Name: Counselling Matters
Start: 2025-11-29T10:00:00+00:00
End: 2025-11-29T12:30:00+00:00
Location: Frederick Street Quaker Meeting House

This Forum will be facilitated by the new NICF Chair to explore the current state of affairs in relation to the provision of counselling
About this Event

This Forum will be facilitated by the newly appointed NICF Chair, Sharon Ramsden, to explore the current state of affairs in relation to the provision of counselling & psychotherapy in Northern Ireland

The forum leads on from Professor Nichola Rooney’s (Chief Psychological Professions Officer, Department of Health) presentation at the NICF ‘Come as You Are’ Conference in which she presented the 4 strands under review within the Department of Health to evaluate the current provision of psychological services within Northern Ireland. It also comes at a timely juncture as the PCPB (Partnership of Counselling and Psychotherapy Bodies) establish their independently chaired Commission for the Future of Counselling and Psychotherapy which will examine the current and future landscape of the professions and the key issues affecting the sector, professionals, services and client.

As the largest membership body within Northern Ireland (we have over 1000 members), the NICF has the potential to influence both policy implementation and legislation around service provision. The voice of our members cover all sectors of private practice, community and voluntary and statutory services. We meet clients and service users from a vast array of experiences and issues and have first-hand knowledge of some of the opportunities, challenges and barriers client experiences as well as we as therapists encounter in trying to meet the needs of our clients. This workshop welcomes hearing from all our members including students, volunteers, qualified counsellors and supervisors so that we can add our voice and our clients’ voices to the future of psychological services.