Annual School Counsellors’ Conference

Our Annual Conferences are nationally important for schools, school pastoral staff, counsellors and psychotherapists alike, and connect schools and colleagues across the country with insightful, practical professional development.

Update: 18th Annual Counsellors' Conference - 25th September 2025 

Thank you to everyone who joined us yesterday! We were delighted to welcome so many new faces alongside our faithful followers.  The reflections on Menti captured the spirit of the day - with words like connection, informative, thought-provoking, enriching, community, safe and energising.  We're already looking ahead to next year: Save the Date - Thurs 24 September 2026, same venue, same time!  Keep an eye on this website for further details as they emerge in due course.  

Wishing you all the very best for the remainder of the term. 

Read our first blog post! (May 2025)

We're delighted to share this reflective piece by Debbie Lee, Lead Counsellor at King Alfred's Academy, and one of our 2025 Conference workshop leaders.  In this blog, Debbie explores the emotional complexity and blurred boundaries that can arise when working therapeutically with school staff. Full of real-life insight and quiet honesty, this pieces explores the emotional complexities and boundary questions that arise when supporting colleagues in a therapeutic role.  It's a thoughtful read for any practitioner navigating the delicate space between connection and professional clarity.

Blog-The-Pull-is-Strong-Debbie-Lee.pdf

Read our second blog post! (September 2025)

This time, we're going behind the scenes. In this blog, our conference team take you backstage for a glimpse into the quieter side of conference prep, and a reminder of the energy that makes the day so special!

Blog-Behind-the-Scenes.pdf

17th Annual Conference

Our 17th Annual conference opened with a personal and thought provoking address by Debbie Lee entitled 'Acting Out and Acting Up the Psychodrama of a School', the introduction to which can be viewed below.  Additionally, our experienced workshop leaders led insightful sessions covering topics including identity, jealousy, death, autistic girls and creative play.

16th Annual Conference

Shona Reed-Purvis' heartfelt address 'What HAS love got to do with it? Connections in therapy', laid the foundations for the day, with further workshops on themes including narcissism, strong emotions, divorce, hate and grief.

A short clip from Shona's keynote speech can be viewed below.

15th Annual Conference

The Storm After the Calm: therapeutically picking up the pieces - brought us together in person for a full day of face to face professional learning and nourishment with new and familiar colleagues. Our experienced workshop leaders hosted sessions on race, chaos, feelings, psychosis and relationships.

Kathy Peto delivered an impactful keynote speech, 'The Young Person, the Family and the Outside World: how do we as therapists find our positions in the systems surrounding young people?'

A short clip from Kathy's keynote speech can be viewed below.

Previous Conferences

Our School Counsellors' Conferences began in 2008, and were introduced by our late colleague and friend, Nick Luxmoore. They quickly became an established fixture in the school calendar, with new people coming from far and wide and old friends returning. The conferences are intended to raise the profile and clinical standard of counselling in schools and provide an opportunity to reconnect with other counsellors to celebrate their work with young people in schools.