UKCP Board of Trustees election announcement

UKCP is calling an election for the positions of chair, vice-chair and trustee of UKCP (three elected positions).

As chair, vice-chair or trustee, you will enjoy the opportunity to support an important cause where there is a growing demand in society for greater choices of high-quality mental health service provision. You’ll work alongside colleagues from diverse backgrounds and collaborate with staff and practitioners. There’ll be scope for professional development as well as personal reward in running the charity and mentoring the executive. In short, it is an opportunity to make a real difference.

The UKCP chair role

We are seeking nominations for a UKCP chair. This is a particularly exciting time to join us, as we implement our new three-year strategy to bring greater clarity and focus to UKCP’s role. We are looking for a chair who will be a charity trustee, company director and ensure that public interest and our charitable objectives run through all that we do.

Our charitable objectives are to promote:

• the art and science of psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling for the benefit of the public
• research in psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling and to disseminate the results of any such research
• high standards of education, training and practice in psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling, and
• the wider provision of psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling for all sections of the public.

We launched our three-year strategy at our general meeting on Friday, 22 November 2024. The next step is to craft an achievable delivery plan to sit alongside this strategy. The UKCP chair will be pivotal in reviewing our progress on all programmes of work and, in collaborating with the trustees and chief executive officer, ensure the impacts and outcomes are achieved.

UKCP’s work spans the setting and monitoring of education and training standards, ethical standards for psychotherapeutic practice, complaints, advocacy, events and other support for our members so that they can provide high quality psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling to their clients.

This is a role for an exceptional leader, who is motivational, pragmatic, is able to work with differing viewpoints and theoretical perspectives, and who can quickly gain the confidence of UKCP’s trustees, staff, committee members, organisational and individual members, and other stakeholders.

Download the chair role description

The vice-chair role

We are also seeking nominations for a UKCP vice-chair who will be a charity trustee, company director and ensure that the public interest and charitable objectives run through all that we do. This is a role for an emerging leader who will be responsible for supporting the chair and deputising for them as and when required – both externally and internally – in liaison with the chief executive officer.

Download the vice-chair role description

The trustee role

We are also seeking nominations for one UKCP trustee to join our Board of Trustees. Our Board sets our overall strategy and policy, defines our organisational goals and evaluates performance. It ensures that we comply with our governing documents and our charitable objectives.

Download the trustee role description

To find out more information and to submit a nomination for either chair, vice-chair or trustee, please visit the CES website.

Key dates for the elections

Could you stand for UKCP chair, vice-chair or trustee?

If you have been a full member of UKCP for at least two years, are in good standing and meet the criteria outlined in the chair, vice-chair or trustee role descriptions, you can submitting your nomination. Eligible UKCP members will receive an email with instructions on Monday, 25 November 2024.

Please note that trainee, student, retired and affiliate members, and those on sabbatical are not eligible to stand or vote in these elections.

UKCP is committed to equal opportunities and welcomes applications to promote wider diversity on the Board of Trustees.

If you are interested in standing and would like to discuss this further in confidence with one of our current trustees or the CEO, please contact Alex Crawford (UKCP governance manager) by email at elections@ukcp.org.uk or by telephone on 020 7014 9962. Alex can also arrange for prospective nominees to have a chat with the UKCP Remuneration, Appointments and Performance Management Committee (RAPMC) who can offer their advice and guidance to all those thinking about standing.

Nominations for each role must be received by 5pm on Friday, 13 December 2024.