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Counsellors, Psychotherapists and the Wider System of Mental Health Care (Online – 6 hours)

How and where does the role of the counsellor and psychotherapist sit within the wider system of mental health care in the UK today? Whilst our core trainings provides us with a good grasp of theory and skills to engage individuals within our practices, a solid understanding of our location within the mental health care system is often neglected. This can result in a lack of awareness concerning the journey and experiences of our clients as they navigate their way through the mental health care system, a reduced sense of our legal and ethical duties as mental health practitioners and insufficient knowledge concerning who our colleagues are within the mental health care system and how to collaborate with them effectively.

This six-hour online workshop therefore aims to provide an overview of the wider system of mental health care provision and the role of counsellors and psychotherapists within it.

Workshop aims

• To gain an appreciation of the impact on mental health service users and their families of diagnosis, stigma, normativity and minority experience
• To understand the different professional and personal roles in mental health care
• To clarify the psychotherapist/counsellor role in the provision of collaborative care
• To identify our duties in the provision of non- discriminatory service
• To clarify the role of medication (prescribed and non- prescribed) and its impact
• To develop an understanding of the ethical and legal considerations pertaining to the above including appropriate familiarity with the Mental Health Act (MHA)2007 and the Equality Act 2020

Mental Health Familiarisation Placement

This training has been designed to meet the aims of the ‘Working within the Wider Systems of Care’ component of the UKCP’s requirements for a Mental Health Familiarisation Placement. It can be attended as a standalone workshop or as part of the complete Mental Health Familiarisation Placement Series being delivered by The Link Centre between Autumn 2025 and Spring 2026.

Delivery: Live and interactive via Zoom. Sessions will not be recorded.

Cost: £110 per workshop. A discount of 10% will be applied to group bookings of all four workshops for a total of £396. Contact admin@thelinkcentre.co.uk to book. Link Centre Members please contact the office to book.

Participant numbers: Spaces are limited to 40 participants.

Recognition: A Link Centre Certificate of Attendance for the number of hours completed.

Pre-Course Requirements: Participants should be qualified or trainee Counsellors or Psychotherapists.

Presenters: Geoff Hopping, TSTA (P), MSc (TA Psych)

Geoff started his mental health career as a psychiatric nurse, and then subsequently became a mental health social worker. In the late 80’s his social work career took a turn when he found himself working in the HIV/AIDS pandemic in West London.

He trained initially at the Metanoia institute and qualified as a Clinical Transactional analyst in 1996, and as a Teaching and Supervising transactional Analyst in 2003. He also trained and qualified as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist with the Forum for Independent Psychotherapists and did a one year supervision diploma course at the SAP (Jungian). He started ministry training with the One Spirit Foundation and was ordained in July 2021.

He had a private practice in South London for fifteen years and in 2005 he became a Consultant Psychotherapist at a high security prison in the therapeutic wing.  He worked there for eight years.  As a member of a multi-disciplinary team Geoff worked with psychiatrists, psychotherapists, nurses, psychologists and prison staff within the NHS framework.

Following his retirement from the prison in 2013, he developed a supervision practice and has been a tutor at the Metanoia Institute, TA East and The Link Centre, where he has recently become a become a Director.

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