Relational Best with Amanda Williamson

[UPDATE: I hve submitted my application for NCPS Senior Accredited Status and write about it here ] "A profession rooted in compassion, nuance, and relational understanding should reflect those values in how it treats its own members." On April 18th 2025, I will lose the “Senior” part of my BACP Senior Accreditation. * I earned my Senior Accreditation with the BACP in 2019 after submitting extensive written work, supervisor reports, and paying the necessary fees. It marked a meaningful milestone in my professional journey. It recognised not only my experience and capability but my commitment to the therapeutic field over many years. Now, in the wake of the BACP’s adoption of the SCoPEd framework, that recognition is being stripped away. A Shifting Landscape The BACP’s new SCoPEd-aligned system changes what it means to be a Senior Accredited therapist. Despite the BACP having a dedicated Coaching Division, and despite the fact that my Level 7 qualification is in coaching, spec...

In my work as a therapeutic coach , it is vital to hold space for the complexity of being human. No single model or theory ever feels enough because the human psyche just isn’t that tidy. I often reflect on the interplay between the frameworks I use professionally, and the philosophies that shape me personally. This piece brings some of those threads together, mapping the three gunas from yogic philosophy (a lens that shapes how I understand energy and states of being), alongside  Bowlby’s attachment theory   and Pete Walker’s 4 F trauma responses , which form key parts of my professional framework, particularly in terms of the therapeutic aspect.   I have been exploring aspects of yogic philosophy with my friend, also a therapist. We have been away twice to immerse ourselves in yoga practice and discussion, using the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as a guide. On our last trip, a few weeks ago, we leant into the concepts of  Vairagya  (non-attachment) and the  G...