United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland Chapter

United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland Chapter

ACBS UK and Republic of Ireland Chapter

Affiliated 2011

Click here to join the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland Chapter and listserv

To email this listserv directly, send messages to: acbsukandroi@lists.contextualscience.org

For the chapter listserv, you will receive those messages in daily digest form (by default).  If you would like to change your email delivery preference, you can do so here.

Website: acbsukandireland.com

Current Board

President: Louise McHugh 

President Elect: Nick Hooper

Past President: Elizabeth Burnside

Secretary: Helen McGillivary

Treasurer: Jim Lucas

Student Representative: Anna Ryan

Member at Large: Natalie Savage

Member at Large: Dawn Johnson

Member at Large: Mark Oliver

Member at Large: Jonathan Williams

Student Representative: Conor McCloskey

To email the board directly send a message to: acbsukroi@gmail.com

To email the entire Chapter Membership, please join the listserv using the instructions at the top.

 

David Gillanders

United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland Chapter Election - Candidate Information

United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland Chapter Election - Candidate Information

Ballot closes 4 November 2024. 
Please vote here.

You will be able to vote to confirm the candidate for President Elect.

President Elect

Dawn Johnson
Bio

Professionally I would be described as a Clinical Psychologist. I now work in private practice offering therapy, supervision, workplace away days, university teaching, and ACT training which I co-deliver with Dr Richard Bennett via our training platform ACTivatingYourPractice.com. 

That always feels like useful information, although, it also tells people very little about who I am. That feels a lot harder to sum up in a few words, however, it feels worth trying to do so, after all, it is my ‘me-ness’ that is being nominated for election, not simply the training days of my Doctorate course that resulted in the above title. 

So, who am I? Well, this is a bunch of stories I have about myself that help me make sense of my world. 

I am someone who feels more at home in water than on land. I feel better in my body, I get a sense of freedom, and I appear to have endless energy until I hit land again. I also enjoy being outside in nature closer to home, walking my bouncy two-year-old Collie cross in woodlands and over countryside fields. 

I am also someone who aims to live in line with my values. This can mean being willing to do something hard, over what is easy. I like that quality about myself as it feels that I live the work I invite others to do. One of my superpowers is my connection to my “super-feeler” skills. Whilst this can feel exhausting at times, I love that it also makes me empathic, compassionate and that I hold a great deal of genuine care about others. 

Whilst my love of swimming may not offer much to a Presidential role, I notice my mind having the thought that my other skills could offer something of use to the UK&ROI Chapter Board. I am willing to lead and to be guided and work in collaboration. I am willing to undertake difficult tasks in the service of something greater. I am willing to learn and be humble, and to step up and take responsibility. I am open to feedback and making changes, as well as using my voice and speaking up for things I see and believe in. It is these skills and qualities that I would like to offer to the ACBS community and would be honoured to be considered to serve as President Elect and future President for the upcoming term. 

 

Vision for the next Presidential term

I have had the honour of being a UK&ROI Chapter Board ‘Member at Large’ for the last two and a half years. During this time, I have contributed to many initiatives that the Board have organised to grow the community of people interested in contextual behavioural sciences in the UK&ROI Chapter. Growth feels like a value that the Board have consistently held with lightness and excitement. It feels an important thing to also hold onto for any future President role. I would like to do this by continuing to expand the offering the Board can make to its UK&ROI and international audiences, both in terms of accessible training, networking events, live conferences and growing a connected community of people that share their knowledge, wisdom and resources. 

In addition to growth, it also feels important to nurture the community of people we already are. Whilst the above events also encompass our existing community, I would like future work to focus on a sense of nurturing and welcoming in voices that currently feel under-heard, under-represented or unseen. This work will partly be supporting the recently appointed specialist EDI role that Dr Lynn Farrell has taken, ensuring that we invite feedback and act based on what our community is asking for more of. 

There are so many committed existing Board members, and I would love to offer a Presidential term where people feel willing and able to share their ideas, express their views, feel heard and empowered to take actions that they perceive to serve the community. My view in taking a voluntary role is that we offer our time for free in the service of a value of contribution, commitment, development and compassion. I would like to offer those qualities myself, as well as encourage them in other Board members, other ACBS volunteers, and the wider community that we aim to serve. 

Community

ACBS UK&ROI Privacy Notice

ACBS UK&ROI Privacy Notice

29 May 2018

Privacy Notice
The Association of Contextual and Behavioural Sciences United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland Chapter (ACBS UK&ROI) are committed to serving its members fairly and diligently. We respect each member’s right to privacy and so it is important to us that you understand how your personal information is stored and used by the chapter board. This privacy notice explains what data we hold about you, how it is processed, and how you can affect the processing of your data.
1. How your data is collected
Who collects your data?
Your personal data is provided to us by the Association of Contextual and Behavioural Sciences (ACBS), when you indicate on their website that you would like to join the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland Chapter. We do not collect any personal data directly ourselves.
A log of any posts that you have made to our email group, the UK and Republic of Ireland Listserv is also held on ACBS website. You should be aware that posts you make will also be received by some members into their personal email inboxes. We are unable to monitor or delete this information once it has been received by other members in this manner.

2. What data do we hold?
The only personal data we have access to are your name, email address, city of residence, state/county of residence, ACBS membership expiry date, and details of which other ACBS groups you are a member of. The lawful basis by which we hold and process this information is known as ‘legitimate interest’ under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

A log of any posts that you have made to our email group, the UK and Republic of Ireland Listserv is also held on ACBS website.
3. How your data is stored
Your data is only stored on the ACBS website. Please refer to ACBS privacy policy for further information https://contextualscience.org/privacy_policy
From time to time, the membership list is downloaded as a Microsoft excel spreadsheet so that we can verify and process membership requests or carry out other membership tasks. When this work occurs, the spreadsheets are stored securely on personal computers of board members and destroyed immediately after use.
4. Who has access to your data?
We do not share your personal data with any third parties. Only the UK & Republic of Ireland Chapter Board members have access to your personal data. If you are a member of the Chapter email group, (the ACBS UK and Republic of Ireland chapter listerv) then other members of that group are able to communicate with you via group e mails, but they do not have access to your personal data. Occasionally, the board is asked to pass on advertisements from providers of training related to Contextual Behavioural Science. We do not share your data with them, though we do pass on adverts and member offers that the board deems are consistent with the purposes of the chapter.
5. How do we use your data?
We use your data primarily for communication purposes. Our main method of communication to our membership is by using the ACBS UK and Republic of Ireland Chapter Listserv. If you opt into this communication channel, then we will use your data to add your name and email address to that group. We will use that group to communicate in a variety of ways including the following:
• Informing you about upcoming chapter related events
• Informing you about chapter-related activities
• Informing you of opportunities to become involved in chapter activities
• Informing you about board elections
• Informing you about activities of the chapter board, such as board meetings and matters relating to our bylaws.
• Passing on adverts and member offers that the board deems are consistent with the purposes of the chapter.

Other members of the chapter listserv are invited to contribute to the email group within the parameters described here:
https://contextualscience.org/group/uk_and_republic_of_ireland_chapter
We also have a chapter email address acbsUKROI@gmail.com that you can use to contact the chapter board. We may communicate with you directly as an individual from that address regarding your membership, or to respond to any queries or complaints that you’ve raised with us.
In addition to communication, we may occasionally look at our membership personal data to examine any trends in the membership as a whole, for example, geographical representation. We do not engage in any individual profiling of members.
If required to do so, we would work with authorities in cases of fraud or criminal investigations.
6. How can you affect how we communicate with you?
When new members join the chapter, they will be invited to opt into the chapter listserv. Members of this group can unsubscribe using the ‘my membership’ link on the listserv page: https://contextualscience.org/group/uk_and_republic_of_ireland_chapter
Alternatively, you can email us at acbsUKROI@gmail.com to request that we unsubscribe you from the listserv and/or remove your name and details from the chapter membership list. If you ask to be removed from the chapter membership list, we will send you a confirmation email to let you know that you are no longer a member of the chapter.
 

Elizabeth Burnside

UK ACT Materials

UK ACT Materials

This page is to post up any materials developed in the UK, particularly where metaphors or techniques have been adapted to a UK audience.

David Gillanders

ACBS UK & ROI Chapter event March 2018 - slides

ACBS UK & ROI Chapter event March 2018 - slides

As promised here are the materials and slides etc from the chapter relaunch that was held on 28th march 2018, In London.

David Gillanders

ACBS UKROI 22 Plenary: Dr Karen Salt

ACBS UKROI 22 Plenary: Dr Karen Salt

What's in your piping?

Many people have dedicated their lives and energies to fighting for inclusion and greater diversity. Organisations and individuals now talk about biases, think about ways of making hiring practices more accessible and work to augment any gaps in their knowledge about the histories of people from down the road and across the oceans.

Yet, as much as there has been attention on processes and policies, there have been areas left out of this consideration that isn't just about diversity and inclusion but good practice, good governance and good work.

This talk will navigate that terrain and ask participants to critically consider the piping in their practices and organisational and institutional frameworks.


About the Speaker:

Dr Karen Salt has over 27 years’ worth of experience engaging and co-creating solutions with communities, organisations, charities and governmental bodies. An expert on governance, systems and transformative change, she has led and managed interdisciplinary research centres, collaborative research teams and large research projects, including those focused on producing evidence-informed interventions and policies. She is currently the Deputy Director of R&I System Diversity and Security within UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the UK’s largest public funder of research and innovation. She has the challenging but rewarding task of driving UKRI’s cross-organisational strategic thinking and policymaking on system diversity and Trusted Research and Innovation. A sought after thought-leader and speaker, Salt works closely with leaders across Government, academia, civil society and industry and contributes to numerous international initiatives focused on embedding inclusive policymaking.

jimlucas

ACBS: Fractured or Fractal Community? By Jacob Martinez

ACBS: Fractured or Fractal Community? By Jacob Martinez

ACBS UK & Ireland Conference 2022 in Liverpool

In this keynote presentation ACT Therapist Jacob Martinez explores the nature of participation and complaint in the ACBS community. You'll learn about fractal organisations, the commodification of communities and how to help an organisation thrive.

Educational Objectives:

1. Describe common DEI related complaints within ACBS.
2. Define fractal mode of organisation and how it applies to ACBS.
3. Apply a model of variation, selection and retention to participation in ACBS.

jimlucas

Chapter Logo

Chapter Logo David Gillanders

Peer Supervision Networks across the UK & Republic of Ireland

Peer Supervision Networks across the UK & Republic of Ireland

Learning ACT or other CBS approaches is very hard on your own. We encourage the development of communities of practice at a local level, to meet regularly, to use experiential methods to practice skills and give and receive feedback. 

Here is a link to an editable google doc with details of the peer networks we know about. If you set up a group and are happy for people to join you, please post the details in this document

UK & Ireland Peer Networks

David Gillanders

Recording of mind train defusion exercise

Recording of mind train defusion exercise

This is a recording of the mind train defusion exercise. It is the version that I use with mental health clients with personality disorder diagnoses, and I've modified it in the following ways:

1. It involves a fair amount of description of the physical aspects of the bridge over the track (particularly the solid brickwork), to help people who are particularly prone to fusion and dissociation to at least start the practice with a sense of being on the bridge, and to have something solid to return to during the practice.

2. Most of my clients have histories of suicide attempts, so the description of the bridge includes a high wall that they can just rest their chin on, to reduce the chances of them immediately having images of throwing themselves off. Without this kind of modification, this client group can get so dysregulated by the format of defusion exercises like this, that they don't actually manage to get on with the practice. Of course, it's not possible to stop such images showing up, and nor would you want to necessarily, as it would be helpful for people to cultivate a more defused relationship with these images. However, it's also not helpful for people to become overwhelmed emotionally before they have even started the practice!

3. The exercise has been simplified - it involves practicing defusion just with thoughts/images/memories, unlike some versions of the exercise where people are invited to picture three different trains - for thoughts, emotions and sensations. My experience is that most people find that too complicated.

4. This version of the exercise included descriptions that are likely to be meaningful to people living in the UK.

My experience is that generally clients with complex, mixed Axis I and Axis II presentations find it possible to engage with this practice and find it helpful.

Anonymous (not verified)