We’re delighted to welcome back our free in-person Making Connections events.

These regular face to face conferences take place throughout the year and give you the chance to network with other members and our divisional executive members.

Programme

Click on the sessions to find out more.ÌýIf you are viewing this page on a mobile, rotate your screen to view the programme.

10.00am – 10.30am Registration
10.30am - 10.50am Welcome from Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¾«×¼×ÊÁÏ
10.50am – 11.35am Introducing kitchen therapy, presented by Charlotte Hastings
11.35am - 11.45am Comfort break
11.45am – 12.30pm Tackling pay inequity in the NHS, presented by Matt Smith-Lilley
12.30pm – 1.30pm Light lunch
1.30pm – 1.50 pm Local member two-minute platforms
1.50pm – 2.40pm Connecting together
The room will be divided into different areas of interest, for more focused and structured networking. You’ll be encouraged to move around the room and engage with colleagues, volunteers and Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¾«×¼×ÊÁÏ staff to network, share ideas and meet new people with similar interests. You’ll be able to add a new area of interest if yours isn’t represented.
2.40pm – 3.10pm Refreshments
3.10pm – 3.55pm

Understanding domestic abuse: The counsellor's role in early intervention and client protection, presented by Nour Norris

3.55pm - 4.00pm Event close

This programme is subject to change.

Presentation information

Introducing kitchen therapy

10.50am – 11.35am

How and why kitchen therapy works – using the process of feeding ourselves across our personal and species’ time to better understand who we are.Ìý Located between a Jungian depth psychology and attachment theory, using our relationship with food, as a therapeutic medium is an embodied, natural and relevant approach.

  • Working through issues: case studies from individual and couple work
  • Cooking for community: how cooking works as an attachment based approach with families and groups
  • Developing networks of exchange: an active and interactive therapy which empowers individuals, creating an inner larder of resources to share
  • Connect with Nature: a spiritual framework based in nature, as cooking makes us human, so we find a natural sense of belonging, becoming and belief around the campfire in or outdoors. The watering hole is a place where we can all meet, across time and space.

Tackling pay inequity in the NHS

11.45am - 12.30pm

A discussion of the pay inequity challenges facing counsellors and psychotherapists working in the NHS in England and a run through the work Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¾«×¼×ÊÁÏ has been doing to support members across England in challenging pay inequity in the NHS. We’ll share information, success stories and ideas for how you can tackle pay inequity in your area of the NHS and the support we can offer you to achieve change.

Understanding domestic abuse: The counsellor's role in early intervention and client protection

Ìý

3.10pm – 3.55pm

This session will equip counsellors with essential knowledge of domestic abuse, focusing on early intervention and client protection. Through personal experiences, research, and the campaign that led to Raneem's Law, participants will gain insights into recognising abuse, supporting clients, and safeguarding their well-being.