Webinar: BACP Accreditation Road Map. 6th July 2024

Mix
For anyone outside of the complex and confusing world of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the following post may not interest you. And that would be completely understood. What follows below is part invitation, part advert and part promotion of an idea. Getting through accreditation is a process.
1 it doesn’t have to take 8 years (it did for me! Yes Anne W it did!) or
2. be an incomprehensible mess!

Stay Seated
After 2 failed attempts, which I talk about on the webinar, I forced myself to sit down and read through all of the criteria BACP asks for. This was in the middle of the Pandemic. What else really was there to do? Panic. Yes. Buy canned copious amounts of goods. No. Get as many toilet paper rolls as possible and hoard them. Do you remember that? Definitely not! Watch every daily briefing on CoViD19 cases rises and death tolls, in London, the UK and in Europe. I gave this one a miss too.

Smiling
What I did do is write as best as I could all sections of the criteria for the accreditation process. I wrote, edited, rewrote, edited some more and kept up this process of writing reading and editing until each section could stand up on it’s own and sing. There’s a line in Chef’s Table Pizza where Chef Chris Bianco shares, early in his cooking career, that he had to work on a piece of mozzarella cheese until it smiled. The phrase stood out for me.

Outline
The webinar about the roadmap to BACP accreditation success will cover:
My story,
Why now,
Outline each of the criteria,
Pass the mic to attendees for Q + A,
The 2^nd part of the webinar is where I share how the support with me will work.

Definition
The aim of the webinar is to support counsellors and psychotherapists to successfully complete all of the stages to become accredited with BACP. The support that will be offered arrives in three programmes. One-to-one support.
One-to-one and group support.
Group support is the last programme of support to be offered.
In four weeks begining in July ending in September individuals and groups will be supported to complete each of the criteria.

Concentrated
I am excited about what this possibility will be for those who sign up to the program. My aim is to support a small number within each of the different cohorts – to accreditation success. It takes some direction motivation and inspiration to complete each of the criteria in just one week. My input is to provide motivation and structure. Within a month attendees will confidently have everything tied up! I look forward to working with you.

Resources
The list of resources below have little to do with BACP’s accreditation, but have everything to do with managing to settle with difficult ideas. As is usual for me, I share a few of the podcasts I have listened to in the past few weeks and how they relate to what is being shared above.
Code Switch 100 Years of (US) immigration policies working to keep out immigrants. Over the course of 100 years, immigration policies have been implemented to restrict the entry of immigrants to America . What stood out to me was the astonishing extent to which America has taken to criminalize individuals who leave their home countries in search of a life for themselves and their families, in a different country! Isn’t the United States itself made up of various groups of people who fled similar persecution, war, and poverty? This episode made me reflect on the amount of effort I had deflected from completing the application process. Eventually, despite the denials, the desired goal was met after a few focused weeks. Phew!

Unlocking Us with Brené Brown and Esther Perel, these two thought leaders, engage in a conversation about AI and the importance of staying connected with ourselves, the real world, and to each other. For almost 8 years, I postponed the idea of becoming accredited, as if it didn’t matter. However, as the real world kept moving forward, the significance of being BACP accredited became steadily more apparent. I had a choice to either keep hiding or confront this challenge. When I finally did, the enormity of what I had perceived as a monster diminished as I continued to work on completion of accreditation.
99% Invisible Uptown Squirrel [update] Forgive me as I dive into an unknown phenomenon—the abundance of American grey squirrels in the parks I once used to roam. Roman Mars recounts stories of the ‘more than human community’ and its origins. I was struck by how nature adapts to coexist with humans. Could the mental barrier I had about not completing the accreditation pack ever find resolution? Not in the slightest!
Dare to Lead Brené Brown and Dan Pink. Brené and Dan discuss their findings on shame and regret, highlighting the lessons we can learn from these very human experiences. As both are educators (shame and regret), we can recognize the value they bring. Applying for accreditation mirrors this process. Personally, writing Criteria 6 through 9 helped me understand my evolution as a counselor and how this development positively impacted my practice.
This American Life – That Other Guy As a long standing follower of the show, I have thoroughly enjoyed how well crafted their stories are woven together. I enjoyed the 1st story of the Chipotle runners, where two competitors went to great lengths to win a competition. Support inevitably becomes a compelling notion when completing significant tasks, and the same will be the case if you choose to access the support I offer through the BACP Accreditation Road Map.

If interested in the Webinar email me at connect@michaelopokuforfieh.com

Images

New York Street Photo by Mathieu LESNIAK on Unsplash Traffic Lights Photo by Marra on Unsplash 10th Street Bridge Photo by Willie Shaw on Unsplash Yellow Taxi Street Level Photo by Luke Stackpoole on Unsplash Yellow Trees Urban Photo by Szymon Shields on Unsplash