Should person-centred therapists be concerned with research evidence? There's been an interesting online debate exploring this question, and this recent blog presents some reflections on the issue. What do you think? mick-cooper.squarespace.com/new-blog/202...

Today at 5pm. Join Olumide Ajulo and Jeremy Sachs to discuss Sachs’ new book ‘An Intersectional Guide for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse and their Allies: Masculinity Reconnected’. onlinevents.co.uk/event/an-int...

In a major first study of its type, we showed that clients' experiences of relational depth with their therapists predicted change in depression and anxiety symptoms--above and beyond levels of alliance. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

How do you develop synergic actions at the social and political level? This new qualitative paper, led by colleagues at York University in the food systems field, draws on expert practitioner perspectives to develop an understanding of synergies in action www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17...

Increasingly, a key question for me is how we can meet polarisation, closedness, and dehumanisation in a way that does not replicate it. This post explores the different ways in which we might be able to meet polarisation constructively. mick-cooper.squarespace.com/new-blog/202...

After over 15 years of prevarication, procrastination, and avoidance, have managed to submit the final manuscript for the second edition of my 'Facts are friendly' book--due out Spring 2026 from Sage.

Save the date for our Therapy and Social Change (@TaSC) conference next year: 25th April 2026 - onlinevents.co.uk/save-the-dat...

Doctoral research project on the experiences of gay muslim men. Please do consider, or distribute onwards, as appropriate

If you missed the TASC Network talk, you can now catch the video of conflict negotiator, Yeshim Harris, talking about lessons from war zones and what it can teach us about addressing human conflict: between people and within. www.youtube.com/watch?v=W651...

Today: lessons from a war zone to inform therapeutic change: our June TASC Network seminar. How do we face the oppressor outside and within: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/conflict-t...

Our next TASC Network seminar is from global conflict negotiator, Yeshim Harris, who will be looking at what can be learnt from her work for the field of therapy. Friday, 6th June, 5pm-6pm BST. Free, but please book via: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/conflict-t...

What is 'epistemic justice' and what does it mean for therapeutic thought and practice. Our TASC Network seminar, this Friday (5-6pm), from the brilliant Nicola Blunden, should be a great introduction to the concept and its implications. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/epistemic-...

Experiences of women who were mothers while involved in the UK criminal justice system. For more information, please contact our Counselling Psychology student Chloe Reed: [email protected]

Online workshop for Japanese colleagues on pluralistic therapy: 18th June 20.00-22.00 Japanese time. peatix.com/event/436747...

Join our University of Roehampton study on The Challenges of Defining Trauma. We’re looking for HCPC-registered psychologists with 2+ years’ experience. Y To sign up or find out more, please visit www.traumaresearch.co.uk or email [email protected]

Hull: delighted to be coming up for Hull’s first Mental Health Conference, Wed. May 21st. Challenge stigma and drive real conversations; Share cutting-edge strategies for schools, workplaces, and clinics; Foster collaboration across professionals. hopen.co.uk/hulls-premie...

My colleague at University of Roehampton, Savin Bapir-Tardy, has been leading research on overcoming mandated shunning in religious groups. Here she introduces her work www.youtube.com/shorts/4uNQ1...

If you missed our amazing seminar on Friday with young people, parents, professionals, and leaders of the mental health organisations talking about the need for better emotional health in schools, you can find the recording here. www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Help Make Schools a Place of Emotional Health, Nurture, and Wellbeing. Friday, 5-7pm, online event bringing together the therapy professions to develop our campaign to make schools a place where children and young people can develop their self-worth. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/emotionall...

A dialogue on therapy, AI, and social change Exploring the intersection of therapy and societal wellbeing; along with pluralism and AI. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIou...

Help make schools a place of emotional health, wellbeing, and nurturing. Join us for our cross-professions event: Friday 25th April, 5-7pm. Free, but please register via the link below.

What does it mean to be in the age of 'humachines'? In this latest TASC Network podcast, we talk to author Michael Harvey about the increasing reach of AI, the threat it poses to humanity, and how we can strive towards a future that is fully human. www.buzzsprout.com/2256885/epis...

Let's Make Schools a Place of Emotional Nurturing and Wellbeing Emotionally Healthy Schools campaign, 25th April: how can we can work together to make change happen. Do please join us and spread the invite far and wide: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/emotionall...

New research finds that goals in therapy can be both **motivating** & **frustrating** for young people (13-16). **Key takeaway for counsellors?** Be flexible! Let teens choose how they track goals #MentalHealth #SchoolCounselling #GoalSetting bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools If you missed our TaSC February event on Mental Health in schools, including the presentation from Diane Abbott, you can find all the talks at the link here: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

A real honour to be interviewed by Mad in America on Counselling, Pluralism, and Progressive Politics www.madinamerica.com/2025/02/psyc...

Experiences of relational depth in therapy with a translator - if you are a therapist who has had experiences of deep moments of connection while working with a translator, you may be interested in taking part in this study docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

School counselling works! Our research makes clear that counsellors in schools can help young people in a variety of important ways. www.bacp.co.uk/news/news-fr...

What's it really like being an MP? What are the challenges to mental health and to family life? As part of the Therapy and Social Change Network, we recently had the opportunity to talk to Labour MP Alex Sobel about his experience of being in parliament. www.buzzsprout.com/2256885/epis...

How does the person-centred approach relate to theories and practices of social justice? In this edited write-up of my recent talk for the Melissa Harte Memorial Lecture, I argue that it has a unique contribution to make, but can also grow closer. mick-cooper.squarespace.com/new-blog/202...

The Person-Centred Approach and Social Justice. This evening (Tuesday), I'll be delivering the annual Melisssa Harte Lecture, exploring the relationship between the PCA and social justice: onlinevents.co.uk/event/social...

We're trying to make secondary schools a place of support and safety rather than brutality and fear. Join us tomorrow, Saturday, for our online conference to catalyse a campaign for mental health and wellbeing as every young person's right. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mental-hea...

Putting mental wellbeing at the heart of education: join us for our mini-conference this Saturday on the role of schools in supporting mental health and wellbeing. With Diane Abbott MP, and Michael Wigglesworth on social and emotional learning. www.eventbrite.com/e/mental-hea...

What is the person-centred approach's unique contribution to social justice? How might it develop to be more impactful? Join us for the annual Melissa Harte lecture. Tuesday February 4 @ 21:00 - 22:30 GMT. Self-selected contribution. onlinevents.co.uk/event/social...

What kind of relational style do clients want from their therapists? We found the most common preferences were for an active, challenging, and inputting therapist. Relatedness and validation were also commonly wanted; flexibility and space to talk. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Diane Abbott MP is keynote speaker for our online conference on making schools a place of emotional wellbeing and health. We'll be talking about exclusion policies, social and emotional learning; and hearing from young people as well as policy makers and experts. www.eventbrite.com/e/mental-hea...

Person-centred counselling can have a profound impact on young people's lives, helping them to get things off their chest, improve relationships, and develop insights. Study based on in-depth interviews with 50 young people. See the full open-access paper at: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Person-Centred Therapy has made a radical and enduring contribution to social change, but there is much more that can be done. Annual Melissa Harte lecture, taking a critical look at the legacy, opportunities, and possibilities for the person-centred approach onlinevents.co.uk/event/social...

Just announced.... MENTAL WELLBEING IN SCHOOLS: A PLACE OF NURTURE One for your calendars : a morning together to take forward an agenda of mental health and wellbeing in schools: Sat. 1st Feb 2025--with some super speakers TBA in the New Year. www.eventbrite.com/e/mental-hea...

​What an interesting initiative from Kirk Schneider. The Corps of Depth Healers, 'a consortium of trained service providers whose aim is to provide affordable and accessible “emotionally restorative relationships” throughout the U.S.' www.corpsofdepthhealers.com

Really interesting new research showing that university counselling services offering a range of therapies do substantially better than those offering just one therapy. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

New @TaSC podcast with Maryam Riaz: a Muslim BACP-accredited psychotherapist and senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett University. Maryam shares her unique experiences navigating the world of psychotherapy training and academia www.buzzsprout.com/2256885/epis...

There's some really exciting work going on in the person-centred and experiential counselling for depression (PCE-CfD) field. See here for the latest newsletter - edited by Emma Tickle at the University of Nottingham. sway.cloud.microsoft/2i0vm25tGamT...

How do therapists work with goals with young people? A new open-access article that surveys goal-oriented practices with adolescent clients, including goals and concepts used, relational practices, and how to make 'good goals'. bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

What contribution can existential philosophy make, outside of the therapy room, to wider issues of social justice and wellbeing? A dialogue between Emmy van Deurzen, Kirk Schneider, and myself on the possibilities and promises of existential thought and practice. www.youtube.com/watch?v=063k...

Pluralistic Therapy and the Person-Centred Approach: Next Steps A presentation and dialogue on the relationship between pluralism and the person-centred approach: unpacking some of the issues and challenges and moving, I hope, towards a deeper understanding. www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFkE...

Presenting next summer at the Transformations Community meeting. Fina call for papers: exploring how to organise more effectively to support transformational and systemic change www.transformationscommunity.org/tcx-york-con...

At the recent conference of the @UKCP (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy), it become increasingly evident that AI-delivered therapy is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’. But is there something unique that only humans can ever provide? mick-cooper.squarespace.com/new-blog/202...