If you are a counsellor or psychotherapist who practises from Ireland then the place to be is the Northern Ireland Counselling Forum!
We have been established since 2004, a network of BACP, NCS,IACP,et al; counsellors/Psychotherapists, who are full of enthusiasm to see the profession grow, develop, and be granted parity of esteem in Ireland.
This group usually meets in Belfast at a convenient venue. It is self-governing running on a simple constitution with a core group organising workshops. There are visiting local speakers and trainers from both north and south or from elsewhere if they happen to be available and on our side of the Irish Sea. we hope to learn more about the rich resources that already exist in our field from within our own membership.
The NICF provides a forum for NI colleagues to network, share ideas, enthusiasms and concerns that are particular to us and the province while considering the whole of the island of Ireland. The possibilities are endless, and we feel that there is a need for this initiative to continue along the lines that other regional groupings have found useful in the rest of the UK.
If you are a student of a counselling course, we would be particularly keen to see you at our meetings and you will have the opportunity to learn from members who are new to the scene and learn from others in the field through their extensive experience. We also have meetings dealing with the Supervision of Practitioners
Just in case you are wondering how much this is going to cost we want to assure you that we are trying to keep cost to a minimum. The subscription is £25 Life Membership. It is expected that NICF members will be members of a Professional Body. Of course, if you wish to come just to the occasional meeting then there will be an individual charge for a meeting of £10 non-member, £5 member. If you are not a member of a Professional Body then you will be welcome to come along anyway for the cost of the meeting that you attend.
So, there you are……..the place to be in Northern Ireland, if you are a counsellor or psychotherapist, is at a meeting of the Northern Ireland Counsellors Forum (NICF) website www.nicf.org.uk especially for news of our Conference on 20th May 2023 being held in The Dunsilly Hotel, Antrim.
Brenda Tighe – Chair