Kevin Friery

Right Corecare

Kevin Friery is Chair of BACP Workplace. In his day to day work as Clinical Director of Right Corecare he has strategic responsibility for a service that is offered to over half a million UK workers. With a background in Behavioural Psychology, he went on to train as a Psychodynamic Counsellor. He created and managed a new NHS Primary Care counselling service employing over 30 counsellors before moving into the private sector. He is a senior accredited counsellor psychotherapist and an accredited trainer of counsellors (BACP is withdrawing this latter scheme in 2010 but he is proud of his current accreditation). He has spoken at a number of conferences, and last year chaired the Mental Health strand of the Health and Wellbeing Conference at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

Dr Mark Gabbay

MBChB, MD, FRCGP, DFFP, Dip Psychotherapy

Prof Mark Gabbay initially qualified in Dundee in 1981. Mark has been working as an academic GP for 15 years, initially in Manchester, then Liverpool since 1998, where he's now Professor of General Practice. He works as a GP in Brownlow Group practice in Liverpool, and his research interests and activity encompass health, work and sickness certification; mental health and substance misuse; understanding complex interventions and innovation in primary care; knowledge translation and research organisation. Clinical lead of the NIHR Primary Care Research Network north west, and primary care lead for the Mersey and Cheshire CLRN and MHRN NW hub, and Associate Director NIHR Research Design Service North West. He teaches both undergraduates and postgraduates on critical appraisal, the management of substance misuse, mental and sexual health.

Mandy Rutter

Mandy Rutter has over 20 years' expertise and heads up the AXA ICAS Specialist Services team.

AXA ICAS (a member of the AXA PPP Healthcare) is one of the world's leading providers of well-being and employee assistance programmes (EAP). Mandy and the Specialist Services team have unparalleled experience of dealing with the intense psychological aspects of employee behaviour within the workplace. The Specialist Services team advises organisations on the psychological aspects of a wide range of issues including absence management, employee engagement, stress and resilience and crisis management.

A qualified psychologist and counsellor, Mandy began her career as an ergonomist in the airline industry. She then moved into the public sector working as a psychologist and counsellor for teenagers and families whose lives had been disrupted by trauma. Mandy has worked at AXA ICAS (previously ICAS) for 12 years, initially as a telephone counsellor supporting employees affected by disasters such as the Ladbroke Grove rail crash and the Bali bombing. More recently, Mandy has broadened her role and now consults on the design and delivery of strategic employee issues particularly around crisis response and absence management. Mandy regularly facilitates training programmes and workshops for managers and staff on "Psychological First Aid" in the workplace. Mandy's current work is focussed on developing services to encourage personal and managerial resilience.

Janet Soma

Janet Soma is a BACP accredited counsellor who has worked for 20 years in an organisational setting as a workplace counsellor. Janet has an honours degree in Applied Social Science with a particular emphasis on labour studies. Janet worked in youth training and in a further education college, as well as in other welfare/counselling roles before joining Atos Healthcare 5 years ago.

Janet's professional skills include mediation and training. As an accredited ISO 9001 auditor, Janet has the lead role for Quality Assurance within the Atos Healthcare EAP. Janet holds a graduate diploma in Organisational Counselling from the University of Roehampton and her great enthusiasm for workplace counselling and the short-term focussed approach is unmissable!

Ben Willmott

CIPD

Ben Willmott joined the Institute in October 2003. He is responsible for ensuring the CIPD's interests are represented across a wide range of public policy areas including: stress and absence management; employee engagement and wellbeing; and conflict management.

His other areas of interest include working time, flexible working, the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations and data protection.

He has a Masters degree in employment law from the University of Kingston.

Prior to joining the CIPD he was news editor and employment law editor at Personnel Today magazine.

Veronica Williams

Veronica Williams is a BACP Senior accredited counsellor, trainer and qualified supervisor, at present working in private practice with a range of clients referred by their employment provider, medical insurance scheme, counselling course, or who are self-referred. She trains counsellors within the NHS and private sector. Veronica's initial counselling diploma training was at Guildford College, on a course linking Person-centred, Gestalt and Existential models.

Her background is, an early-retired higher education lecturer, research director and author in the field of Religious Studies. Between 1987-1991 she was research director of a values project funded by the D.E.S and N.C.C. and this involved the writing and publication of 5 books including "Green Beliefs, Valued World" and contributing to a book for the BBC Schools programme "Stop and Think". Between 1988-1994 Veronica was Head of Religious Studies at King Alfred's College, now the University of Winchester and created and implemented B.A. and M.A. courses in Religious Studies. Her Ph.D, thesis entitled "The Silent Eye" is a cross-cultural exploration of spiritual experience evoked by artistic imagery and bridges the gap between her past interests and current work as a counsellor.

Kathy Woodcock

Kathy Woodcock is a BACP accredited counsellor with a graduate diploma in Organisation Counselling from the University of Roehampton. Kathy has an honours degree in sociology and has a teaching background.

Kathy has spent 20 years in the counselling and welfare environment, based in an organisational setting. She has worked for Atos Healthcare for the last 5 years, providing brief therapy for employees if a range of public and private sector organisations. A training specialist, Kathy is responsible for the development and delivery of workshops including trauma, stress management, conflict resolution and managing change. Alongside her clinical role, Kathy also manages a team of specialist counsellors for Atos Healthcare.

Kathy is passionate about her work and enjoys the challenge of working within a commercial setting which she believes is firmly based in balancing the needs of the individual employee with the needs of the employing organisation.