their talents and achieve their full potential through psychological approaches. As a chartered and registered psychologist, he works in accordance to the professional code to uphold the standards of conduct, performance and ethics of the profession.

Past Chair - Prof Zenobia Nadirshaw MBE

Dr Zenobia Nadirshaw

Dr. Zenobia Nadirshaw is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist with 44 years of clinical and management NHS experience of Health and Social Care Services in Learning Disabilities and Mental Health Care. She was recognised and given the MBE by Prince William in June 2019 at Buckingham Palace. Zenobia is also the Chair of several BPS Committees as well as treasurer of 2 other committees. She has worked in a variety of Health and Social Services settings – including projects/initiatives with a commitment to continuous improvements in psychological health care for clients and positive outcomes for their carers.

Zenobia has chaired several health and social services groups/committees providing advice to Health Authority Commissioners. She has also directed and led substantial organisational change at local and national levels within the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and also in the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) - influencing service delivery issues and impacting on the profession of Clinical Psychology and psychologist’s training and development of competencies to work effectively in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic British context.

Shengxi (Angela) Miao

Honorary secretary (Elected in 2023 for 3 years until 2026)

Angela Miao

Angela Shengxi Miao joined the Psychotherapy Section in November 2021, with the invitation from the Section’s past Chair, Dr. Philip Cox, to support the vision of bringing in the perspective of Chinese mental health professionals and encouraging quality professional communication across cultures.

She has a BA in Psychology from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, an MSc in Theoretical Psychoanalytic Studies from University College London, and now undertaking another MSc in Applied Neuroscience at King’s College London.

She worked as a research assistant in Cognitive Neuroscience, Social Psychology, and Quantitative method, with her interests in Depth and Transpersonal Psychology to investigate a holistic understanding of the human mind and soul.

Her recent work focuses on personal experiences while engaging in virtual reality from the lens of psychoanalytic theories and the cultural and political implications of ethical clinical boundaries in the digital world. She feels excited to support the Section as its secretary and continuing her Newsletter Editor role.

Gevorg Gharibyan

Treasurer

Bio coming soon.

Dr Tony Ward

Committee member (Elected in 2023 for 3 years until 2026)

Tony Ward is an associate professor of counselling psychology at the University of the West of England, where he mainly teaches and supervises on the professional doctorate in counselling psychology.

He manages a research clinic at the university called “Lifespace” (after Kurt Lewin’s term intended to capture all of the factors and forces which shape an individual).

He has links with Paris 8 university in France and co wrote “Cognitive psychodynamics: an integrative approach for counselling psychology and psychotherapy” with his colleague Arnaud Plagnol. Besides university work he also spends one day per week in private practice

Dr Isabel Clarke

Committee member (Co-opted for 2023/24)

Isabel Clarke

Isabel Clarke is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, who trained in mid-life with the intention of effecting change in mental health services.

She has worked within the UK National Health Service for over 30 years, where she has developed the radical, trans-diagnostic model, ‘Comprehend, Cope and Connect’.

The approach integrates various third wave CBT approaches to create a trauma informed, mindfulness based, model that has been widely adopted and evaluated within Acute (hospital and community) services.

The approach, having proved flexible, has been adapted for primary care services, and also, in a research project, for diverse ethnicities.

Harry Heigham

Committee Member

Louis Dennington

Committee Member

Join

Membership of the Psychotherapy Section is only open to members of the British Psychological Society.

If you are not already a member, you can join the Section at the same time as applying for membership of the society.

Apply to join the society

Benefits of belonging

Benefits of Psychotherapy Section Membership

  • A yearly conference and AGM
  • CPD & networking events throughout the year with a discount for section members
  • The opportunity for members to write for the Psychotherapy Section Review or present a research paper at one of the events
  • Two to three editions yearly of the Psychotherapy Section Review, to include articles on topical issues and research
  • Various forums for discussion and exchange of ideas among fellow psychologists and mental health professionals

Member Announcement Email List

The Psychotherapy Section uses its membership announcement email list to inform its members of activities and initiatives that are relevant to their interests and to make requests for engagement on topical issues. 

By becoming a member of the Section you are automatically added to the announcement list.

To receive these emails you will need to:

  1. become a member of the Psychotherapy Section
  2. opt into receiving email communication and provide a working email address

These preferences can be updated by logging into your member portal.

If you have any queries, please contact Member Network Services.

To assist us in responding to your query please make sure to include your membership number and quote 'Psychotherapy Section announcement email' in the subject line.

Getting involved with the Psychotherapy Section Committee

The Psychotherapy Section relies on a wide range of people getting involved, and the work of the Section is largely achieved through the dedication of unpaid volunteers.

Our volunteers come from a wide range of different backgrounds, whether they be practitioners or academics, or full members or students members, and together form an open and inclusive community.