UKCP Psychotherapy with Children Committee
In 2003, the Governing Board of the UKCP set up a Working Group on Psychotherapy with Children to explore ways in which the UKCP could better respond to the huge unmet needs of children and young people for psychotherapeutic help. In January 2004 the Trustees decided to designate it as a full sub committee of the Board with a remit to review and develop the provision of psychotherapy with children within the UKCP. The Group had already produced the UKCP 'Psychotherapy with Children: Principles, Aims and Guidelines for Training' which outlined generic guidelines for specialist trainings in psychotherapy with children within different psychotherapeutic modalities.
The overall policy remit of the Committee is to support the development of psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling with children within different modalities, and to look outwards to the wider professional field, in line with the overall remit of UKCP. The Committee has developed its role as part of the regulatory structure of UKCP, having a cross-modality client group base, rather than a modality base. The Committee has established a Training Standards Sub-Committee to process new trainings and reviews. The Committee also has a Professional Standards Sub-Committee with a remit to look at ethics and how to handle complaints where children are involved, along with issues relating to supervision and continuous professional development.
The Committee is a crucial inter-Sectional forum for this work within the present structure, with nominated representatives from all UKCP Sections, Institutional and Special Members, with a number of individuals with relevant expertise being invited to join the Committee as co-opted members. The priority is to develop good communications between all those having an interest in this area of work and to establish good co-operative links both within UKCP, and with other agencies and organisations involved in this field.
The Committee is in the process of developing a potential range of qualifications, including the possibility of recognising the qualifications and experience of people already working within the field. Issues include establishing criteria for building on recognised prior qualifications and experience and for post-qualification courses or additional specialist modules to allow people to be recognised as qualified psychotherapists trained to work with children. These will be linked to UKCP's generic minimum requirements.
In consultation with UKCP's Training Standards Board the Committee has produced the UKCP publication Psychotherapy with Children: Principles, Aims and Guidelines for Training.
The Committee meets between four and six times each year and members of the Committee include:
Jennie McNamara
Chair
Joady Brennan
PCP Education and Training
Chip Chimera
Institute of Family Therapy
Peggy Davies
Institute of Transactional Analysis
Karen Davies-Hough
Scarborough Psychotherapy Training Institute
Laura Donnington
Karuna Institute - ACPP
Nicola Dummett
BABCP
Lyn French
Institute of Psychotherapy & Social Sciences
Angela Gruber
Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy Education
Joanna Hewitt-Taylor
Scarborouh Psychotherapy Training Institute
Michelle Lefevre
Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education
Stewart McCafferty
KCC Foundation
Bozena Merrick
Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy Education
Joanna North
Karuna Institute - ACPP
Nancy Piercy
British Psychodrama Association
Hugh Quigley
UPCA
Roz Read
Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education
Fran Renwick
National Hypno'Psychotherapy Council
Louis Sydney
Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education
Psychotherapy with Children Interest Group
The Committee would like to invite anyone who is interested, including registrants with experience or interest in psychotherapy or psychotherapeutic Counselling with children, or who are involved in working with children in any capacity to join a special interest group. If you are interested please email
UKCP, 2nd Floor, Edward House, 2 Wakley Street, London, EC1V 7LT
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