Ann Casement (1938-2025): in praise of a former chair

On 8 January 2025, Ann Casement, a former Chair of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy, passed away after devoting more than half a century to the advancement of the mental health profession.

Born in Bombay, India, she moved to London in 1951 during the early years of her adolescence. Eventually, she trained in anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science, part of the University of London, prior to pursuing her growing interest in psychotherapy.

At the recommendation of her own personal Jungian analyst, Ann commenced her studies at the Westminster Pastoral Foundation before pursuing further training at the Association of Jungian Analysts. 

Ann Casement became deeply involved not only in the Jungian community but also in the broader psychotherapeutic field. In 1989, she became the official Delegate of the Association of Jungian Analysts at the annual general meeting of the United Kingdom Standing Conference on Psychotherapy (UKSCP) – the precursor to the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). 

In due course, Ann became a member of the UKSCP Training Standards Committee and continued her role after the formal launch of the UKCP. She worked hard to transform three-year training programmes into more formalised four-year programmes.  She became a member of the organisation’s External Relations Committee, where she helped launch the organisation’s first official register of psychotherapists – a published list of all of the psychotherapists in the United Kingdom who had received UKCP membership.

 In the late 1990s, Anne became chair of the UKCP External Relations Committee, volunteered as the chair of the analytical psychology section and joined the governing Board of Trustees.  Eventually, Ann was appointed UKCP vice-chair at the invitation of the incumbent chair, professor Digby Tantam. During that time, she established the Professional Affairs Committee and facilitated the launch of the organisation’s esteemed publication, The Psychotherapist, now known as the New Psychotherapist.

In 1998, Ann succeeded Tantam as the chair of UKCP and devoted herself to this important role with passion and professionalism.

During her tenure as Chair, I had the great privilege to collaborate with Ann on a number of projects, which included increasing UKCP’s publicity and launching the Institute of Psychotherapy and Disability – the nation’s very first organisation devoted to the psychotherapeutic treatment of patients diagnosed with severe or profound handicap.

Ann was a woman of huge intelligence, immense compassion, warm-hearted humour and kindliness. I deeply enjoyed working with Ann, and I remain hugely grateful for her friendship, loyalty and collegiality and for her significant contributions to our community.

The photograph, dated 27 July 2024, shows Ann Casement standing in front of the Freud Museum London – an organisation which Ann adored – alongside long-serving staff members Francisco da Silva, head of facilities and venue hire, and Daniel Bento, operations manager, with whom Ann maintained warm relationships over many years. We thank Daniel Bento for kindly sharing this picture.