MIIPC Symposia and Workshops

Freshwinds charity, based in Birmingham, is looking for volunteer counsellors for two of its projects: Integrated Medicine Project and LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transexual) Project.

Integrated Medicine Project – through this project we complementary therapies (including counselling) to adults and children with life threatening and life limiting illnesses. We are well recognised and respected for this work, as evidenced by the referrals we get from a variety of health care professionals / organisations. We follow an Integrated Medicine model of care – safely combining the complementary therapies with the conventional treatments the person is already receiving. We rely on qualified volunteer therapists to provide this valuable service. With regards to counselling, we require counsellors to have completed their diploma in counselling or to be in their final year of the diploma and have already completed 50% of their final year’s counselling hours requirements. Patient care is co-ordinated by Medical Officers within the charity.

LGBT Project – Freshwinds’ LGBT project is brand new and offers anyone that identifies as being Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, or Transexual an opportunity to access the programme. We are looking for counsellors who have already completed their Diploma in Counselling that are able to offer specific counselling around LGBT issues and have a passion for helping those within the LGBT community. It would be useful if you are aware of needs surrounding HIV and gender confusion.

In return for their valued commitment, volunteer therapists at Freshwinds have access to regular therapists meetings, which include a training/education component. Sometimes we also organise workshops for the therapists to aid in their continued professional development. The therapists also find it a rewarding and developing experience working in a multidisciplinary team with other therapists and medical officers, sharing knowledge and enhancing skills.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact us for a volunteer application form:

Freshwinds, Prospect Hall, 12 College Walk, Selly Oak, Birmingham, B29 6LE

Tel: 0121 415 6670

Web: www.freshwinds.org.uk

2.11.06

Dr Malcolm Hughes has retired from his full time teaching post as Section Leader in Psychology at the University of Central England.

Born in Prestatyn, he spent his childhood living in various parts of North Wales, as his fathers’ work in financial management for a leading bank required frequent relocation.

His higher education saw him attending Westminster College, Oxford, and University in London. He obtained a teaching post in the then Edgbaston College of Further Education in 1973, settling in West Midlands, and obtaining his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Birmingham. His main field of interest was the interface between physiology and psychology. Even at an early stage, his interest in cross- discipline enhancement was apparent. For example, he was part of the original team in South Birmingham that was responsible for the initial development of nursing curricula that encompassed psychological aspects of care. This interest also meant that he was very well placed to contribute educationally across a wide range of health related disciplines, when, thanks to a series of amalgamations, the University of Central England eventually emerged in its current form to become the important provider of health-care education that it is today.

Dr. Hughes’ own clinical interests also reflect this background. He became fascinated by the physiological basis of hypnosis, and was a pioneer in the introduction of its clinical application in the West Midlands. His clinical thinking, however, was also informed by a number of other theoretical perspectives, particularly the psychoanalytic, and he was a firm believer in the benefits of an integrative approach. He was part of the initial working party to develop what is now the Master of Science in Integrative Psychotherapy, and has twice acted as Route Director for the course, as well as contributing regularly to both the teaching and supervision of students.

Given the level of support and enthusiasm that he had for the development of what was initially a route Alumni Society and, more latterly, the MIIPC, it was entirely appropriate that he was unanimously voted as the first President of the Institute, a position which he continues to hold. He has also contributed to the work carried out which should hopefully see UKCP recognition gained by Institute in the not to distant future.

He is unlikely to find himself with time on his hands once retired. He will continue to do a limited amount of teaching at the University. He is also an expert on bonsai, and a past president of both the British and the European Bonsai Associations, as well as acting as a consultant for the World Bonsai Friendship Federation, and regularly runs courses on the cultivation and training of miniature trees. His other great interest is philately, and his level of expertise in relation to the stamps of the British Colonial era is such that he is now lecturing on this topic with some regularity. His retirement gift from his University colleagues was art materials, and his intention is to re-kindle an activity which has unfortunately lapsed. As if this isn’t enough, his wife Kath informs me that she has a list of little jobs……….

I am sure that the membership will join with me in wishing Malcolm a long, happy and productive retirement.

The Midlands Institute of Integrative Psychotherapy & Counselling (MIIPC) has made a major step forward in its quest to become an accrediting organisation within the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). The Membership Committee for UKCP has found that MIIPC meets the UKCP requirements on professional, administrative and legal grounds, and therefore has accepted MIIPC into the general membership of UKCP. There are at present 79 member organisations within UKCP, grouped together into 7 autonomous Sections representing all the main traditions in the practice of psychotherapy.

We are now at the stage of negotiating a formal visit by the Assessment Board of the Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy Section (HIPS). HIPS is the section within UKCP which we hope to make our home. We are hoping that this assessment may take place early in 2006, in order for them to report first to the Governing Board of UKCP for ratification and then to the UKCP annual general meeting in April 2006. There is a requirement that 75% of UKCP general membership accept MIIPC at this AGM.

The Midlands Institute for Integrative Psychotherapy & Counselling

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