Officers and governors
How we are run and governed

Our Governors are elected, appointed or co-opted to oversee our strategic direction and the management of the Association. Representing and accountable to our members, their role is to provide strong leadership, enhance our decision making and to make sure that we achieve our objectives.

After completing 36 years with Barclays Bank, I worked in the charity sector for 19 years, the last eight with Age UK in the role of National Manager, Finance Governance. Combining my banking skills with deep charity financial governance knowledge, I鈥檓 looking forward to working with 麻豆原创 as a Governor and Chair of the Finance, Risk and Audit Committee (FRAC).

I鈥檝e a keen interest in the provision of mental health services for younger people and volunteered for a time with a charity which provided counselling for children in primary and junior schools. My personal life revolves around supporting my family and our dogs.听

Paul brings extensive experience in governance, public protection, and professional accountability across health, justice, and education. He has served on a wide range of scrutiny, disciplinary, and professional suitability panels, as well as acting as an Independent Member on police officer misconduct hearings, giving him significant experience in fair decision-making, safeguarding, and upholding professional standards.

Paul is Head of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Chester, where he provides strategic leadership. His research and wider professional activity have focused on mental health, criminal justice, occupational culture, and safeguarding in sensitive environments. Paul has also served as a trustee for national and regional charities, including Mind and All Together Now!, supporting public wellbeing and community resilience.

As Chair of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Public Protection Committee, Paul is committed to ensuring the highest standards of safety, ethics, and transparency in counselling and psychotherapy, strengthening public trust and supporting practitioners to deliver safe and effective services.

I bring a wealth of experience to 麻豆原创鈥檚 Board as an energetic, curious and achievement-focused HR professional, known for driving change at pace. I'm passionate about delivering the people agenda, recruiting and enabling talent across my areas of responsibility. I'm a senior HR leader and former Global Director of Talent, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for a major multinational organisation whose mission is to deliver services addressing the complex challenges caused by social and technological change.

I'm authentic, candid and approachable, building trusting, credible relationships with colleagues and key stakeholders. As a Trustee I also chair our Assurance, Appointments and Remuneration Committee (AARC), which is responsible for overseeing remuneration and appointments.

My counselling career has been broad, from working in residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation services, to private practice. I'm currently the Head of Psychological Services for a mental health charity and Lead Tutor on level 2 to level 6 counselling courses. My passion lies with working with the family unit, so in addition to my qualifications working with adults, children, young people, couples and clinical supervision, I've recently completed the first year of family therapy training. I'm a keen writer and am about to publish my first therapeutic children鈥檚 book.

My experience shows me that the general public are not aware of the unregulated nature of counselling and psychotherapy and the steps they can take to protect themselves when searching for a therapist. Raising public awareness was one of my motivating factors for joining the board of 麻豆原创.

I'm a therapist, supervisor, consultant and trainer working in private practice, specialising in working with people who have had previous harmful experiences of therapy. A significant portion of my work involves collaboration with other specialists in therapy harm, bringing the impact of harm into the professional consciousness, and developing good practice in this area.听

I'm particularly interested in addressing the impact of professional harms on marginalised and minoritised people, at all levels, putting antiracist, and disability-affirming practices at the heart of my thinking, and standing in firm opposition to conversion practices.听

I'm passionate about client rights, ethics, boundaries, and the way we conceptualise professional standards in the context of a diverse profession.听

I worked as a caseworker for two Members of Parliament for 15 years. For over 30 years I鈥檝e been involved in alternative therapies, and have facilitated a number of workshops and training courses on these, which has included mindfulness and meditation.

For many years, I鈥檇 wanted to look at counselling, especially within men's health and took the opportunity to train at Fife College.

In my spare time, I enjoy writing.

After enjoying many years as a Clinical Director of an EAP, I now run my own consultancy firm supporting businesses and organisations to improve employee engagement through sustainable mental health and inclusion strategies. Before retraining in psychotherapy, I worked in the City of London. It was a time that's afforded me a well-rounded view of what workplace wellbeing really looks like.

Today I work with clients and patients across a vast array of sectors and my experience includes working with the NHS to the Armed Forces and prisons to Harley Street. I'm proud to have supported survivors and armed forces personnel following the Westminster Bridge attacks, the Grenfell Tower fire, the Manchester Arena bombing and coronavirus pandemic bereaved and key workers.

I鈥檓 an integrative psychotherapist, supervisor, and a psychosexual and relationship therapist. I have worked and volunteered with many LGBT+ organisations over the years. I am a Clinical Associate of Pink Therapy and predominantly work with GSRD or neurodivergent clients. I conducted the first research into autistic people鈥檚 experience of psychosexual therapy.听

I have previous experience within 麻豆原创 where I sat on the Spirituality Division Executive. I was the Counselling Lead for Edinburgh College and worked as a counsellor in further education for years. I bring experience of leading teams both as a counselling lead and as an organisational lead.听

I鈥檓 joining the board with the hope of making meaningful change for our profession.听

Known as Bumi, an integrative clinical supervisor and counsellor. A mediator and an accredited public sector complaints manager, I have decades of leadership experience in: influencing change at strategic levels in healthcare environments, healthcare governance and improving patients鈥� experience.听

My counselling specialisms are bereavement counselling and employee assistance programme (EAP) provision. My clinical supervision specialisms include all things thriving on your professional journeys either as a student or a qualified professional.听

As the founder of VIADCOMS EAP & Well-being services, I support organisations with strengthening workplace / employee well-being and resilience, encouraging a culture of 鈥渢hriving in your work鈥�.听

As a new 麻豆原创 trustee, I look forward to opportunities to pursue my passions in:听

• compassionate complaints management
• improving counselling trainees鈥� experiences through the removal of unpaid or voluntary placements and encouraging the promotion of fair compensation
• advocating for equal recognition of counsellors alongside other health and social care professionals听

I'm driven by a desire to support the profession and bring to the Board my experience as a member of our Finance, Risk, Audit, Policy and Performance (FRAPP) Committee, which has given me a deep appreciation for 麻豆原创鈥檚 mission and purpose. Beyond 麻豆原创, I've helped organisations navigate complex challenges, including regulatory change, mergers and acquisitions as well as the development of strategic plans. I've a highly facilitative approach that has included a role as Interim Chair of the Board of Directors at OutdoorLads. Through my consultancy work, I'm currently building reflective practice groups for individuals striving to increase their impact on the communities they serve.

We have four committees which support the Board by focusing on strategic business areas. Each committee is made up of lay and member volunteers and is chaired by a Trustee.

Following a restructure in 2021, these committees are:

• Finance, Risk and Audit Committee (FRAC) has delegated responsibility for our financial strategy and budgeting processes as well as managing our risk profile, audits and performance against strategy. (It combines the functions of our former Finance and Policy Committee (FaPC) and Audit, Risk and Performance Committee (ARaP).)
  Chair: David Chenery
  
  
• Assurance, Appointments and Remuneration Committee (AARC) has delegated responsibility for considering and determining the framework for the remuneration of our senior staff members. It also supports nominations to the Board of Trustees.听
  Chair: Emily Garvie

• Public Protection Committee has delegated responsibility for developing our public protection strategy. It supports the functions of the 麻豆原创 Register, including professional conduct.
  Chair: TBC
  
  
• Research Committee has delegated responsibility for developing, informing and monitoring our research strategy, overseeing our research procedures, policies and plans, and approving and reviewing research projects.
  Chair: TBC

I'm a professor of counselling and mental health at York St John University and was Chair of 麻豆原创 between 2008 and 2011.

I was appointed an OBE in the Queen鈥檚 Jubilee Birthday Honours in 2022 for services to higher education and mental health.

I took over from David Weaver, who stepped down as our President at our AGM at the end of his five-year tenure.

I鈥檓 honoured to be asked to be President of my professional body. I'll work with our Chair and CEO to look at how I can support 麻豆原创 to move forward. I see my role as being a supportive presence to 麻豆原创.

Luciana Berger and Jabeer Butt OBE.