Universities Psychotherapy Association

U.P.A. Conference "Charm & Strangeness" 8-9.xi.96

The following is from a piece Digby Tantum wrote about the U.P.A. for Network 5(1) for September 1994 so the positions held are out of date now (31.vii.96). I am in the process with the Wendy Watt, another member of the U.P.A., and with the blessing of the U.P.A., of sorting out a lot of U.P.A. information for mounting here.

The Universities Psychotherapy Association had its first Scientific and Annual General Meeting on the 16th December 1993. This was attended by 28 people and the UPA officially inaugurated by the adoption of a constitution, and the election of officers.

The UPA now has a substantial membership drawn from over 20 University courses. Some of these latter are nonclinical and graduates of these courses will become research rather than clinical members of UPA. UPA is applying for institutional membership of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy and will, if accepted, be putting forward, in collaboration with Sections of UKCP, clinical members for registration. It is hoped that, in this way, graduates of University psychotherapy trainings which are not linked to training institutes can be registered.

UPA is strictly non-sectarian. We welcome the staff and students of University courses and research centres in the field of psychotherapy whatever their theoretical background. We intend to sponsor collaborative ventures, including conferences, to develop the academic and research base of psychotherapy and look forward to working closely with SPR in this area. We also intend to be a forum for exploration of the common ground in the psychotherapies.

Once we are established, UPA and its individual members with experience in University courses will be available to assist academics in planning new courses and Universities in the validation and audit of existing courses.

The present Council of the UPA is Claire Adams (University of Belfast), Dennis Flannery (University of Leeds), Alison Hall (Leeds Metropolitan University), Tim Kendall, Vice-Chair, (University of Sheffield), Frans Lohman, Honorary Treasurer, (University of Hull), Alan Lidmila (University of Sheffield), Nick Riding, Honorary Secretary, (University of Kent), and Digby Tantum, Chair, (University of Warwick, now University of Sheffield).

Digby Tantum, Professor of Psychotherapy
Sheffield University