CPR editorial board
Linking research with practice

Dr Clare Symons is Head of Research at BACP. A BACP Registered Senior Accredited counsellor, she has worked clinically in a range of settings. For over 10 years she was a trainer of counsellors and psychotherapists at the University of Leicester and has also worked as the Editor of BACP’s Counselling and Psychotherapy Research journal.

British Psychotherapy Foundation, UK

Dr Wayne Full is Director of Academic and Strategic Development and member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) at the British Psychotherapy Foundation (bpf), where he leads strategic, academic and organisational development across psychotherapy training, education and research. Wayne has a strong background in psychoanalysis, Jungian analysis, psychotherapy and counselling, with doctoral and master’s qualifications in psychoanalytic studies from University College London. Before joining the bpf in his current senior role, Wayne worked at the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), where he led research programmes focused on social justice, diversity and the development of the counselling and psychotherapy profession. He is training as an integrative, transpersonal psychotherapist at the Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy Education (CCPE).

Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hong Kong

Dr Mark Harrison is an associate professor at Hong Kong Shue Yan University. His research interests are in school counselling in Asia. He formerly worked in schools in Hong Kong and the UK, holding several positions of senior leadership and overseeing counselling and student support services. He is a practising counsellor and clinical supervisor in Hong Kong.

Ulster University, UK

Dr Maggie Long (PhD, MSc, PG Dip, BA Hons), is a Senior Lecturer in Counselling Studies at Ulster University, Belfast and Programme Director for the BSc (Hons) Communication and Counselling Studies. Maggie is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and a registered member of BACP. Maggie has published widely in a range of international peer review journals based on research on various themes including help seeking, counselling, stigma, and identity, in relation to self-injury; help seeking in young people; and resilience in carers. Maggie has published theoretical papers, which bring together her interdisciplinary approach to understanding trauma and gender-based violence in contexts of sociopolitical conflict. In 2022, Maggie published her book, “A Psychosocial Understanding of Self-injury and Trauma - Wounds and their Meanings” with Open University Press. Additionally, Maggie has secured funding to conduct research in collaboration with key stakeholders including Relate NI and the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI). Maggie is an experienced PhD supervisor, supervising PhD research at the intersections of social science and counselling. Maggie had the privilege of playing a key role in advancing gender equality in Higher Education as Athena Swan Faculty Lead, for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Ulster University from 2020-25. Thus far in her career, Maggie has been External Examiner for a number of counselling programmes in universities in Ireland and England.

Birmingham Newman University, UK

Dr Faisal Mahmood is a BACP-accredited senior counsellor, a UKCP-registered individual and group psychotherapist, and a UKCP-approved clinical supervisor. He is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Currently, he works as Head of Subject – Counselling, Psychotherapy & Talking Therapies at Birmingham Newman University, where he leads a portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including professionally accredited courses (accredited by BACP, UPCA, and BPS). In addition to his university role, Faisal is the Head of Training Standards and Vice Chair of the University Training College (UKCP College), a member of the UPCA Council, a member of the UKCP Education, Training and Practice Committee (ETPC), and Convener of the International Gestalt Research Group. With over 25 years of clinical, supervisory, and management experience, Faisal has worked with clients and staff in diverse settings, including GP surgeries, hospitals, the voluntary sector, and private practice. He also runs a private practice in Solihull, where he offers therapy, clinical supervision, and a range of CPD training events including diversity and intersectionality, supervision, addiction and working with groups.

Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, Ireland

Dr Ellen Kelly holds a PhD in Sociology and is the Research Lead at the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Ellen worked for many years as a Researcher and Project Leader in the HSE Addiction Service. She is a Government of Ireland (Irish Research Council) Scholar and has been a Research Fellow of the Geary Institute (formerly the Institute for the Study of Social Change) and a Royal Irish Academy Social Science Research Council award recipient. Her research interests lie in the area of mental health – particularly in relation to young people – and the counselling / psychotherapy profession. Ellen has previously been a copy editor for the Irish Journal of Sociology and an editor of an Environmental Debates book. Ellen is also an author of fiction and a literary awards nominee. Her short stories have been selected for publication in literary journals and elsewhere while her novel was published by Quercus UK.

Open University, UK

University of Nebraska at Kearney, USA

University of British Columbia, Canada