Student experience: British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy Research Conference

I felt that LBU Staff, Visiting Keynote Speakers, as well as the BACP Chair and Governors, extended a really warm welcome to me and my colleagues.

The keynote presentations and workshops were both instructive and engaging: two that stood out for me were Decolonising Counselling and Psychotherapy Research and Eco-anxiety and Facing Truths of Climate Change and Ecological Emergency.

As students from the Black and Global Majority Community, we initially felt some nerves about what to expect as this was our first attendance at a BACP event.

Governors welcomed us warmly and were ecstatic about our visibility as women of colour and women of faith. We hope that this is just the start of increased representation of diverse communities at future events and we are all very excited by this prospect.

We were inspired and motivated by all of the speakers - particularly the presence of renowned Professor Mick Cooper and Professor Divine Charura - as well as our own local MP, Richard Burgon, who shared not only my views but those of my fellow students' on making counselling accessible in all communities, particularly for new migrants to the country.

It was great to hear Richard Burgon and Mick Cooper’s refreshing contributions that sought to offer alternative perspectives and to challenge misconceptions.

This has been a fantastic networking opportunity for us all; my colleague Shakila and I had the opportunity to chair a discussion / workshop at the conference which was an amazing experience.

This networking opportunity has resulted in additional collaboration with the BACP Third Sector Lead, Jeremy Bacon, to discuss work within the voluntary sector.

Since attending the conference, we have also been for coffee with MP Richard Burgon at his constituency office, to discuss opportunities locally and nationally, to further champion the cause of those who are less fortunate and experience social injustice.

Our very own Leeds Beckett Lecturer, Dr John Hills, shared his very valuable and insightful reflections on Duoethnography during the event; and Dr Vivian Sabel offered spoken word poetry, which was deeply moving for all workshop participants and provided an opportunity for growth and healing.

It was also great to see Professor Nahid Nasrat from the University of Chicago in attendance. I'd had the pleasure of meeting Nahid earlier this year at her lecture on Liberation Psychology at Leeds Beckett University.

As a Keynote Speaker, Nahid brought her personal dose of authentic lived experience, compassion and humility.

It was wonderful and inspiring to see Nahid fostering harmonious dialogue at this event as a Muslim woman, providing heartfelt discussion around the complexities of refugee trauma, as well as the place of Liberation Psychologies within traditional Counselling and Psychotherapies.

Overall, our experience was engaging, friendly and welcoming and I would encourage students to attend the next BACP research conference, which will be held in Birmingham – I’m already looking forward to next year’s conference.

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