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Speakers & Sessions

Jo Berry photo
Jo Berry

Building Bridges for Peace

Founder

Biography

Jo Berry is Global Leader, Speaker and Expert in Conflict Transformation and Empowering Positive Change. She founded ‘Building Bridges for Peace,’ a charity which is dedicated to promoting peace and conflict transformation around the world. Her father was killed in the 1984 IRA bombing in Brighton. She met with the man responsible, Patrick Magee which led to them speaking on over three-hundred occasions on a shared platform, to bring a message of understanding and peace. Jo advocates that unbounded empathy is the biggest weapon we have to end conflict. With political, religious, gender and racial divides deepening as global and local events unfold, her work offers a message of hope and encourages us all to see the humanity in others.

Abstract

Meeting the man who killed my Dad - the hardest bridge to build

Jo Berry will share her personal story of losing her Dad in a terrorist attack when she was 27 in 1984. After two days, she decided to bring something positive out of the horror, and her healing journey began. She will share her motivation to build a bridge with the ex-IRA terrorist who planted the bomb and what she has learned from 23 years of dialogue. How she managed to disarm him with empathy at the first meeting and the inner work she does, which enables building bridges with someone who represents our 'other'. How once we give up blaming and shaming people, we can see them as human beings. She will speak about transforming relationships and how we can have unbounded empathy for all. She will share how we can challenge people's behaviour without shaming them, how we can listen to people with different narratives, and the importance of giving ourselves empathy in this emotionally challenging work.

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Arlene Healey

Arlene Healey Family Consultation

Founder

Biography

Arlene is a registered systemic psychotherapist with more than 45 years experience working with children and their families in the NHS in both Child and Family Services and CAMHS where she worked for more than 30 years. She is a registered clinical supervisor with AFT. In 1999 following the implementation of the Belfast/Good Friday Peace Agreement in Northern Ireland, she established and managed the Family Trauma Centre. The Centre provide services for children and families affected by the conflict in Northern Ireland. The Family Trauma Centre was the first systemically led trauma service. Arlene developed a culturally sensitive family therapy approach to help families in trauma and has published her work in several journals and books. She continued to manage the Centre for 18 years until she retired in 2016.

Arlene retired from the NHS in December 2015 and is now in independent practice. During the past few years she has undertaken work for the Official Solicitor Royal Court of Justice Belfast and Lighthouse a charity based in Belfast providing help for families affected by suicide. She continues to provide clinical supervision for several family therapists both in the NHS and private practice both in the UK and Ireland. She continues to teach and present at conferences both nationally and internationally. More recently Arlene has been providing consultation and training to Hostage International, an organisation which supports families whose family member has been taken hostage abroad.

Abstract

Promoting Healing with Families who have Experienced Complex Trauma

This workshop will draw on both trauma and systemic theories to explore the impact of trauma on families who have experienced complex trauma. It will then look at how we can develop a healing narrative, whilst supporting the family and holding hope for them. The presentation will draw on clinical work with families who have been affected by war; civil conflict; natural disasters, hostage taking; suicide and many other forms of trauma.

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Kenyah Nyameche

Changing-I Ltd

Family Therapist & Systemic Consultant

Biography

Kenyah is a dynamic and passionate bridge-builder, making a profound impact as a UKCP & AFT registered Family, Couple & Systemic Psychotherapist; IAPT Clinical Supervisor; and Public Governor for Tavistock & Portman (Rest of England & Wales). As an unwavering advocate for neurodiversity through her association with the Waltham Forest Disability Association, she has inspired countless individuals through her motivational speaking engagements.

Kenyah has applied her two decades of experience to help promote equality, diversity and inclusivity. Her portfolio includes addressing physical & psychological aspects of disability; mental health; identity; supervision; fostering well-being in the workplace; collaboration with multidisciplinary agencies; contributing to military veterans recovery, and exploring systemic workplace discrimination inquiries. She has provided valuable support to individuals, couples, teams and organizations navigating challenges.

Kenyah's work extends beyond borders, with a transformative project in Rwanda focused on demystifying STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics) and championing inclusivity for individuals with neurodiverse conditions in education and the workplace. Her current research assignment in Rwanda is groundbreaking, exploring the connections between students repeating school years and undiagnosed learning difficulties, aiming to pave the way for advancements in inclusivity and understanding.

As a published researcher and prolific writer in the field of psychology and therapy, Kenyah's contributions extend beyond her professional practice, making a lasting impact on the broader field. Her dedication to studying and improving various aspects of human well-being and social dynamics has earned her recognition as a driving force in psychology, psychotherapy, and organizational change.

Kenyah's work is a testament to her commitment to positive change and systemic transformation. Through her insights and advocacy, she continues to build bridges that promote understanding, inclusivity, and growth across diverse communities. Her presence at this conference promises to inspire, enlighten, and foster valuable connections in our collective pursuit of a more empathetic and inclusive society.

Abstract

Releasing potential: Fostering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), embracing neurodiversity, inspiring collective change, and cultivating peace

Greetings from Rwanda!

In this presentation I aim to invite you to think with me about how thinking and working systemically can help me work with people of Rwanda on my journey towards appreciating STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics); embracing neurodiversity; inspiring collective change; and cultivating peace; and how what works can inform other projects abroad.

This abstract presents an exploration of four key themes and the profound impact they have on shaping a brighter future for an East African country such as Rwanda.

The first focus ,of this presentation after the initial introduction, is exploring the steps taken in collaborating on a project that glimpses the fostering of STEM involving film, community, and education, and its role in empowering young people ages 11-16 years old. By highlighting the importance of equipping individuals with STEM skills and knowledge, we can unlock their potential to solve complex problems and contribute to scientific progress, evidenced by the ‘Rwanda to Wakanda’ project children’s feedback.

The second focus, of this presentation, highlights the significance of embracing neurodiversity, recognising values in education, community, and workplace, harnessing unique strengths and perspectives. By embracing neurodiversity, we can harness the untapped potential and talent of individuals who may possess exceptional abilities in STEM fields and other areas.

The third focus, Inspiring collective change is another integral component of this presentation. It explores the power of collaboration, interdisciplinary approaches, and cross-sector partnerships to drive societal transformations.

Lastly, this abstract highlights the fundamental importance of joining to cultivate peace. It briefly explores intersectionality and how systemic approaches can assist in warming the context for promoting understanding, and empathy.

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Kam Kaur

Parenting Apart Programme

Director

Biography

Kam Kaur, Senior Social Worker, Intermediate System Practitioner, Director Parenting Apart Programme

Abstract

Healing The Rift: Supporting Parents in Conflict Through Systemic Family Therapy

In the context of the Bridges to Peace conference, where the focus is on promoting peace and conflict resolution, this workshop aims to address a pressing issue in the field of Systemic Family Therapy: supporting parents in conflict during the separation/divorce process.

The Family Court system, as it stands today, not only suffers from oversubscription and excessive costs to the UK taxpayer, but it also fails to facilitate collaborative and amicable separations for significant numbers of parents. This system inadvertently fosters discord and conflict between separating parents, leading to negative consequences for the well-being of children involved.

Children caught in the crossfire of parental conflict face a double-bind, where they are exposed to competing narratives about their parent’s separation, causing emotional turmoil. While there are cases that necessitate courtroom intervention, many parents could benefit from an alternative approach that enables them to co-parent effectively and equips them with the necessary skills to navigate the years of co-parenting and contact that lie ahead.

During this presentation, we will engage the audience in a self-reflective exploration of their embodied relationship with parental conflict. Drawing upon our experiences within the Parenting Apart Programme, we will intertwine the principles of Systemic theory, empowering therapists to work creatively and effectively with conflict between two individuals. Our goal is to create enough space for a new dialogue to emerge, fostering healing, reaching out, and reconnection.

Key topics to be covered in the workshop include:

• Understanding the impact of parental conflict on children's well-being.

• Exploring the limitations and drawbacks of the current family court system.

• Introducing the Parenting Apart Programme as an alternative approach to supporting separating parents.

• Applying Systemic theory to navigate and transform conflict in therapy sessions.

• Cultivating self-reflexivity in therapists to enhance their effectiveness in working with parental conflict.

• Identifying practical strategies and interventions to promote collaboration and co-parenting.

We hope that participants will leave this workshop with a deeper understanding of the dynamics of parental conflict and concrete tools to support parents in conflict through the lens of Systemic family therapy. By bridging the gap between adversarial positions, we can facilitate healing, reconciliation, and a more peaceful co-parenting journey for families.

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Dr Jon Symonds

University of Bristol

Senior Lecturer in Social Work with Children and Families

Biography

Dr Jon Symonds is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work with Children and Families at the University of Bristol. His research interests include parenting, the provision of family support, and conversation analysis. He recently led a study funded by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory that explored the experiences of families when parents separate.

Abstract

Healing The Rift: Supporting Parents in Conflict Through Systemic Family Therapy

See above abstract

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Samantha Wilkinson

Warwickshire Children and Families

Parenting Apart Practitioner

Biography

Our team deliver the support to parents within Warwickshire at Universal, Early Help and Specialist (Social care) level. This involves the coordination, development, and delivery of programmes in response to the needs of children and families in Warwickshire. I also lead on the development and delivery of our Reducing Parental Conflict work (Family and Relationships) through the training of practitioners across frontline services in education, health, social care and the coordination/delivery of family and relationships work in 1-1 and group delivery as well specialist 1-1 delivery.

Abstract

Healing The Rift: Supporting Parents in Conflict Through Systemic Family Therapy

See above abstract

Dr Temitope Ademosu Photo
Dr Temitope Ademosu

Birmingham City Council

Head of Children and Families Clinical Service

Biography

Temitope is a Global mental health researcher and systemic family therapist/supervisor with a focus on the intersection of culture with mental health and social care.

Temitope has taken this curiosity to work internationally and locally within these speheres drawing on systemic ideas. Her love of research has focused on building capacity for research amongst practitioners, contributing to the field with peer reviewied publications, chapters and essays as well as developing stronger research cultures in systems.

With a focus on addressing disproportionality and inequalities, Temitope is keen on the vehicle of research to promote equity and inclusion and ensure voices of marginalised groups are heard.

Abstract

Missing in action: Family Therapy and Global Mental Health Movement

Drawing on years of research in West Africa, Sierra Leone, this presentation will walk through the learnings from the Global South where culture, resilience, community and pride interweave to support children and families through war, trauma, poverty and inequalities.

Alternative belief systems, approaches and access to help are explored as families navigate a constrained mental health and social care systems - patterns which are replicated amongst many Global majority families seeking support in the UK.

This presentation hopes to raise reflections and thoughts amongst many of us raised and/or trained in the Global North to be aware of other stories, other narratives and other ways of working with and understanding families from marginalised backgrounds.

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Dr Don Waisanen

City University of New York

Professor

Biography

Don Waisanen is a Professor in the Baruch College, CUNY Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, where he teaches courses and workshops in leadership communication—including executive speech training, communication strategy, and seminars on leadership/management, storytelling, and improvisation. All his research projects seek to understand how communication works to promote or hinder democracy. Previously, Don worked in broadcast journalism, as a speechwriter, and on political campaigns. He is the founder of the leadership communication training consultancy Communication Upward (www.commupward.com), an adjunct lecturer at Columbia University and New York University, and received a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School.

Abstract

Building New Democratic Worlds for Conflict Transformation: The Value of Leading with Skillful Improvisation, Inclusion, and Intangible Assets

To help every person and community on this planet thrive, this big picture presentation argues that we must build new democratic worlds that put skilful improvisation, inclusion, and intangible assets at the centre of every challenge we face. Following the advances humanity has seen in areas from medicine to technology (and failings in areas from war to pandemic responses) brings us to a moment where the stakes for our understandings and practices for conflict transformation have never been greater. From the most minor interpersonal conflicts to major policy problems, it’s the types of stories that we tell, the quality of our conversations, and the features of the social worlds that we create together that push every relationship and issue either upward or downward.

Detailing what needs to change in our organisational and societal environments, while drawing from a wealth of research and surprising insights from interdisciplinary fields—including the presenter’s recent books Leadership Standpoints (Cambridge University Press), Improv for Democracy (State University Press), and other works in progress—this interactive presentation will provide participants with proactive and healing approaches that can be immediately applied in their work. All joining will be invited to broaden and deepen their perspectives for therapeutic and similar practices, as we launch into volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous futures.

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Professor Dawn Edge

University of Manchester

Professor Mental Health & Inclusivity

Biography

Dawn is Professor of Mental Health and Inclusivity at the University of Manchester Academic Lead for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion on ‘race’, religion, and belief. She is the University of Manchester’s first Black woman professor.

Dawn is a member of the Board of Governors at The Health Foundation and Director of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Research Unit (EDI-RU) within Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust. She has previously served as a Non-Executive Director of NHS Mental Health Trusts and on the Board of Trustees of community organisations that work with marginalised communities.

As a health services researcher, Dawn is committed to using her research to reform policy and practice thus creating more equitable, effective, and accessible care, treatment, and outcomes. She works collaboratively with service users, their families, community members, healthcare professionals, and fellow academics to co-produce and implement psychosocial interventions that improve mental health outcomes for marginalised groups by increasing timely access to culturally informed, evidence-based care and treatment.

Currently, Dawn leads a national Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) to evaluate Culturally-adapted Family Intervention (CaFI) – a bespoke ‘talking treatment’ co-created with people of Sub-Saharan African and Caribbean descent diagnosed with schizophrenia and related psychoses and their families. She is also Principal Investigator on an MRC-funded study to determine the feasibility of co-creating ‘community dementia care hubs’ in Black Majority Churches (BMC) to promote early diagnosis and improve care of people from African-Caribbean backgrounds. Dawn is committed to creating opportunities for people from racialised and other marginalised groups to enter and thrive in research and academic environment.

Abstract

Eliminating ethnic inequalities in health, care, and research - laudable vision or impossible dream?

Eliminating ethnic inequalities in health, care, and research - laudable vision or impossible dream?

The NHS was established to eliminate inequalities in access, care experience, and outcomes. Technological advances and research to underpin evidence-based care have transformed health and care services. Yet, 70 years on, not only do inequalities persist; evidence suggests that they are widening. The ‘postcode lottery’ means that where you live affects your access to care and likelihood of good outcomes. North/South divide in quality of life, morbidity, and mortality exist within the UK and globally.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the extent of health and care inequalities. The pandemic also illuminated the influence of intersectional factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status. Men, older, poorer people and those from minoritised communities had increased vulnerability and were more likely to die.

There has been increasing investment in research to tackle health and care inequalities by funders most notably UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Expansion of digital healthcare aligned with ‘patients as partners’ and ‘coproduction’ approaches suggest democratisation of healthcare and solutions-focused methods to tackle inequalities.

Focusing on ethnic inequalities in mental healthcare, this presentation explores the likelihood that these innovations will improve access, care, and outcomes for those who experience the greatest inequalities. In the race to tackle inequalities, will ‘the devil take the hindmost’?

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Dr Selam Kidane

University of West London

Psychology Lecturer

Biography

Dr Selam Kidane is a systemic psychotherapist trained at the Institute of Family Therapy in London, UK. She is currently based at the University of West London where she teaches Psychology of mental health and psychotherapy. Her research interests are mostly related to refugee resilience and mental health. She has worked with various refugee communities and particularly with separated refugee children in the UK and has authored practice guides and training manuals in relation to that work. Prior to coming to UWL she worked as a systemic therapist for an integrated clinical service in London. Her book: Trauma, Collective Trauma and Refugee Trajectories in the Digital Era outlines her Phd research among Eritrean refugees.

Abstract

Building TRUST Healing Communities

War and political violence cause devastations to the individuals involved and their communities with impacts lasting decades and risking the welfare of forthcoming generations too. However delivering trauma support that is effective and practical is often not the priority in refugee reception contexts. Sometimes even with the best will in the world refugee agencies are unable to deliver support with the language and cultural specialisms for many communities; TRUST(Trauma, Resilience, & Understanding Self-Help Therapy) was an attempt to utilise ICT to overcome some of these challenges and deliver therapy, in the form of self-help therapy, to a marginalised and highly mobile Eritrean refugee community in Tigray (northern Ethiopia) and to Ugandan internally displaced women in Northern Uganda. This presentation will highlight the steps taken in developing TRUST and the impact it had on the individuals and communities. The projected demonstrated that ICT can indeed be effectively utilised to deliver crucial support and overcome various challenges.

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Thupten Jinpa Langri

The Compassion Institute

Founder & Chairman

Biography

Thupten Jinpa, Ph.D. is the Founder and Chairman of Compassion Institute, and the principal author of Compassion Cultivation Training™ (CCT©), the Institute’s flagship compassion education offering, developed while Jinpa was at Stanford University.

Jinpa trained as a monk in South India, where he received the Geshe Lharam degree. Jinpa also holds a B.A. in philosophy and a Ph.D. in religious studies, both from Cambridge University.

Jinpa has been the principal English translator to H.H. the Dalai Lama since 1985 and has translated and collaborated on numerous books by the Dalai Lama including the New York Times Bestsellers Ethics for the New Millennium and The Art of Happiness, as well as Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World. His own publications include A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to be Compassionate Can Transform Our Lives and translations of major Tibetan works featured in The Library of Tibetan Classics series.

A frequent speaker at various international conferences on mindfulness, compassion, and contemplative practice, Jinpa also serves as an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University, Montreal and is the founder and president of the Institute of Tibetan Classics. He has been a core member of the Mind and Life Institute. Francisco Varela the Chilean biologist, philosopher, cybernetician and neuroscientist who, together with his mentor Humberto Maturana, is best known for introducing the concept of autopoiesis to biology, was a co-founder of the Mind and Life Institute to promote dialog between contemplative science and Buddhist philosophy. Jinpa has been the Chairman of the Board of the Mind Life Institute since January 2012.

Abstract

Thupten Jinpa Langri - Keynote Presentation

Compassion can be defined as the strength to be with suffering and the courage to take action.

Based on Thubten Jinpa’s work in founding the Compassion Institute which develops programs to promote individual and societal wellbeing, AFT invited Thubten Jinpa to present at the AFT annual conference.

Jinpa developed the CCare Compassion based training Caring From the Inside Out: Foundations of Self and Collective Care whilst based at Stanford University, designed to help those in healthcare and public health gain a deeper understanding of the factors that contribute to stress and burnout and provide practical skills and tools to support well-being. He has incorporated traditional practices along with emerging research in the area of contemplative science to present a modern, secular and universal methodology.

https://www.compassioninstitute.com/research/

For family and systemic psychotherapists, it is suggested that stronger compassion for oneself and others, provides the opportunity to hone skills and create habits that promote resilience as well as the ability to identify and respond to our own physiological needs and triggers and ultimately become healthcare providers who are able to better connect with, and compassionately care for clients and each other.

The wider aim of the Compassion Institute is systems transformation to improve outcomes by advancing the core value of compassion throughout institutions and sector-level systems. In this presentation and conversation with Jinpa we will focus on how we can continue to develop as compassionate leaders and therapists.

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Shakira Maknoon

NHS CAMHS Service | Mulberry Foster Care Service

Systemic Family Therapist

Biography

I currently work as a Systemic Family Therapist with the NHS Tier 3 CAMHS service and 2 days with a Mulberry Foster Care Service. Whilst I have recently qualified as a Systemic Psychotherapist, I have 18 years’ experience of working with children and their families in both the private, public, and voluntary sectors. I also deliver training to school staff, foster carers and social workers to help them consider their positioning and their part in the co-creation of meaning within their relational contexts.

My earlier career has included working within family rights, as a senior Social Worker and Functional Family Therapist. During my career, I have endeavoured to work mindfully and respectfully with a diverse range of families within different contexts. I have been in pursuit of fair access to services and mental health support for my clients. I am particularly interested in culturally informed practice and the relational positioning which I and my clients navigate, within our different and shared contexts. I am passionate about collaborating to ‘see’ the injustices and sometimes pathologizing positions within relational patterns of communication (within and in body, action and words). As I continue to learn and develop, I endeavor to see the unseen and hear the unheard voices. I strive to be curious of the embedded meanings of where discrimination becomes sustained in relational systems - in the spirit of this and in my pursuit of racially mindful practice, I am currently a facilitator for the AFT Diversity Working Party (DWP) ‘Race’ Group.

Abstract

Diversity Working Party Presentation - Bridges…It’s not just a short cut or straight forward

Multiple perspectives in bridging the old, the new, language, relationships, affordances, constraints and opportunities in crossing the terrain of Race, Ableism, Migration. How do we and others , help ourselves and others navigate such terrains with truth, fiction, and reflection - which is useful when?

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John Burnham

Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital

Consultant Family and Systemic Psychotherapist

Biography

John Burnham, CQSW, MPhil, Dip FT, FELLOW AcSS; Fellow UKCP;. I trained as a Social Worker in 1974 and went on to become Consultant Family and Systemic Psychotherapist in the Inpatient Service for Eating Disorders at Parkview Clinic, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Birmingham. In 1977 I was a founder, and later Director of the Systemic Training Programme where I still loiter as Academic Lead, float around as a Clinical Supervisor and sort of co-lead the supervision course. My approach to therapy and supervision is under the influence of systemic, narrative, and social construction theories and my working class roots. My practice methods and techniques are shaped by Cecchin; Queenie Harris, Karl Tomm and Michael White. My professional passions include ‘thinking theory and talking ordinary’; ‘turning practice into theory’ ‘creating self and relationally reflexive practices’; ‘creating solidarity between young people, parents and professionals through multiple family therapy’, and using social and personal GgRRAAAACCEEEESSSS….S to enable clients and practitioners to conceptualise and influence their experiences.

Abstract

Diversity Working Party Presentation - Bridges…It’s not just a short cut or straight forward

See Diversity Working Party abstract above.

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Jennifer Achan

Hammersmith and Fulham CAMHS

Systemic and Family psychotherapist

Biography

My name is Jennifer Achan. I am a life coach and professional public speaker. I started my career as a Psychosocial Practitioner and HIV activist. I have worked in diverse communities with complex needs within social care, privately and for NHS. To help you make sense of experiences, and part of what informs my daily practice, my ways of being.

I have twenty-five years of experience in working with individuals, couples, children and families, within social care and therapeutic environments. Covering a range of roles, working with domestic violence, male victims who have also experienced abuse, difficulties in living with HIV. Asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors, looked after children and care leavers, Early Help and volunteering for HIV charitable organisations and now I am working in community CAMHS in Hammersmith and Fulham As a Systemic and Family psychotherapist.

Abstract

Diversity Working Party Presentation - Bridges…It’s not just a short cut or straight forward

See Diversity Working Party abstract above.

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Prudencia Woode

Children and Families Clinical Service

Specialist Clinical Practitioner

Biography

Prudencia Woode is racialised as a Black British woman of African Caribbean lineage. An experienced Social Worker and newly qualified Systemic Psychotherapist, Prudencia is currently employed as a Specialist Clinical Practitioner in a local authority Children and Families Clinical Service.

Prudencia offers systemic family therapy sessions in clinic and community settings to children and families from diverse cultural contexts facing a broad range of socio-emotional and relational challenges. Using systemic ideas in practice, Prudencia offers case consultation and training to social care and multi-disciplinary teams, foster carers, student social workers and therapists.

Prudencia is committed to work in ways that challenge whiteness as an ideology. She is passionate about exploring the effectiveness of systemic approaches to work involving anti-Black racism and anti-Black racial trauma in professional settings.

Abstract

Diversity Working Party Presentation - Bridges…It’s not just a short cut or straight forward

See Diversity Working Party abstract above.

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Samuel Angus

NHS

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Biography

Samuel Angus BSc (Hons), PGCert. I was born and raised in West Yorkshire. Married, with children and grandchildren. Family, being a man of faith and a badminton player are all important aspects of my wellbeing.

I have worked over two decades in the NHS, predominantly working with families during my career. My work within the field of systemic family therapy commenced around 2011 on a part-time secondment as a member of the reflecting team. I have a degree in BSc (Hons) Mental Health Practice, post graduate qualification at Systemic Practitioner- Intermediate level as well as having studied for 4 years at Master’s Level.

My academic experience to date has been challenging - I share this because I had a relationship with what I now know as dyslexia, a characteristic on the receiving end of ableism. This was long before it was confirmed on Valentine's Day in 2014, while studying the MSc as a mature student.

Once my dyslexia was identified as being part of my life, I had to work through the process of seeing and understanding myself through new lenses. I decided the dyslexia would be used to enhance my future from the traits it brings with it.

I am Co-facilitator for the Ableism working group within AFT, and I am also a member of the AFT Race group.

Passion:

Due to life experiences as a black and disabled man living in England, I am drawn to advocating for justice, equality, and anti-discriminatory practises. This pursuit for dignity, respect and fairness is why I became a Cultural Inclusion Ambassador within my place of work and joined the Ableism and Race Groups outside of work. Another passion is talking with people experiencing loss through bereavement, it is a subject I would like to specialise in.

Aspirations:

My aspiration is to be a fully qualified accomplished therapist by 2024 and an author/co- author within the next 5 years. I also aspire to be part of a winning team again in the local badminton league.

Abstract

Diversity Working Party Presentation - Bridges…It’s not just a short cut or straight forward

See Diversity Working Party abstract above.

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Linda Pow

CAMHS Inpatient Team

Family Therapist

Biography

Linda is of white Scottish heritage, she has worked as a play worker, family support worker and as part of the youth offering team before becoming training as a family therapist. She currently works in a CAMHS inpatient team as a family therapist where she continues to learn from the young people and the families and Co-workers. She has a passion for justice and equality and learning to play the accordion.

Abstract

Diversity Working Party Presentation - Bridges…It’s not just a short cut or straight forward

See Diversity Working Party abstract above.

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Sarah Favier

Private Practice

Systemic & Family Psychotherapist

Biography

Co-facilitates the Gender & Sexuality DWP with Rosie Buckland. I am a Systemic & Family Psychotherapist, Supervisor and Trainer and worked in the NHS for over twenty years and am now in independent practice. This includes working as a Supervisor for the Birmingham MSc in Family Therapy and offering private supervision and therapy. Previously I worked in CAMHS and NHS gender identity services with children, adolescents and their families/ carers and in NHS adult transgender services where I learnt much from clients and colleagues. I identify as queer and am a spouse and parent. It is partly the intersection of professional and personal interests and identities that brought me to this Diversity Working Party.

Abstract

Diversity Working Party Presentation - Bridges…It’s not just a short cut or straight forward

See Diversity Working Party abstract above.

Rosie Buckland Photo
Rosie Buckland

Adult Mental Health Services

Systemic Practitioner & Social Worker

Biography

I work as a systemic practitioner and social worker in a family therapy team in adult mental health services and also independently; writing, delivering training, teaching, and authoring Safeguarding Adult Reviews. I’ve recently competed a PhD exploring the use of power in assessments under the Mental Health Act. I enjoy the way these different strands of work complement each other and the opportunity to think systemically about organisations as well as families. I live in Bristol with my transmasc partner and our two young children and have been involved with queer communities, politics and organisations for many years. I co-facilitate the gender and sexuality group within AFT and hope to foster a space where issues of sex, gender, gender identity, sexuality and sexual orientation may be thought about in the broadest sense in relation to our selves and our work.

Abstract

Diversity Working Party Presentation - Bridges…It’s not just a short cut or straight forward

See Diversity Working Party abstract above.

Elaine Holliday Photo
Elaine Holliday

Independent Practice

Systemic Family Therapist and Art Therapist

Biography

Elaine Holliday is Systemic Family Therapist and Art Therapist, trainer and supervisor. She is in independent practice. Her main areas of specialism are fostering and adoption and working with children in special education. Elaine has developed courses and workshops which explore art making and non-verbal communication within a systemic approach.

Abstract

All our stories, all our colours. An invitation to begin your day with a slow-paced slideshow full of colours and imagery

This is a selection of paintings made by members of the ‘Using All Your Colours’ ppd group which has been meeting monthly online for over two years now. In each session we paint and share stories and we have discovered how beneficial it is to meet in this way. We have created a space where we can be creative and reflective and look after ourselves and each other. We have created slideshows, compilation slides and had many discussions. Our paintings stay together as a diverse and united collection. It offers an endless reminder for what can evolve and grow when we meet together and each have a place and a voice.

The slideshow includes paintings we have made in response to the conference theme.

We hope you find pictures and colours which connect with you and which light up your imagination. We hope it offers a welcome and peaceful way to settle into the conference.

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