Chief executive offi cer report Writing my last report for Context at this time last year now


seems like a lifetime ago – the world before COVID-19. At AFT, we have had to adapt very quickly to this ‘brave


new world’ and have devised clinical practice and training guidelines for online/remote working (see the COVID-19 page on our website for the guidelines as well as resources). We have demonstrated our resilience by using the crisis as an opportunity to develop online resources. Our members have come up with creative ideas for podcasts and have shared online resources. To mark Mental Health Awareness week, our Journal


editor, Philip Messent, interviewed Arlene Vetere and Barry Mason. The podcasts are available on our website. Amy Urry is leading a group whose remit is to develop


webinars. Recently, Janet Reibstein and I kicked off the webinar series, presenting our work on the Intercultural Exeter model. We plan to host a free webinar for our members every month. Many of the keynote and workshop speakers for our planned symposia this year– which were regrettably cancelled – have agreed to speak in this series, so we have an exciting programme ahead. We are planning an online conference for September 2021 and an international conference for next year as well. AFT’s visibility and presence in the media has grown


considerably in the last year, establishing family and systemic psychotherapy as a modality that is increasingly recognised and used by the public. With regard to making connections with external


stakeholders, we have continued to work closely with UKCP. Matthew Adam and I represented AFT on the UKCP course at Imperial College entitled ‘Understanding Psychotherapy: A Social History of the Mind’. We presented systemic ideas and skills for working with families and organisations. Our presentations were very well received. A group of AFT members has worked very hard to develop the new standards of education and training for our college of family and couples systemic psychotherapy within AFT. Amy Urry, Rav Khela and I have been developing


links with the Psychological Professions Network and, in doing so hope to raise the profile of family and systemic psychotherapists in the NHS. Nigel Jacobs and I have had meeting with our counterparts in the Association of Child Psychotherapy. We have also made links with Tavistock


Relationships and will collaborate with them so that systemic work with couples is recognised by the government. We have tried to share all these exciting developments and


ventures with you, our members. Having started in my post with only 250 followers, we now have 1000 followers, and a lively exchange of news and ideas, for those members who like to tweet! We send out an email newslet er regularly and hope that you enjoy reading it. We have also developed a new digest, which updates members about books and events. Our new website, which will be launched in the middle of


September, will aff ord greater possibilities for interacting and linking up with each other. Our commit ees and branches continue to thrive and


have been working tirelessly through this unprecedented time. We would like to thank all the chairs and members of the commit ees for their dedication. Each of the branches has provided a brief report and reports from the commit ees will be sent separately to you, before the AGM, which is currently planned for October. It was decided recently that Aspens, the group for those in independent practice, would become a commit ee in their own right, although they will still maintain close links with the professional aff airs commit ee. We are encouraging each commit ee to take on members who have recently qualifi ed and we welcome their energy and the fresh perspectives they bring. AFT’s commitment to research remains and we are planning


a webinar on research for clinicians on 16 November. Details will follow, so watch this space! It would not be fi t ing to end this piece without reference


to the shocking and horrifying murder of George Floyd in May and the global response to it. With the diversity, equality and inclusiveness commit ee, we draſt ed an AFT statement in support of Black Lives Mat er, which can be found on our website. T e diff erential impact of COVID-19 on the black and minority ethnic community has aff ected many of us, personally and through our clinical practice, training and supervision. It is essential at this point to off er a space for our members to


process issues of race, racism and discrimination that have come to the fore through recent political activity. We plan to convene a webinar in August, facilitated by Sharon Bond and Nigel Jacob to provide such a space.


Reenee Singh


54


Context 170, August 2020


Chief executive offi cer report


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