Listening In

NCPS
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Listen in to conversations with a diverse community of people, all of whom have a shared goal; to improve the mental health landscape for all. Come and join us as we explore the world of wellbeing with our community - members and friends.

  1. 3d ago

    Simon Coombs: From Redundancy to Renewal

    In this episode we are delighted to welcome a man whose interest in human behaviour began with the story of someone he never met. The grandfather of Simon Coombs was a dispatch rider who served at Dunkirk and the D-Day landings, and he returned deeply changed by war. That family legacy sparked a lifelong curiosity in Simon about how experiences shape people. After going through multiple redundancies (each bringing its own challenges to his mental health) Simon turned these experiences into purpose. Determined to make support for the jobless more accessible, he launched an initiative offering talking therapies to long-term unemployed individuals. Today, through his organisation, Working Minds, his work is deeply rooted in lived experience,  professional insight, and can be traced all the way back to the beaches of Dunkirk.   For more information Working Minds - Mental Health and Wellbeing Professionals   Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation.   This episode was recorded on Teams   Produced by Leto Blackwell   Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society   Website: www.ncps.com   Subtitles are auto generated

    59 min

  2. May 11

    NAPAC: Belief, the Most Valuable Currency We Possess

    NAPAC: Belief, the Most Valuable Currency We Possess   Please be aware this episode explores the topic of childhood abuse.   At a time when the media landscape once more forces us to confront the awful reality of childhood abuse, we are blessed to be joined by Olivia Peri, Head of Learning with the National Association of People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC). We look at what happens for victim survivors, when high profile people, and high-profile cases dominate the national conversation. What impact does that have on them, on their loved ones and on those who support them? And what happens when those accused do not appear to be held to account? Olivia, has the ability to speak about this sensitive and complex subject with a balance of compassion and sound clinical practice.   For more information about the work NAPAC does, please visit NAPAC - Supporting Recovery From Childhood Abuse

    59 min

  3. Apr 13

    Happiful: Marketing Your Practice with Authenticity

    As the Brand & Integrity Manager at Happiful, Katherine (Kat) Nicholls knows a great deal about how clients find therapists and how therapists find clients.  In this conversation, Kat shares tips and advice about how to promote your work online ethically and authentically – something we know practitioners can struggle with.  How can you build a practice that feels right, that feels aligned with both your approach and your personality?  Kat helps us understand the difference between selling and connecting.   For more information about all the work Kat and the Happiful family do, you can go to https://happiful.com Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation.   This episode was recorded on Teams   Produced by Leto Blackwell   Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society   Website: www.ncps.com   Subtitles are auto generated

    57 min

  4. Mar 9

    Claire Thompson: Personal, Professional and Political Stories

    Claire Thompson is, amongst many other things, Neurodiversity Ambassador for the NCPS. In this role she has shared research-informed insights through her writing and conference work, all with the aim of creating a more accepting world for neurodivergence. There’s a reason why Claire is such a passionate advocate; and that is due to her own lived experience.  She tells us how being a Mum to 3 neurodivergent children, resulted in her own personal discovery of difference and identity when she herself was diagnosed AuDHD. In addition, Claire has recently completed a PhD at Ulster University, where through its famous murals, she researched the intergenerational impact of the conflict in Northern Ireland. By listening in, you can hear Claire describing an exploration of socioeconomics, identity, tourism trauma and PTSD. Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation.   This episode was recorded on Teams   Produced by Leto Blackwell   Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society   Website: www.ncps.com   Subtitles are auto generated

    1h 4m

  5. Feb 9

    Meera Vohora: Humanity First; Working with Refugees

    Meera Vohora is a pluralistic counsellor, grief and loss specialist  and refugee support volunteer with Care4Calais. She holds a Master’s in Refugee Care from the University of Essex, where her training was rooted in a psychosocial approach — one that views psychological wellbeing as inseparable from social, cultural, political, and relational contexts. Born in Kenya of Indian heritage and later moving to the UK, Meera’s own experiences of identity, belonging, and cultural dislocation inform her professional work. Her practice today centres on trauma-informed, relational approaches that recognise grief, resilience, and the full humanity of her clients.   To register for Meera’s NCPS Lunchtime Learning webinar: Events | NCPS   Further Reading / Influences: Boss, P (2010) Bereavement Care: Ambiguous Loss: Learning how to live with Unresolved Grief. https://www.bereavementjournal.org/index.php/berc/article/view/778   Doka, K. J. (1999). Disenfranchised grief. Bereavement care, 18(3), 37-39.   Papadopoulos, R. K. (2002). Refugees, home and trauma. In R. K. Papadopoulos (Ed.), Therapeutic Care for Refugees: No Place Like Home. London: Karnac. Tavistock Clinic Series.   Zephaniah, B (2011) Refugee boy. Bloomsbury Publishing   UNHCR: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support. Unhcr.org   Care4Calais: care4calais.org   Refugee Action: refugee-action.org.uk

    58 min

  6. 11/10/2025

    Meg Moss on AI: Relational Safeguards and Protecting Human Connection

    Please be aware, the topic of suicide is briefly mentioned in this conversation. Meg Moss is Head of Public Affairs and Advocacy with the NCPS.  An increasingly important part of Megs work involves researching and exploring the use of AI in mental health provision - to better understand its potential impact on the work of the counselling profession, the future provision of services, and how it might shape the human emotional experience more broadly. In a wide-ranging conversation, we cover everything from the commodification of data to the risks of turning AI to combat loneliness and isolation. We discuss the importance of relational connection and empathy, as well as disagreements and friction, all as vital ingredients to personal growth and understanding. But perhaps most importantly are the UK’s first relational safeguards for AI mental health tools that Meg has developed, warning us that, without clear boundaries, chatbots and apps risk causing serious harm, particularly to children and young people. Without such safeguards and careful considerations in place, Meg worries that AI devalues relationship, connection and humanity.   For more information about the Six Principles for Relational Safeguards in AI Mental Health Tools NCPS | Press release: First blueprint to make AI mental health tools…   Here is the NCPS response to the recent Ipsos study exploring how people in Great Britain are using, and feeling about, AI in their daily lives  NCPS | NCPS Responds: New Ipsos research shows why so many Britons…   For a longer read, here is Meg’s update about AI in therapy NCPS | AI in Therapy - September 2025 Update   Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation.   This episode was recorded on Teams   Produced by Leto Blackwell   Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society   Website: www.ncps.com   Subtitles are auto generated

    1h 5m

  7. 10/13/2025

    Pamela Kirkpatrick: Flipping Burgers for Community

    Pamela Kirkpatrick is a practitioner, trainer and co-founder of NCPS Recognised Counselling Service, uHub. But Pam, along with her colleague Cara, also invest considerable time and energy into their community; a community that continues to bear the bruises from its history.   Communities in Transition, was designed by the NI Executive in 2015 to support projects that would empower individuals and groups to affect positive change for themselves and their communities To this end, Pam and Cara have given up their own time to connect with an understandably cautious community. So, they developed creative ways to become accepted and from small, tentative steps, meaningful trust was built. Only then were they were able to support people that previously might never have contemplated change, never mind counselling.   This story is testament not only to our capacity and potential for change, but also to the gentle patience of the practitioner. It’s a reminder that the work we do, is as much art and creativity, relational and empathy, as it is study and theory.   For more information about Pam and the uHub team uHub – Counselling Service and Therapy Centre. Bangor, North Down.   To learn about Communities in Transition Communities in Transition – Background | The Executive Office   Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation.   This episode was recorded on Teams   Produced by Leto Blackwell   Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society   Website: www.ncps.com   Subtitles are auto generated

    51 min

  8. 09/08/2025

    Lynda Graham: Treat us as Individuals, Not a Big Group

    Lynda Graham is the NCPS Regional Representative for Northern Ireland and a prominent and experienced voice across the counselling profession, particularly on the subject of adoption.  Originally a social worker, her work with children and families, took her along what felt like a natural path, to counselling.   Lynda is a passionate advocate for counsellors and the profession as a whole, especially keen to advocate for those living and working in Northern Ireland. And while there is an important need to recognise the specific challenges encountered there, Lynda is clear, that just as we see the individual in our daily practice, we also need to see Northern Ireland as any other place, with its own regional diversity and differences. We need to be mindful, it is a tapestry woven together with many different threads and should not be defined by one story alone.   For more information about the NCPS Regional Representatives NCPS | Regional Representatives   Please remember to like and subscribe, so you can always be part of the conversation.   This episode was recorded on Teams   Produced by Leto Blackwell   Created by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society   Website: www.ncps.com   Subtitles are auto generated

    47 min
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About

Listen in to conversations with a diverse community of people, all of whom have a shared goal; to improve the mental health landscape for all. Come and join us as we explore the world of wellbeing with our community - members and friends.

Information

  • Creator
    NCPS
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Listening In

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