York St John Communities Centre Opening and Research Event Announcement 2023

Last week I attended the celebration event of the opening of the new York St John Communities Centre. From the Centre’s blog;

“The York St John Communities Centre premises formally opened with a celebration of YSJ University’s decades of work & research in counselling & mental health. Counselling has been taught at YSJ for more than 35 years making the University one of the very first in the country. In 2016 the innovative & successful Counselling & Mental Health Clinic was launched, & renamed YSJ Communities Centre in 2022 to reflect the growing portfolio of public facing services it provides…The Centre is a one-stop shop of public facing groups & services, designed to help meet the increasing need for mental health & wellbeing support in the community. It’s a comfortable & inclusive space & hosts a newly planted sensory garden.”

The evening started with a reception in the York St John Creative Centre, where it was wonderful to socialise and network with fellow post graduate researchers, colleagues at York St John, and contacts and old friends from the wider mental health field in York. My PhD supervisor, Professor Lynne Gabriel OBE, is the founding director of the centre and has worked tirelessly to bring this huge project to fruition, along with a team of other amazing staff and researchers at the university.

Following the networking, our university Vice Chancellor Professor Karen Bryan OBE opened the event and introduced a panel discussion facilitated by Lynne, with Dr Trish Holman, Dr Stephen Wright, and Helen Fairborn. It was a stimulating conversation prompted by the idea that “it’s people that matter, not pathology”. I also presented a poster at the event, introducing some of the themes arising from my current research, which I’ll be exploring further at a research event hosted by the Centre, detailed below.

On Saturday the 4th of November 2023, Professor Lynne Gabriel OBE and Dr John Wilson will be hosting the second research event for the York St John Communities Centre, which I’m very proud to be a part of; “It’s research, but not as we know it: Advancing knowledge in counselling and psychotherapy one compassionate case study at a time”.

“We're inviting you to join us in the beautiful York St John Creative Centre, for a compelling event that explores meaning-making, making sense of peoples life experiences, and building new understandings and knowledge through in-depth collaborative inquiry and case studies.

At the event, practitioners, social justice researchers and writers who value political, cultural and social diversity, inclusivity, and the prizing of multiple voices and perspectives, will share stories of human endeavour, injustice, oppression, traumatic loss and grief and, importantly, hope. There will be opportunities to talk with presenters and one another, and we will offer refreshments and lunch; all provided in the welcoming setting of the Creative Centre.”

Please come along on Saturday 4th November and join myself and Communities Centre colleagues and associates Professor Lynne Gabriel OBE, Dr John Wilson, Professor Divine Charura, Professor Rachel Wicaksono, Professor Bill Stiles, and Marion Wilson, for an event promises to bring “edgy, contemporary and groundbreaking ways of creating shared understanding and new knowledge.”

To book tickets to the “It’s Research, but Not As We Know It” research showcase event, visit the Eventbrite booking website by clicking here. Early booking is advised, as places are limited.

You can also read more about the York St John Communities Centre, colleagues involved, current research projects, and the support they offer on their website at https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/working-with-the-community/communities-centre/.