The 16th Annual Conference for Counsellors working in Schools

We invite you to join us for our Sixteenth Annual Conference for Counsellors working in schools (or interested in working in schools) on Thursday 28th September 2023.

What’s love got to do with it? Do we, dare we, consider love in our approaches when working with young people?

Jammed systems, depleted resources, being asked to love more for less… Join us in September when together we will create professional generosity and rich learning.

The conference is suitable for all professionals who work to support young people both inside and outside of school settings.

Conference Programme

Keynote Address with Shona Reed-Purvis: What HAS love got to do with it? Connections in therapy.

Shona Reed-Purvis is a counsellor, systemic psychotherapist and registered systemic supervisor. She has worked for over 30 years as a counsellor and family therapist in school, NGOs, the NHS and private practice. She originally trained as a registered general nurse and quickly became interested and curious about the context and emotional lives of patients, leading her to study Anthropology and seek counselling training. Shona was a school counsellor for seven years and then trained as a family therapist at the Tavistock. Shona now works with families, supervises, trains, writes, and teaches systemic psychotherapy. She has been the chair of Oxford and Chiltern Association of Family Therapists for the past twelve years.

Morning Workshops

1. Fly on the Wall – A School Counsellor and Deputy Head in Conversation (Debbie Lee is a UKCP psychotherapist, trainer and lead counsellor. Sarah Martin is Deputy Headteacher of Pastoral Care and Safeguarding Lead – both of whom work closely together at King Alfred’s Academy in Wantage)

2. The Crocodile on the Couch: examining the power of transitional objects and using the reflections of grief (Sam Johnson is Lead Counsellor at Cheney School, and also maintains a small private practice. She contributes regularly to the BACP Children, Young People and Families Journal)

3. The Role of the School Counsellor and its Narcissistic Perils (Seth Osborne is a school counsellor at Magdalen College School and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. Catherine Burgess is an ACP registered Child and Adolescent psychotherapist working in the NHS and in private practice)

4. ‘O brawling love, O loving hate!’ Working with strong emotions (Katia Houghton is the lead counsellor at Marlborough College boarding school in Wiltshire, and a psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice)

Afternoon Workshops

1. “Mummy’s Boy”- Helping sons understand narcissistic mothers in being loved and loving (Matt Barnard is a school counsellor at St. Edward’s School and The Cherwell School).

2. The Ping Pong Effect: looking at the effects of divorce on the therapist and child (Debbie Lee is a UKCP psychotherapist, trainer and the lead counsellor at King Alfred’s Academy)

3. Experts and Fools: are we de-skilling our young people and stealing their opportunities for self agency? (Charlie Morse-Brown is an Integrative counsellor who works as a school counsellor at d’Overbroeck’s Oxford and runs therapeutic arts groups)

4. Trauma and Eating Disorders in Young People – a conversation about their association (Jennifer Pitt is a BACP accredited counsellor with 20 years’ experience working with young people in London schools. Now in private practice, she works with those presenting with CPTSD and eating disorders)

You will be required to choose a morning and an afternoon workshop at time of booking. If someone else is booking on your behalf, then please ensure they know your workshop choices in advance. Some workshops may be capped. Unfortunately, places cannot be reserved.

Keynote Livestream only | £50 per person

If you’re unable to attend the conference in person and would like to join in virtually for a segment of the morning, then we are offering livestream tickets – which will include our Welcome and Opening Address with Shona Reed-Purvis, from 9.30am to 10.40am (UK time).

The livestream will take place on YouTube and the private link will be shared with you by email on the morning of the conference. If you are unable to attend live we will give you access to a high quality recording for 30 days following the conference.

Booking acknowledgement

Following registration for this event you will receive an email from Eventbrite confirming your place. If you did not create an account at the time of booking or someone else booked on your behalf, you will need to create an Eventbrite account. Open your booking confirmation email, select ‘Claim Your Order’ and then choose a password. Make a note of your email address that was used to make the booking and your new password.

Payment

Payment is required at the time of booking by credit card, debit card or Paypal. Unless otherwise stated, a ticket gives admission to one person at face-to-face and online events.

Refunds

No refunds will be given with less than 30 days notice.

In the event of a refund request being accepted, please note that the Eventbrite booking fee of 6.95% plus 0.59p per ticket is not refundable.

We strongly recommend that you take out ‘event ticket insurance’ which may cover the cost of your fee should you be unable to attend the event.

To keep our event fees as low as possible, we are not able to issue manual invoices for later payment by cheque or bank transfer and we are not able to reserve places without payment.