UKCP vice chair announced

Voting in the vice chair election closed at 5pm on Wednesday, 21 February. The newly elected vice chair is Jennifer Ayling and she will begin her term of office on 4 March 2024. The election had a turnout of 11.5% of the members voting.

UKCP chair, Dr Christian Buckland, said: 'Congratulations to Jennifer on becoming the new vice chair. This is an important role within the organisation and I look forward to working closely with Jennifer over the coming years. I'd like to thank both candidates for putting themselves forward for election and to everyone who voted. It's good to see that UKCP has a healthy and robust democratic process.'

Jennifer Ayling (pictured) is a gestalt psychotherapeutic counsellor based in Sheffield. She works as a senior counsellor for Sheffield Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (SRASAC) where she helps lead a multi-modality team of eighteen psychotherapists and counsellors working closely with a range of other professionals, as well as having a small private practice.

Midway through her counselling training, Jennifer took on the role of administrator for the United Kingdom Association of Gestalt Practitioners (UKAGP) – a professional membership organisation which represents, promotes and supports Gestalt therapy in the UK. Her primary task in that role was supporting the chair and the organising committee in the smooth running of the UKAGP and their events, providing admin and communications support to the organisation.

Before training as a psychotherapeutic counsellor, Jennifer worked in creative digital industries as a web developer and has a strong clinical interest in how digital technology impacts human health, happiness and social cohesion.