Helen Alexander, BD, Dip. Sw
Helen Alexander is a Minister of the Church of Scotland and trained in Gestalt Therapy before qualifying in Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy in 2001. She also worked for many years in Social Work. She is registered with the British Psychoanalytic Council and is a member of the Scottish Association of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists and of the Forum for Independent Psychotherapists. She lives in Edinburgh, where she divides her work between part-time Christian ministry and private psychotherapeutic practice.
Helen encountered The Clinical Theology Association almost 30 years ago at a difficult period in her life, and CTA/BPF has since played a significant part in her professional and personal development. She is now an authorised Small Group Facilitator and Chair of the Scottish Conference Committee. She values BPF immensely for its promotion of the experiential nature of psychological growth work within the framework of theoretical understanding, its commitment to the integration of this with Christian faith and practice, and not least for the enduring friendships she has made.
John Barrett, BSc, PhD
John first came across the Clinical Theology Association (CTA), as it then was, in 1987. His church was starting training to set up a counselling centre, and decided to work with CTA. He undertook the seminar programme, and found it invaluable for personal development and self-awareness, and it also provided a huge boost to his confidence and self-esteem, which assisted his subsequent career enormously.
John has attended numerous conferences since 1992, both in Scotland and England, and been a small-group trainee facilitator at several conferences. John became an assistant tutor in 2003, and that same year joined the leadership team, as company secretary, and went on to become a Trustee in 2004. John became Treasurer in 2007, and has continued as a Trustee. From 2006, John was part of the team that developed the new psychotherapy course, which BPF launched in 2008, based at Douai Abbey. John became one of the first students, and in 2011 commenced the 4th and final year. John was re-elected as a Trustee at the AGM in July, and he is pleased to continue to serve BPF through this exciting time of new endeavours and opportunities.
Michael Butler
Michael Butler first came to CTA in 1987 and was later trained as a tutor by Tony Waite and Arthur Laxton. He came from a a background of 30 years in the Police service and and another 5 years in a council of voluntary service. He served on the original council and executive of CTA. He has served as Secretary and Chairman of Wessex region and currently serves as a BPF trustee. His concern is for the promotion of Pastoral Care so as to reach greater numbers in a fractured world. He has tutored seminars and modules on a half-weekend basis in the Fareham area for several years, but now is living in North Devon.
Marion Hale Dip PC& C, Dip CMed S, Cert Ed
Marion completed the CTA seminars led by Denis Hyde in 1980. These influenced her both personally and professionally and she took a year off from teaching to train in pastoral care and counselling. This led to an advisory role in Hampshire, facilitating courses and groups for staff in PSHE. In 1996 she was invited to set up a counselling service in a GP practice. She then worked privately, running her own training and counselling service until retirement in 2006.
Marion renewed her contact with CTA in 1990. She was authorised as a CTA tutor and co-facilitated seminar groups and day courses. She joined the CTA council and executive, chaired the Authorisation Panel and became Chair of BPF in 2001. She has facilitated and supervised groups at many conferences and was particularly interested in training tutors. She now chairs the Board of Management for the BPF Psychotherapy Course. She was invited in 2009 to become Chair Emeritus, to support the work of BPF, which she values immensely and which she believes provides a bridge between her faith and her counselling.
Rae Lewis, BA, MA, PGTC
Rae’s first contact with Frank Lake was in 1973, in a Growth Group facilitated by Frank Lake at Lingdale in Nottingham. Subsequently, she attended Clinical Theology seminars in the 70s, with Brian Hawker and then with John Gravelle. She was also trained in Pastoral Counselling at St John’s College, Nottingham, in the early 80s and later worked as a tutor. All these experiences helped her to grow, both in self-awareness and in pastoral work. This led her to undertake an MA in Counselling Studies at Nottingham University from 1996-99 and establish a small counselling practice.
As a teacher, Rae found the insights from all she had learned very valuable. Rae was a Co-tutor for seminars and on the Being and Doing course with CTA, and on other pastoral care courses. Since 1974 Rae has attended many conferences with the organisation and has co-facilitated at several conferences. Her role on the Leadership Team of BPF for the last four years has been as Chair of the Annual Conference Planning Committee. Rae is happy to serve as a Trustee, at a time when the organisation is growing and developing.
Rachel McGovern, MA, BSc, NCFE
Rachel first attended BPF conferences in 2002. Finding something unique, she developed her interest further, attending Modules in Ilkley and Bolton. Rachel feels her personal and spiritual growth within BPF has greatly enhanced her professional work as a BACP Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist/Supervisor; increasing her self-belief and sense of achievement. Her Master’s Dissertation focused in part on her BPF journey, exploring in particular the use of the Sandtray. Already delivering Cruse Bereavement courses, Rachel’s desire to run Modules led her to study a Certificate in Further Education and become an Authorised Assistant Tutor. She also co-facilitates small groups at conferences, and has extended her knowledge and experience further with a formal training in Group Analysis. She describes BPF as giving her so much, which is why she is passionate about redressing the balance. She has been on the Leadership Team and then a Trustee since 2010, holding a responsibility for BPF Practitioners.
David Thompson, MA, MSc, Cert. Ed
Between 1980 and 1983 David attended CTA seminars led by Denis Hyde. At that time he was teaching Physics and working as a Senior Tutor at Farnborough Sixth Form College and greatly valued the opportunity to get to know and understand himself better, as well as being able to apply what he was learning both in his teaching and in his pastoral work with students and staff. In 1990 David was invited to attend a Tutors’ Conference, and since then he has worked as a co-tutor with several different groups. In addition to attending many Annual, Scottish and Tutors’ Conferences, he has served on the Annual Conference Planning Committee and became a member of the BPF Leadership Team some eight years ago, being given the specific task of reviewing the Tutors’ Manual. Currently he is the chair of the BPF Authorisation Panel and is happy to serve as a trustee of BPF.
Jane Thompson, MB, BS, MA
Jane first came across CTA in 1980 when looking for pastoral training for volunteers in a Community Care scheme. Attending the CTA seminar programme with Dennis Hyde, she experienced significant transformation in both her personal and professional life. She is grateful for what she learned about herself through the impact of fantasy journeys and experiential work. She was thrilled to find a way of being which linked her Christian faith and her medical training.
Jane retired from full time General Practice in April 2006 and joined the leadership team of BPF as Chair in July 2007. Since her retirement, she has led a medical team to Uganda, working with the HIV/AIDS programme there, and has also completed an MA in Christian Spirituality at Sarum College in Salisbury. Jane wants more people to have the opportunity to learn more about themselves through the modular training programme and become better equipped to help others. Having assisted on three training courses, she has been approved as an assistant tutor. She would like the opportunity to continue to serve the community of BPF as a trustee.
James L Wilson, BD CPS
James Wilson is a Minister in the Church of Scotland. He first encountered CTA in 1985 when, having completed his preparation for ministry, he came across “Clinical Theology” at the point it was being re-published. Having done some training in psychotherapy during his ministry training, he was attracted to attend the Scottish Conference in Crieff, where the speaker was Howard Clinebell. He went on to undertake the seminars in Aberdeen under John Grant and subsequently attended almost all the conferences in Scotland and England. He became an assistant tutor and then a tutor, and has been a Small Group Facilitator since 1991. James was a Member of Council and of the Authorisation Panel, before joining the Leadership Team in the newly-named Bridge Pastoral Foundation.
James believes that Frank Lake’s training materials, together with the integrative process of small group work, make the organisation stand out from others. He counts it as a privilege to be associated with both the work and the people involved in it, and wishes to continue to support the organisation in any way he can.