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Published by NCPS
Listen in to conversations with a diverse community of people, all of whom have a shared goal; to improve the mental health landscape for all. Come and join us as we explore the world of wellbeing with our community - members and friends.
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Please be aware this episode explores the topic of childhood violence and sexual abuse. Today it’s our pleasure and honour to be joined by Iain Peters, a powerful and emotional voice on the subject of childhood abuse, which comes from his own lived experience. Any therapist understands the quiet sense of privilege and humility we feel when sat in the presence of someone sharing such painful traumas and distressing stories. And sitting with Iain, albeit in a non-therapeutic environment, felt no different. His ability to convey what happened to him as a young child and how it impacted his life , is deeply moving, while also ultimately inspiring and hopeful. An experienced climber, Iain eventually reported what happened and sought support in his early 60s. And after the life changing counselling he received, Iain is now able to reflect on the abuse, and separate the person he became, from the person he was born to be – full of curiosity, freedom, and a sense of adventure. To learn more about Iain and his story please visit Iain Peters - The Corridor
Please be aware the focus of this episode is suicide. Today we are delighted to welcome Alice Hendy MBE, the founder of R;pple Alice’s brother Josh took his own life 5 years ago when he was just 21, and mere weeks later, Alice was already thinking of ways in which she could help prevent others from doing the same. And so, R;pple was born; a browser extension created with the sole intention of saving lives. R;pple now has over 2 million users worldwide and Alice has been personally contacted by over 30 individuals telling her they wouldn’t be here were it not for R;pple. And by her own admission, honouring her own grief and loss, Alice would add herself to that group. She says, “I'd go as far to say that R;pple’s probably saved my life as well.” For more information, and to download Ripple on your own devices, visit Ripple | Crisis Intervention, Suicide Prevention & Mental Health Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
In this episode we are delighted to welcome a man whose interest in human behaviour began with the story of someone he never met. The grandfather of Simon Coombs was a dispatch rider who served at Dunkirk and the D-Day landings, and he returned deeply changed by war. That family legacy sparked a lifelong curiosity in Simon about how experiences shape people. After going through multiple redundancies (each bringing its own challenges to his mental health) Simon turned these experiences into purpose. Determined to make support for the jobless more accessible, he launched an initiative offering talking therapies to long-term unemployed individuals. Today, through his organisation, Working Minds, his work is deeply rooted in lived experience, professional insight, and can be traced all the way back to the beaches of Dunkirk. For more information Working Minds - Mental Health and Wellbeing Professionals Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
NAPAC: Belief, the Most Valuable Currency We Possess Please be aware this episode explores the topic of childhood abuse. At a time when the media landscape once more forces us to confront the awful reality of childhood abuse, we are blessed to be joined by Olivia Peri, Head of Learning with the National Association of People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC). We look at what happens for victim survivors, when high profile people, and high-profile cases dominate the national conversation. What impact does that have on them, on their loved ones and on those who support them? And what happens when those accused do not appear to be held to account? Olivia, has the ability to speak about this sensitive and complex subject with a balance of compassion and sound clinical practice. For more information about the work NAPAC does, please visit NAPAC - Supporting Recovery From Childhood Abuse
As the Brand & Integrity Manager at Happiful, Katherine (Kat) Nicholls knows a great deal about how clients find therapists and how therapists find clients. In this conversation, Kat shares tips and advice about how to promote your work online ethically and authentically – something we know practitioners can struggle with. How can you build a practice that feels right, that feels aligned with both your approach and your personality? Kat helps us understand the difference between selling and connecting. For more information about all the work Kat and the Happiful family do, you can go to https://happiful.com Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
Claire Thompson is, amongst many other things, Neurodiversity Ambassador for the NCPS. In this role she has shared research-informed insights through her writing and conference work, all with the aim of creating a more accepting world for neurodivergence. There’s a reason why Claire is such a passionate advocate; and that is due to her own lived experience. She tells us how being a Mum to 3 neurodivergent children, resulted in her own personal discovery of difference and identity when she herself was diagnosed AuDHD. In addition, Claire has recently completed a PhD at Ulster University, where through its famous murals, she researched the intergenerational impact of the conflict in Northern Ireland. By listening in, you can hear Claire describing an exploration of socioeconomics, identity, tourism trauma and PTSD. Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
Meera Vohora is a pluralistic counsellor, grief and loss specialist and refugee support volunteer with Care4Calais. She holds a Master’s in Refugee Care from the University of Essex, where her training was rooted in a psychosocial approach — one that views psychological wellbeing as inseparable from social, cultural, political, and relational contexts. Born in Kenya of Indian heritage and later moving to the UK, Meera’s own experiences of identity, belonging, and cultural dislocation inform her professional work. Her practice today centres on trauma-informed, relational approaches that recognise grief, resilience, and the full humanity of her clients. To register for Meera’s NCPS Lunchtime Learning webinar: Events | NCPS Further Reading / Influences: Boss, P (2010) Bereavement Care: Ambiguous Loss: Learning how to live with Unresolved Grief. https://www.bereavementjournal.org/index.php/berc/article/view/778 Doka, K. J. (1999). Disenfranchised grief. Bereavement care, 18(3), 37-39. Papadopoulos, R. K. (2002). Refugees, home and trauma. In R. K. Papadopoulos (Ed.), Therapeutic Care for Refugees: No Place Like Home. London: Karnac. Tavistock Clinic Series. Zephaniah, B (2011) Refugee boy. Bloomsbury Publishing UNHCR: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support. Unhcr.org Care4Calais: care4calais.org Refugee Action: refugee-action.org.uk
Please be aware, the topic of suicide is briefly mentioned in this conversation. Meg Moss is Head of Public Affairs and Advocacy with the NCPS. An increasingly important part of Megs work involves researching and exploring the use of AI in mental health provision - to better understand its potential impact on the work of the counselling profession, the future provision of services, and how it might shape the human emotional experience more broadly. In a wide-ranging conversation, we cover everything from the commodification of data to the risks of turning AI to combat loneliness and isolation. We discuss the importance of relational connection and empathy, as well as disagreements and friction, all as vital ingredients to personal growth and understanding. But perhaps most importantly are the UK’s first relational safeguards for AI mental health tools that Meg has developed, warning us that, without clear boundaries, chatbots and apps risk causing serious harm, particularly to children and young people. Without such safeguards and careful considerations in place, Meg worries that AI devalues relationship, connection and humanity. For more information about the Six Principles for Relational Safeguards in AI Mental Health Tools NCPS | Press release: First blueprint to make AI mental health tools… Here is the NCPS response to the recent Ipsos study exploring how people in Great Britain are using, and feeling about, AI in their daily lives NCPS | NCPS Responds: New Ipsos research shows why so many Britons… For a longer read, here is Meg’s update about AI in therapy NCPS | AI in Therapy - September 2025 Update Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
Pamela Kirkpatrick is a practitioner, trainer and co-founder of NCPS Recognised Counselling Service, uHub. But Pam, along with her colleague Cara, also invest considerable time and energy into their community; a community that continues to bear the bruises from its history. Communities in Transition, was designed by the NI Executive in 2015 to support projects that would empower individuals and groups to affect positive change for themselves and their communities To this end, Pam and Cara have given up their own time to connect with an understandably cautious community. So, they developed creative ways to become accepted and from small, tentative steps, meaningful trust was built. Only then were they were able to support people that previously might never have contemplated change, never mind counselling. This story is testament not only to our capacity and potential for change, but also to the gentle patience of the practitioner. It’s a reminder that the work we do, is as much art and creativity, relational and empathy, as it is study and theory. For more information about Pam and the uHub team uHub – Counselling Service and Therapy Centre. Bangor, North Down. To learn about Communities in Transition Communities in Transition – Background | The Executive Office Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
Lynda Graham is the NCPS Regional Representative for Northern Ireland and a prominent and experienced voice across the counselling profession, particularly on the subject of adoption. Originally a social worker, her work with children and families, took her along what felt like a natural path, to counselling. Lynda is a passionate advocate for counsellors and the profession as a whole, especially keen to advocate for those living and working in Northern Ireland. And while there is an important need to recognise the specific challenges encountered there, Lynda is clear, that just as we see the individual in our daily practice, we also need to see Northern Ireland as any other place, with its own regional diversity and differences. We need to be mindful, it is a tapestry woven together with many different threads and should not be defined by one story alone. For more information about the NCPS Regional Representatives NCPS | Regional Representatives Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
Cherelle Mead, is many things, both professionally and personally. A counsellor, supervisor, charity trustee, and now the NCPS Regional Representative for Wales, Cherelle is also a proud and devoted Mum, neurodivergent, gender fluid, and biracial. Coming from social disadvantage and a chaotic upbringing, she searched for safety and security which she found in community, rather than family. It’s no surprise then, in her heart she holds a passion for equality and advocacy for marginalised identities, as well as the counselling profession as a whole. For more information about the NCPS Regional Representatives NCPS | Regional Representatives Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
Content: Please be aware there is a brief mention of suicide in this episode. Gemma Khairi is Director of Operations for Helplines Partnership, the membership body for organisations that provide information, support or advice via phone, email, text or online. Gemma and her colleagues work to maintain standards, offer training, advice and support across the helplines sector. Having a kind and generous father, Gemma witnessed the art of compassion from an early age, as her Dad worked to support people in the community, as well as caring for his children as a single parent – including Gemma's disabled brother. Maybe as natural extension of those formative years, Gemma went on to study human rights and social justice, which took her into various roles working alongside some of the most vulnerable people in society; young care leavers, young offenders, sex workers and people living with HIV. There are stark differences between relationships created in a therapeutic setting, and the one-off, sometimes distressing, sometimes anonymous, crisis calls that helpline staff may deal with, and Gemma helps us understand what that can be like. We discuss the pitfalls of burnout, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma, as well as those things we can do personally and professionally, to mitigate the inevitable hazards of this work. It is estimated there will be well in excess of over 60 million calls to helplines annually, and thanks to Gemma, the team at Helplines Partnership, and all those they support – we can feel confident in referring loved ones and clients for help. For more information about Helplines Partnership Home - Helplines Partnership Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
Content: Please be aware that this episode contains graphic content around sexual violence, sex, misogyny and pornography, that some people may find upsetting. Jocelyn Anderson is CEO of West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre, and the NCPS Ambassador for survivors of rape and sexual violence. Moving from an unfulfilling job in finance to a career in counselling, Jocelyn has become a fierce advocate for victim/survivors, as well as for smaller community-based services that offer them vital support. In our conversation together, we explore the many barriers that are faced by those who work in this area, and those they support. From stigma and ignorance, to lengthy fights for justice and funding, Jocelyn doesn’t hold back from describing the reality of the situation - because speaking truth openly, can contribute to action, change, and the reduction of shame. For more information about the work of Jocelyn's team at WMRSASC Home - WMRSASC To learn more about 'Hackett's continuum' Understanding sexualised behaviour in children | NSPCC Learning Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
Please be aware that suicide and bereavement by suicide is the main focus of this episode. Steve Roodhouse left for work one day, and never came home. Caroline, his wife was faced with the awful reality that Steve had taken his own life, and found herself in the unimaginable position of having to tell their two young daughters; Evie who was 9, and Ada, who was 2. Since then Caroline has help others understand about the reality of life after a suicide by writing and speaking about her experience and she gives a voice to others impacted by this particular type of grief. In her own sensitive, yet frank and unflinching way, Caroline describes how anger helped her cope, and protected her from sadness , and how finding the right therapist at the right time helped her through the complex emotions that a grief by suicide evokes. She describes the unique responsibility of being a double parent, living minute by minute, day by day, navigating her own grief, while supporting Evie and Ada with theirs. Now, Caroline feels she is at last able to carry hope. Along with memories of Steve, hope has become part of the story that she and the girls, are now writing together. Because this conversation is not just Caroline's story, but Steve’s Evie's and Ada's also. You can learn more about Caroline's experience, work and her book, 'Daddy Blackbird', here: Daddy Blackbird - Surviving and thriving after loss by suicide For more information about child bereavement charity Winston's Wish: Winston's Wish - Bereavement Support for Children Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
Lana Foster, Managing Director of Bright World Guardianships, joins us in conversation. Recorded in February, Lana talks about her niche line of work, which is to ensure that international students who come here to study in the UK, are supported appropriately and adequately, especially with their mental and emotional health. The children that Bright World Guardianships support, find themselves alone in another country, language, culture; there is unfamiliarity all around them. Alongside the usual challenges of growing up, their lives can at times be complex and stressful. Through a network of host families, care managers, local coordinators and transport services, every step of a child's time at boarding school or university, is supported by the adults at Bright World, all of whom are screened and trained....even the taxi drivers. You can find out more about the work of Bright World Guardianships here: UK Boarding School and University Guardianship service | Bright World Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
Content warning: suicide and domestic abuse are briefly mentioned in this conversation. In this episode we are revisiting Northern Ireland, as Eilish Craig clinical lead of West Wellbeing joins us for a chat. We talk about the unique challenges faced by people living in post-conflict Northern Ireland, and shine a light on a service that knows it’s community and holds it at the heart of all it does. In response, that community appreciates, values and gives back to the service . From being a safe space for anyone experiencing domestic abuse, to outreach work with the homeless, collaborating with foodbanks and addressing poverty, the trusting relationships being built by West Wellbeing, with it’s community, are special, and the positive impacts, far reaching. You can find out more about the work of West Wellbeing here: Home - West Wellbeing And for information about supporting, 'Out of the Darkness - A Walk of Hope': Out of the Darkness - A Walk of Hope - West Wellbeing Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
From the cradle to the grave, music therapy can support people in a way talking therapy is not always able. Stuart Watson is a music therapist and the clinical lead, of Make a Melody Ltd. based in Northern Ireland and in this episode, he helps us understand who music therapy can help, and how it works. Music is its own language, through which we can communicate, understand each other, and build relationships upon. Stuart explains how it can create bonds between parent and infant, how it can connect in a unique way with non-verbal people, how it offers comfort to people with dementia or at the end of their lives – all through using the power of music and the framework of psychodynamic principles underpinning the work. You can find out more about the work of Make a Melody here: https://www.makeamelody.co.uk/ Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
Content warning: Please be aware the topic of suicide is the focus of this conversation. In this episode, we are joined by Charlotte Edwards, service manager of Hopeline247, the helpline for Papyrus - Prevention of Young Suicide. The work of helpline advisors plays a vital role in mental health support, and yet their work is often unrecognised and underappreciated. In our chat, Charlotte explains more about this work, and specifically what it looks like in terms of suicide prevention through Hopeline247. As she is keen to stress, 'We don't save lives, we help young people save their own lives'. To find out more about the work of Papyrus / Hopeline247 Papyrus UK Suicide Prevention | Prevention of Young Suicide Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
In this episode we are joined by Rory Lees-Oakes, co-founder and director of Counselling Tutor. In this episode we are joined by Rory Lees-Oakes, co-founder and director of Counselling Tutor. Despite Counselling Tutor's extensive library of resources and training, and Rory's background as a senior lecturer, it may be surprising to hear of the challenges he faced as a student himself. Perhaps that is what makes him so good at what he does; a self-confessed disruptor, with a very real understanding of how we all learn differently and a belief that academic ability should not be a barrier to learning. Rory talks about how important it is that the profession changes and evolves in order to be relevant in 2025. ‘We’re a changing profession’, he says, 'We’re moving into a brand new world. What we do now, today, may not be what we do tomorrow’. Counselling Tutor website: Counsellor Online Resources and CPD • Counselling Tutor Rory's new Autism-Informed Course for Counsellors: Autism Course Waiting List • Counselling Tutor For a lovely short biography about John Shlien: Authors - John Shlien Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation. This episode was recorded on Teams Produced by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com Subtitles are auto generated
In this Episode, we welcome Elaine Bousfield MBE, who talks to us about the use of literature in therapy. Elaine is founder and CEO of Zuntold which is a therapeutic service offering bibliotherapy, as well as a publishing company. Always trying to find ways of making therapy more accessible, especially for young people, Elaine created and founded the online platform Kooth. When she decided it was time to move on and start a new chapter, she turned to the world of bibliotherapy. Please accept our apologies for some sound issues during this recording. Discover more about Zuntold: ZunTold - Fiction as Therapy for Mental Health & Wellbeing — ZunTold Contact Elaine for more information about future projects: elaine@zuntold.com Further reading, as recommended by Elaine: 'Always Hear For You', by Miriam Halahmy 'The Midnight Library', by Matt Haig 'How We Read Now', by Naomi Baron 'Such Stuff As Dreams: The Psychology of Fiction', by Keith Oatley Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation This episode was recorded on Teams Produced and Edited by Leto Blackwell Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society Website: www.ncps.com
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Observed September 19, 2026. Cached outside the daily freshness window; the positions keep the date they were taken on.
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