Working with Client suicidality
7.30pm – 9.45pm Thursday 4th September 2025 live via zoom. Cost: £20 per person.
Working with clients at risk of suicide can challenge the most experienced of practitioner. Holding professional responsibilities, such as working within a contract, working within any organisational expectations as well and thinking about the client’s safety – all while retaining a clear therapeutic focus – can be very difficult. Additionally, relational dynamics – referred to in the literature as ‘unacknowledged countertransference’ or ‘out of awareness responses’ can unwittingly shape therapeutic intervention unhelpfully.
The purpose of this session is to consider all these factors, through discussion and presentation of latest good practice guidance, to help participants think about their own practice and how they might continue to build confidence in working with suicidality. Ultimately, the key message of the training will be that working with suicidality is the therapy.
Trainer
Professor Andrew Reeves
Andrew has been a counsellor/psychotherapist for over 30 years and has worked across a full range of working contexts, including health, social care, education (secondary and tertiary) and third sector, as well as an independent practitioner. He has additionally supervised practitioners for their work with clients across a full range of settings.
He is a Professor in the Counselling Professions and Mental Health at the University, as well as Director, Colleges and Universities for the Charlie Waller Trust.
Prior to becoming a counsellor/psychotherapist Andrew qualified as a social worker and worked in a Social Services setting. Initially with vulnerable adults, he then specialised in working with children and families and with young people, both therapeutically and also as a child protection social worker.
He remains a Registered Social Worker with Social Work England. He was Lead Author on the development of the curriculum and content for the MindEd and Counselling MindEd e-learning resource. He was Approved under the Mental Health Act (1983) to undertake statutory Mental Health Act assessments and working for several years in an out-of-hours emergency mental health crisis team.
His specialist area of practice is with young people, men, with people who present with suicide risk and those who self-injure and self-harm. He has written extensively on these subjects, and was the Editor-in-Chief of Counselling and Psychotherapy Research journal for six years. He is Immediate past-Chair of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, which he headed up for 5 years. As such, Andrew is leading a number of national and international initiatives in the development of counselling and psychotherapy, including in the developments of pluralistic therapy and single-session therapy. He is author of the highly successful Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy: From Theory to Practice, 2 Edition with Sage, and the forthcoming text, Standards and Ethics for Counselling in Action, 5th Edition with Professor Tim Bond (Sage) – amongst other books, chapters and professional articles.
To book a place please contact Mary Jones on
mary@nationalcounsellingtraininginstitute.co.uk or 0121 2469348
CPD certificates are issued
Limited places so advisable to book early
Contemporary Sexuality, gender and relationship issues in the therapeutic encounter with the founder of Pink Therapy Dominic Davies
7.30pm – 9.45pm Wednesday 22nd October 2025 live via zoom. Cost: £20 per person.
Details
This workshop aims to equip counsellors with essential knowledge and skills for working effectively and ethically with Gender, Sexual and Relationship Diversity (GSRD) clients. Participants will explore:
• The importance of GSRD-affirming practice and cultural competence
•. Key theories and concepts related to gender, sexuality, and relationship diversity
•. Common challenges faced by GSRD individuals, including minority stress and social stigma
• Strategies for creating a safe and inclusive therapeutic environment
•. Ethical considerations and best practices when counselling GSRD clients
Through interactive discussions, case studies, and self-reflection exercises, attendees will enhance their understanding of GSRD issues and develop practical skills for providing affirmative support. This workshop emphasises the validity of diverse identities and practices, encouraging counsellors to examine their own assumptions and biases.
By the end of the session, participants will be better prepared to support GSRD clients in exploring their identities, addressing mental health concerns, and fostering resilience in the face of societal challenges.
Trainer
Dominic Davies
Dominic stands as a trailblazer in an innovative therapeutic approach, having co-edited six influential textbooks on counselling LGBTQ+ individuals. As the founder and CEO of Pink Therapy, he has established an internationally recognised online training programme in Gender, Sexual and Relationship Diversity (GSRD) Psychotherapy.
With over four decades of experience as a therapist, Dominic has shifted his focus primarily to supervision, mentoring, and training. His expertise and contributions to the field have earned him prestigious recognitions, including:
• Fellow and Accredited Supervisor with the National Council of Integrative Psychotherapists
•. Fellow of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society
Dominic’s work has been instrumental in advancing affirmative therapy practices for GSRD clients, emphasising the importance of cultural competence and specialised training in this area. His dedication to the field continues to shape the landscape of GSRD-focused psychotherapy and counselling education.
To book a place please contact Mary Jones on
mary@nationalcounsellingtraininginstitute.co.uk or 0121 2469348
CPD certificates are issued
Limited places so advisable to book early
27th November 2025. 7.30pm-9.45pm
The Fundamentals of Working with Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
with Christiane Sanderson
Current research indicates that only 1 in 8 survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) report their abusive experiences, often years later. For practitioners, providing effective therapy becomes challenging when both survivors and therapists are not able to recognise the link between a range of mental and physical health issues and a history of CSA. Such links can be seen in emotional dysregulation, complex trauma reactions, dissociation, persistent somatic complaints, chronic shame, a wide range of addictions, self-harm and suicidal ideation, as well as compulsive disorders, compromised sexuality and relational difficulties. The danger of not being able to identity the relationship between CSA and presenting symptoms is that CSA remains undetected which can lead to misinterpretation and the continuation of pervasive mental and physical health problems, and misdiagnosis. It is critical that practitioners have a good understanding of the impact and long term effects of CSA and how this manifests in a range of clinical settings so that they are able to respond appropriately.
This training will explore the impact and long term effects of CSA and identify common symptoms and how these link to CSA to enable practitioners to have an understanding of the nature and dynamics of CSA and how these manifest in the therapeutic space, to enable a deeper understanding of the lived experience of survivors and how to work with them.
Learning Objectives
· Identify the range of CSA including in the family, siblings, educational and sports settings, institutional settings, and religious and faith communities and the intergenerational transmission of CSA
· Explore the nature and dynamics of CSA - the role grooming, silence and secrecy, traumatic bonding, shame and the distortion of reality
· Conceptualise CSA as complex trauma and its neurobiological impact and link to PTSD and C-PTSD and dissociation
· Examine the psychological impact and long term effects of CSA including relationship and sexual difficulties, compulsive behaviours, addictions, self- harm, and the impact on parenting
· Highlight how these manifest in the therapeutic space
· How to use the Power Threat Meaning framework, Trauma Informed Practice and Shame Sensitive Practice when working with survivors of CSA
Biography of trainer
Christiane Sanderson is a former senior lecturer in Psychology and Counselling at the University of Roehampton, of London with over 35 years of experience working in the field of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), sexual violence and complex trauma. She has delivered guidance and training for parents, teachers, social workers, nurses, therapists, counsellors, the police and faith communities. Her research interests span trauma informed therapeutic practice, shame sensitive practice, PTSD, Complex Trauma, Relational Trauma, CSA, and sexual violence, domestic abuse and narcissism. She is the author of We Are Still Here: What Counsellors and Therapists Can learn from the Lived Experiences of Child Sexual Abuse Survivors; Working with Survivors of Sibling Sexual Abuse: A Guide to Therapeutic Support and Protection for Children and Adults; Counselling Skills for Working with Shame; Counselling Skills for Working with Trauma: Healing from Child Sexual Abuse, Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse; Counselling Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, 3rd edition; Counselling Survivors of Domestic Abuse; The Seduction of Children: Empowering Parents and Teachers to Protect Children from Child Sexual Abuse, and Introduction to Counselling Survivors of Interpersonal Trauma, all published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. She has also written The Warrior Within: A One in Four Handbook to Aid Recovery from Sexual Violence 4th Edition; The Spirit Within: A One in Four Handbook to Aid Recovery from Religious Sexual Abuse Across All Faiths; Responding to Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse: A pocket guide for professionals, partners, families and friends, and Numbing the Pain: A pocket guide for professionals supporting survivors of childhood sexual abuse and addiction for the charity One in Four for whom she is a trustee.
To book a place please contact Mary Jones on
mary@nationalcounsellingtraininginstitute.co.uk or 0121 2469348
CPD certificates are issued
Limited places so advisable to book early