Counselling Workshop on Systemic Practice for North Staffs Mind

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Robert Dempsey

Beverley Meakin

Belinda Priestley and Beverley Meakin, lecturers in Counselling from Staffordshire University’s Psychology Department, blog about a recent Continuing Professional Development (CPD) workshop they gave to counsellors from the North Staffordshire Mind organisation.

On Saturday 19^th September we delivered a one day CPD workshop on Systemic Practice to an enthusiastic group of 24 counsellors from North Staffs Mind. Mind contacted our counselling team and requested an Introduction to Systemic Practice as their counsellors often have to see a partner or carer of adult clients, or parents of young people they work with. It can be quite a challenge to manage therapeutic conversations with more than one person in the room!

A Systemic Approach pays attention to communication patterns, the interpersonal aspects of relationships and the context of the people concerned as well as the ethical and organisational contexts. Family dynamics can be a powerful influence and a therapist can find themselves in a very different environment with family members present rather than on a one to one with the client.

The enthusiasm and openness of the group from Mind helped the day develop into a fascinating experience as participants reflected on their own contexts, family dynamics and ethical concerns. They built on knowledge and skills through engaging in a very life like role play scenario! Feedback was really helpful for us to develop the day further and very clear about what was most worthwhile and enjoyable.

‘Surprisingly I enjoyed the role play!’ commented one participant ‘I feel I gained from every aspect of the CPD’

Others found the role play difficult and the small group exercises more useful ‘looking at systems within families, uniqueness’, ‘learning about the different interventions and family scripts’. There were requests for more… ‘Felt like we only touched the surface, perhaps 2 days training?’ ‘Will definitely be interested in more CPD from Staffs Uni’.

The School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise at Staffordshire University offers a range of qualifications in counselling and psychology. For more information about the wide range of Psychology degrees on offer please visit our website and our courses page.

Staffordshire University offers counselling courses ranging from Foundation Degrees with local partner colleges, undergraduate degrees (including a British Psychological Society accredited BSc Psychology and Counselling degree) and postgraduate counselling qualifications at our Stoke-on-Trent City Campus:

FdSc in Counselling (Riverside College)
FdSc in Counselling Theory and Practice (Shrewsbury College)
BSc Counselling (top up) (Riverside College)
BSc Psychology & Counselling (BPS Accredited, Staffordshire University)
University Certificate in Counselling (Staffordshire University)
Certificate of Attendance: Introduction to Basic Counselling Skills (Staffordshire University)
PgDip/ProfDip Psychotherapeutic Counselling (Staffordshire University)
MSc Psychotherapeutic Counselling (Staffordshire University)

Crystal Meth, Group Sex and HIV: Exploring applications of Health Psychology among marginalised populations (Thurs 5th Nov, 4pm)

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Robert Dempsey

Dr Adam Bourne

The School of Psychology, Sport & Exercise is pleased to welcome Dr Adam Bourne (Lecturer, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) who is giving the third Visiting Speaker talk on Thursday 5th November, 4pm, in the R001 Lecture Theatre in the Science Centre (Leek Road campus).

Adam will be speaking about his research into health behaviours among marginalised populations, particularly as they relate to sexual health. Adam’s work has included a number of mixed-methods studies of HIV-related risk behaviour among gay and bisexual men, both in Europe and in the Caribbean, and of black African migrant populations. Adam has also lead several studies that explored the wider health and well-being of gay and bisexual men, and has a particular interest in alcohol and drug use among this population.

All staff, students and members of the public are welcome to attend these free Visiting Speaker talks – join in our live tweeting from the talk using the #StaffsVSS event hashtag. We hope to see you there!

The Visiting Speaker seminars are a regular series of free talks hosted by the School of Psychology, Sport & Exercise. Psychologists from across the country are invited to speak at these events to share their research and discuss their findings with staff and students from Staffordshire University. The Visiting Speaker series is also open to anyone from the general public with an interest in psychological research.

Making an impact: Service design for School Communities (Visiting Speaker, Thurs 15th Oct, 4pm)

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Robert Dempsey

The School of Psychology, Sport & Exercise is pleased to welcome Dr Sarah Norgate (Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of Salford), who is giving the second Visiting Speaker talk on Thursday 15th October at 4pm in the R001 Lecture Theatre in the Science Centre (Leek Road campus).

Sarah is an applied developmental psychologist and will be speaking on her research into service design in schools and the use of mobile app technologies to support the use of “walking buses” with primary school children.

Stoke’s Psychology in the Pub returns for 2015/16!

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Robert Dempsey

After a highly successful first edition of the Stoke Psychology in the Pub series in 2014/15, we are pleased to announce that a new series of talks by psychologists from Staffordshire University and the West Midlands region starts on 7th October!

Stoke’s Psychology in the Pub is organised as part of the British Psychological Society‘s West Midlands branch. The talks provide a forum for psychologists, healthcare professionals, students, and anyone with an interest in Psychology to hear about the latest psychological research being conducted in the West Midlands.

The 2014/15 edition saw a series of great and inspiring talks from academic psychologists working in Staffordshire University’s Psychology department and universities around the region, including talks on subjects as diverse as: managing stress; the psychology of swearing; effects of perceived social norms on alcohol use; food allergies; benefits of green spaces on health; sexuality; as well as a musical final edition with psychology-related songs! Click here to see photos from the other 2014/15 talks.

Staffordshire University’s Keith Walmsley-Smith at June 2015’s PitPStoke

The 2015/16 edition of #PitPStoke starts on Wednesday 7th October 2015 with David Parkes (Staffordshire University) talking about “Psychogeography“.

Subsequent talks in 2015 (which may be subject to change) include Dr Alexandra Lamont (Keele University) talking about “Music, Emotion and Wellbeing” (4th November), and Colin Preece (Staffordshire University) discussing “Sherlock Holmes and Psychology” (2nd December).

The Glebe Pub, Stoke-upon-Trent

The talks take place in the Glebe Pub, Glebe Street, Stoke-upon-Trent, ST4 1HG. Talks start at 6pm and last until 7pm, with opportunities for questions to the invited speaker and networking after the talk has finished. Guests are advised to arrive early to secure a seat and order food/drinks! Directions to the Glebe Pub can be found here.

Students, staff and anyone interested in psychology from the general public are very welcome to attend the talks! No need to book just show up!

Don’t forget that you can join in the Psychology in the Pub conversation using the #PitPStoke twitter hashtag or follow the Staffordshire University Psychology Department twitter feed for live tweets (@StaffsPsych)! We hope to see you there!

School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise’s Visiting Speaker Series 2015/16

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Robert Dempsey

Dr Nichola Street

Dr Nichola Street announces a new edition of the Visiting Speaker Series in the School of Psychology, Sport & Exercise:

Each year the School holds a visiting speaker series hosting academics and practitioners working in a variety of settings around the UK. We encourage attendance from everyone with an interest in psychological research and practice and we hope to see students, staff and the general public attending and engaging with psychological research.

The series is held on Thursdays from 4-5pm on a (mostly) bi-weekly basis and begins next week on Thursday 1^st October. In Semester 1 talks will be held in the Science Centre Lecture theatre R001 and Semester 2 in Ashley Lecture building LT2. To keep up to date with the schedule or for more information please visit the visiting speaker series webpage for information.

This year we have a great line up of speakers that show the current and up to date trends in a number of different areas within psychology. A wide range of topics will be covered by this year’s speakers including health psychology, face perception, forensic and investigative psychology, impact pathways in applying psychology as well as cognitive and experimental neuropsychology.

First Visiting Speaker: Dr Elena Hoicka, Thursday 1st October, 4pm

Dr Elena Hoicka

Next week the series kicks off with Dr Elena Hoicka from University of Sheffield who will be coming to speak with us about her work in developmental psychology and particularly how ‘Toddlers think for themselves!’ the abstract for her talk below outlines the fascinating research she will be discussing.

‘Toddlers think for themselves!’

Social learning has been a large focus of early developmental psychology for the past two decades. While importantly revealing how culture is transmitted to young children, questions about how young children come up with their own ideas and learn for themselves have been largely ignored. In this talk, I will present research showing that toddlers can be creative and come up with their own ideas. I will focus on two streams of research – toddlers’ creation of their own novel jokes, and toddlers’ divergent thinking with novel objects. However, I will also demonstrate that social learning can be an important part of children’s independent learning and thought, suggesting both of these strands of learning are inter-connected.

New students, returning students, members of staff, and anyone with an interest in psychology are very welcome to come along! Hope to see you Thursday 1^st Oct 4-5pm, R001 Science Centre for a chance to hear about the latest research in psychology.

For more information please contact the Visiting Speaker series organiser: Dr. Nikki Street Tel: 01782 294672 Email: nichola.street@staffs.ac.uk

For more information or details of the wide range of Psychology degrees on offer at Staffordshire University please visit our website and our courses page.

The School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise at Staffordshire University is a leading School in the UK for Psychology degrees and is situated in the heart of England. We produce internationally recognized research which is driving knowledge in this area forward and we work with a variety of healthcare providers, charities, international sports teams and private sector organisations.

Annual Staffordshire Clinical Psychology Trainee Conference a Success!

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Robert Dempsey

Trainees at the 2015 Conference

Ruth Graham, a current trainee Clinical Psychologist at Staffordshire University, reports on a success conference for trainees hosted at the University in the Summer of 2015.

The Clinical Psychology Trainee Conference took place in June and was deemed a great success. This year marked a new turn for the conference, as two trainees designed and ran the day. Following last year’s successful conference about service user involvement, trainees were keen to lead the way in being open and honest about the personal and professional challenges faced by psychologists.

The theme for the conference was ‘Creating Breathing Space’ and it was designed with the intention of being an experiential breathing space on the day, as well as figuring out new ways to find breathing space within trainees’ personal and professional lives.

Trainees writing their personal reflections about the challenges of accessing self care in their personal lives.

The morning included some action participatory research that allowed for group discussions and individual reflections on the challenges to accessing self care across different areas, such as university, year groups, the NHS, the therapy room, personal life and the world. This was then followed by a brilliant and well received talk on video by Professor Delia Cushway, a consultant clinical psychologist who has spent much of her career exploring trainee and professional stress amongst psychologists.

The trainees listening to Professor Delia Cushway’s video talk.

The afternoon was filled with a variety of workshops that had different takes on breathing space. They included art therapy – where therapeutic slime was met with varying reactions!

A space for mindfulness was a welcome relief amidst a busy day, whilst Konnektiv Arts, a community drama company, offered thoughtful discussion on the presentation of mental health. Neuro-circus added a fun and different approach to self-care as many tried out their balance and juggling skills.

Trainees gathered together at the end in order to offer final reflections and comments on breathing space and how it can be found and fought for in the workplace. Creative reflections led to a tie dye ripple effect wall hanging that reflected the collective impact of individual steps to find breathing space.

The ripple effect and two trainees who have enjoyed the day.

Overall the day was a great success, with trainees enjoying being together and having the space to look after themselves, both in the moment and going forward. Look out for a more in-depth presentation and experience of the conference in the exhibition room in The Science Centre, 28^th September to 2^nd October!

For more information about courses in Psychology and Clinical Psychology at Staffordshire University please visit our course pages here.

Psychology Technicians from across the UK and Ireland descend on Staffordshire University for the 40th Annual ATSiP Conference

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Robert Dempsey

The 3-day Association of Technical Staff in Psychology conference, hosted by Staffordshire University’s Technical Skills Specialists Sarah Higgins and Paul Gallimore, obtained record numbers of attendance and was well received by the delegates. There were a range of talks throughout the conference, ranging from gesture recognition using the Microsoft Kinect to using eye-tracking equipment and the evolving role of the Psychology Technician at universities.

Paul and Sarah present ‘The Links between Essential Technical Skills and Core Teaching’, at the 2015 ATSiP Conference, Staffordshire University.

The delegates also had the opportunity to tour around the Psychology facilities within the Science Centre at Staffordshire University, which left many in admiration:

‘we’re very envious of your lovely building and your equipment… certainly something to aspire to’ – Julia Mackenzie, University of Hertfordshire.

‘the Staffs department is something to aspire to and a similar level of accessibility of the equipment to the students is something I hope to achieve in the near future’ – Oliver Clark, Manchester Metropolitan University.

‘You’ve a fine setup, there was a lot of us very jealous’ – Michelle Glasheen, Mary Immaculate College.

Delegates dined locally for their evening meals at the Rare Lounge Bar and Steakhouse and David’s Brassiere which included a visit to the Italian Gardens in the gorgeous sunshine!

Delegates at the 2015 ATSiP Conference held in Staffordshire University’s Science Centre

The hosts commented ‘the feedback we received from delegates was amazing, everyone was impressed with the laboratories and equipment we had to offer and how they were integrated within student learning’ – Paul Gallimore.

‘It has been a privilege to host the 40^th annual conference. We are so grateful for the sharing of best practices and the valuable feedback in relation to the technical provision we currently provide’ – Sarah Higgins.

Staffordshire University to host the Association of Technical Staff in Psychology (ATSiP) Conference in June 2015.

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Robert Dempsey

June is nearly here! This month sees Psychology Technical Skills Specialists Sarah Higgins and Paul Gallimore gearing up in preparation as Staffordshire University plays host to the Association of Technical Staff in Psychology (ATSiP) three day annual conference (24th – 26th June).

ATSiP Logo

The conference will see over 60 delegates arriving from from Universities across the UK and Ireland as well as exhibitors and suppliers of specialist equipment in attendance.

Talks at the conference will include:

Links Between Delivery of Essential Technical Skills and Core Teaching – Paul Gallimore and Sarah Higgins (Staffordshire University)

Effectiveness of Audience Participation Software (Turning Point) – Prof David Clark-Carter (Staffordshire University)

The Unseen Technician – Andrew Barnes (University of Surrey)

Developing a Preschool Diagnostic Methodology for Dyslexia – Maria Shaw (Edinburgh Napier University)

There will also be several specialist talks focusing on the use of Eyetracking, EEG and Biopac equipment.

You can follow the events at the conference via the Staffordshire University Psychology twitter account (@StaffsPsych) and via the newly created Psychology Technician’s account (@StaffsPsyTech).

Join in the conversation using the conference’s twitter hashtag: #ATSiP2015

Psychology Careers Fair 2015 – Improving students’ employability!

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Robert Dempsey

Heather Semper, Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology & Employability and Careers Tutor for Psychology, reports on a successful Psychology Careers Fair:

A very busy fair!

The Psychology Department hosted a very successful annual careers fair on Monday 16^th March 2015 in the Science Centre. A number of organisations attended the fair, including the British Psychological Society, the Samaritans, Think Ahead, Saltbox, In Mind, Challenge UK, and the Staffordshire University Careers team. Stalls were set out with information about careers, jobs and volunteering opportunities and postgraduate courses available at Staffordshire University.

Students had the opportunity to discuss their career options with the exhibitors, and collect some freebies at the same time. There were talks given by current postgraduate students studying Psychology related postgraduate courses at Staffordshire about their experiences in postgraduate study.

Stalls at the Careers Fair

Students welcomed the chance to speak with current postgraduate students to get a real feel for what it is like to study at postgraduate level and enjoyed speaking with organisations about opportunities available to them.

The event had some really positive feedback from exhibitors who said that they were very impressed by our range of students and their enthusiasm for psychology related careers. The event was also well received by students who tweeted: “Found the careers fair really useful & informative today! Thank u team staffs!!!”.

Keep updated with the latest news and events from the Psychology department via the @StaffsPsych twitter feed!

Psychology’s Big Bang!

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Robert Dempsey

The BPS Stall at the Big Bang Fair

Psychology Staff (Sarah Dean, Louise Humphreys, Erica Lucas and Judy David) and Student Advocates (Liam Howitt, Blessing Edobor and Kiran Ul-Haq) attended the Big Bang UK Young Scientist and Engineers Fair at Birmingham NEC on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th March 2015. This large event aims to promote science, technology, engineering and maths to young people aged 7-19. The StaffsPsych team were part of the British Psychological Society’s stall at the fair and gave live demonstrations to visitors using the department’s Mirror Drawing task, a procedural memory activity!

Blessing having a go at drawing via the mirror!

Level 4 student Blessing said “Working at the Big Bang Fair 2015 was an amazing experience I can never forget in a hurry. I was involved in approaching people of diverse age groups to perform a mirror drawing task and at the end explaining why they experienced difficulty in performing the task using Perception and Learning explanation. I felt really pleased to have taken part in this event to promote Psychology and Staffordshire University. I was able to put my communication skills into effective use during the event. I will also like to add that taking part in this event boosted my confidence level because I was given an opportunity to be in charge; to work as an exhibitor, as participants looked up to me for an explanation and I believe my response was well appreciated based on their expressions. Once again it was an amazing experience!!!’’

For more information about courses in Psychology at Staffordshire University please click here. Keep up to date with the latest news, events and research updates from the Staffordshire Psychology team via @StaffsPsych.

InPsych – Psychology at Staffordshire University

News, Events & Research updates from the Department of Psychology at Staffordshire University, UK.

Category Archives: Events