What can the world of psychotherapy and counselling contribute to wider social justice and progressive social change? Lynne Gabriel and Kate Smith interview one of the most socially influentially psychotherapists in the world, Dr Susie Orbach.
This event is included in a series of seminars organised in collaboration with the Therapy and Social Change Network.
Course Content
Presenter
Kate Smith PhD. is an academic at Abertay University in Scotland where she oversees the MSc in Pluralistic Therapy and the Tayside Centre for Counselling. She has led a number of initiatives within the pluralistic practice community, as well as being the co-author of The Pluralistic Therapy Primer, 50 Frequently Asked Questions in Pluralistic Therapy, and a co-Editor in Chief of the Pluralistic Practice Journal.
Dr. Susie Orbach is a psychoanalyst, psychotherapist, writer, activist and social critic. She co-founded The Women’s Therapy Centre, London in 1976. Her first book, Fat is a Feminist Issue has been continuously in print since 1978. Her most recent In Therapy is based on the Radio 4 series of the same name heard by 3 million listeners. She lectures widely in the UK, Europe, NZ and North America, has provided consultation and social policy advice for organisations from the Government and the NHS to the World Bank. She was a visiting professor at the London School of Economics and a Guardian columnist, both for 10 years and continues to work with many individuals and couples from her practice in London. She is a member of The Balint Consultancy.
Lynne joined the academic and teaching team at York St John in 2003. She is Professor of Counselling and Mental Health, a British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) Accredited and Registered Counsellor and Psychotherapist, and a trained supervisor of practitioners working within the counselling and helping professions.
As an experienced mental health researcher and practitioner, Lynne has taught core modules on developing helper skills. She also leads on a postgraduate research year for counselling professionals seeking to develop their practitioner-researcher skills and knowledge. Lynne supervises coaching, counselling, counselling psychology and allied health research students and Chairs the University’s Research Degree Committee.
In 2016, Lynne founded York St John’s Counselling and Mental Health Centre and two years later, its associated Research & Training Clinic Consortium (RTCC). The RTCC membership is drawn from several counselling and mental health centres set in UK Universities. Lynne Chairs the Ethics and Good Practice Guidance Committee for the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy and delivers CPD on relational ethics for the counselling professions. Lynne is also a member of BACP’s Research Committee, supporting strategic development of research.
The Therapy and Social Change (TaSC) Network is a broad affiliation of people interested in exploring the interface between therapeutic ideas and practices and social justice perspectives and actions. We are interested both in the ways that counselling and psychotherapy can be practiced with social justice concerns in mind (for instance, tackling unconscious biases in the consulting room), and also in the ways that therapeutic principles and practices can be extended out to the wider social realm (for instance, developing social and emotional literacy in schools).
