2025 NCPS Conference – Conversations in Counselling

CHRIS FREDERICK
MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATE & LIVED EXPERIENCE ADVISOR

Chris Frederick is a suicide attempt survivor, global citizen, lived experience advisor and mad Star Wars fan. Focusing on the unique needs of Black men experiencing suicidality and mental health challenges in the UK through Project Soul Stride. He advocates for increased funding for Black-led research, culturally specific services and peer support networks. Chris collaborates with various organisations to promote systemic change and reduce stigma.

Neurodiversity Ambassador

Claire is an HCPC registered art psychotherapist and NCPS counsellor who is passionate about promoting greater acceptance of behavioural differences within the neurodiversity paradigm and improving authenticity and quality of life for all. Claire is autistic and ADHD (AuDHD) and is a mother to three children.

Dr Dwight Turner is Course Leader on the Humanistic Counselling and Psychotherapy Course at the University of Brighton, a PhD Supervisor at their Doctoral College, a psychotherapist and supervisor in private practice. His publications include The Psychology of Supremacy (2023), and Intersections of Privilege and Otherness in Counselling and Psychotherapy (2021), which are both published by Routledge, together with several chapters in anthologies on aspects of counselling and psychotherapy, and over 50 academic papers on everything from intersectionality in psychotherapy, to dreamwork, to Afrocentric spirituality. A leading driver in Intersectional Psychotherapy, Dr Turner is an experienced conference speaker, including numerous keynote presentations. Dr Turner has also run workshops for a wide variety of Universities, Charities, and private organisations on issues of race, difference and intersectionality in counselling and psychotherapy.

Jyles is the CEO of the NCPS, and is particularly passionate about the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people. He is a vocal advocate for placing counselling & psychotherapy at the heart of the wider mental health landscape, and ensuring that practitioners are recognised for the work that they do. While not a practitioner himself, Jyles has spent a significant amount of time on the periphery of the profession, and has long supported practitioners in their work, championing the need for early intervention and relational support in schools and their wider communities.

LOUISE LYONS-APPIAH SYNKORA CONSULTING (CO-FOUNDER)

Louise Lyons-Appiah is a passionate advocate for mental health, personal development, and equality. As co-founder of Synkora Consulting, the first youth-led EDI consultancy, and BreatheUni, a student wellbeing initiative, she empowers individuals and organizations to foster inclusivity and resilience. She has collaborated with The Foreign Office, Superdrug, Mental Health First Aid England, and HSBC, delivering impactful talks on identity, race, and mental health. As a Young Changemaker, she has worked with The Centre for Mental Health, The Diana Award, UK Youth, and Beyond, using her lived experience to lead social action to address systemic inequalities in mental health.

LYNDA GRAHAM SENIOR ACCREDITED COUNSELLOR AND ADOPTION PANEL MEMBER

Lynda Graham is a Senior Accredited Counsellor with the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society. After twenty-five years as a Social Worker and Senior Practitioner, Lynda set up a Private Counselling Practice. She has a particular interest in Post Placement Blues/Depression and has set up a Specialist Counselling and Support Service for prospective and new adoptive parents who are struggling following the placement of their child/children. Having researched this topic for her MSc in Counselling she also provides training to potential adoptive parents, Social Workers and other professionals. Lynda is also a Counselling Supervisor and Trainer and Adoption Panel member with a local Health and Social Care Trust.

Magz Gibney, a survivor of domestic, sexual, and political violence, became a UNICEF Young Ambassador for Peace at 12. She has since dedicated her life to supporting young people, women, and families affected by poverty and political violence in Northern Ireland. A campaigner for children’s rights, peace, and justice, she studied psychology, psychotherapy, and somatic EMDR. She currently works as a Service Manager for Start360 Engage Women Service. She is an activist with New Script for Mental Health.

Myira is a multi-award-winning Accredited Counsellor, Supervisor, Coach and Counselling Tutor, and the Founder of the Muslim Counsellor and Psychotherapist Network (MCAPN).

Myira works in private practice, under her organisations ‘Myira Khan Counselling’ and ‘Grow to Glow’ and has over 12 years of clinical experience. Myira also delivers workshops and events internationally and is a regular speaker and facilitator at national conferences. As the Founder of the Muslim Counsellor and Psychotherapist Network (MCAPN), Myira runs the network for Muslim counsellors, therapists and psychologists, offering support, CPD opportunities and raising the visibility of Muslim practitioners. A visibly Muslim ethnically-minoritized practitioner, Myira represents a diversity within the therapeutic and coaching professions, promoting counselling and coaching to ethnically-minoritized, Muslim and under-represented marginalised communities and clients.

ALLY FOSTER AND ROBERT FISHER NCPS ORGANISATIONAL MEMBERS, HAWK & HEATH Hawk and Heath Ltd is a company focused on promoting wellness through nature, particularly through the practice of forest bathing, also known as Shinrin-Yoku. This eco-therapy involves immersing oneself in nature and mindfully engaging the senses, which has been shown to have mental and physical health benefits.

Sara Boyce has worked with Participation and Practice of Rights (PPR) since 2016 as a Campaign Organiser with the New Script for Mental Health campaign. Prior to working with PPR, Sara worked across the island of Ireland with a range of community development and human rights organisations. From the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, Sara worked as a Speech and Language Therapist with the Irish Health Services. She holds a Masters in Equality Studies from University College Dublin and is currently undertaking a Masters in Poetry in Queens University Belfast.