The Private Practice Executive Committee routinely sit down and plan the next year’s Conference around November time – just two months after the proceeding event. We could not have predicted how 2020 would evolve for all of us and how apt and timely the theme of communication would be for our 8th Private Practice conference, particularly as for the first time the event will be solely broadcast online.

The year when therapists had to suspend face to face communication and be dropped abruptly into the world of online communication, which some embraced, some avoided and some had their work halted overnight due to training restrictions, 2020 also became the year when the Black Lives Matter movement took force with a universal move to see change.

It seems appropriate that our two keynote speakers are relevant to the current economic climate. Dr Keon West has written much on the subject of detecting and reducing bias between different groups of people and is researching prejudice, sexual identity, microaggressions and mental health and wellbeing amongst other subjects. All of which he will talk about in his keynote speech.

William Pullen is founder of Dynamic Running Therapy, a psychotherapist and author. His passion is for getting people moving, a subject he has spoken about in his TEDx talk and book Run for your Life.

With our keynote speeches framing the event, various presentations will take place throughout the day exploring some of the many ways we communicate in therapy, including working with autism, clients with hearing difficulties, the elderly and at the other end of the spectrum working with young clients when a parent pays. And lastly, we will be looking at working creatively online.

The conference will be live streamed on the day with the on-demand available until January 2021 and at a cost of £25. You can book by clicking on the link below. We look forward to seeing you there.

Catch up with last year's Private Practice conference

Views expressed in this article are the views of the writer and not necessarily the views of BACP. Publication does not imply endorsement of the writer’s views. Reasonable care has been taken to avoid errors but no liability will be accepted for any errors that may occur.