We’re delighted to welcome back our free in-person Making Connections events.

These regular face to face conferences take place throughout the year and give you the chance to network with other members and our divisional executive members.

Programme

Click on the sessions to find out more. If you are viewing this page on a mobile, rotate your screen to view the programme.

10.00am – 10.30am Registration
10.30am - 10.50am Welcome from BACP
10.50am – 11.35am The changing landscape of Eating Disorders and Therapy, presented by Kel O'Neill
11.35am - 11.45am Comfort break
11.45am – 12.30pm

Presentation to be confirmed

12.30pm – 1.30pm Light lunch
1.30pm – 1.50 pm Local member two-minute platforms
1.50pm – 2.40pm Connecting together
The room will be divided into different areas of interest, for more focused and structured networking. You’ll be encouraged to move around the room and engage with colleagues, volunteers and BACP staff to network, share ideas and meet new people with similar interests. You’ll be able to add a new area of interest if yours isn’t represented.
2.40pm – 3.10pm Refreshments
3.10pm – 3.55pm Presentation to be confirmed
3.55pm - 4.00pm Event close

This programme is subject to change.

The changing landscape of Eating Disorders and Therapy

10.50am – 11.35am

This session offers a reflective overview of how eating disorders and disordered eating are increasingly showing up in therapy, often in ways that go unrecognised, unsupported, or fall outside specialist service referral criteria.

From the rise in GLP-1 weight loss medications and wellness culture, to chronic presentations and clients excluded from specialist services due to BMI or diagnostic thresholds, many people are left without access to care. Therapists are frequently left holding these issues without clear guidance and, in some cases, may unintentionally reinforce harm by encouraging weight loss or overlooking the signs of an eating disorder.

The session aims to raise awareness of how eating disorders and disordered eating may present in therapy today, why they’re often overlooked, and what it means to practise ethically in a system where clients may have nowhere else to go.