We are delighted to announce the 2021 panel of judges for the National Counsellors’ Day awards. All judges are qualified and experienced counsellors, supervisors and trainers from around the UK, with a wealth of experience, skills and knowledge. They will work together to decide the finalists and winners from each category. You can find out more about the awards categories and make a nomination here. You can find our more about our judges below.
Suzanne Chalmers
I am a counsellor/psychotherapist. I started my training in 1998 studying at Edinburgh’s Telford college. Then after having a break found that the passion I had to help people never diminished so I restarted my training back in 2013 and qualified in Edinburgh, where I am currently based. At the moment I am studying for a MSc in Person-Centred Practice (Mental Health and Wellbeing) and working full time as a school counsellor. I also work alongside Olive Tree Madrasah, which is based in Edinburgh and focuses on education and health and well-being of Muslims in the community. My training is underpinned by Person Centred Therapy and I work with people in a way that is guided by them, including using tools from other modalities that were part of my training. Although I have predominately worked with the more traumatic life events such as domestic violence and sexual assault (both in childhood and as an adult) I also work with bereavement and general counselling. I have extensive experience working with Asperger’s (ASD). I am qualified to work with adults and children/young people. I am trained in CRM (Comprehensive Resource Model) which is excellent for clients with complex trauma and PTSD. I have completed ASIST Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training and Mental Health First Aid. I am a member of COSCA; Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland, and have recently applied to NCS for membership.
Bertha Huayllani
Hello, my name is Bertha Huayllani Ccolque. I hold a BSc in Psychology & Counselling and a PGDip in Counselling and Psychotherapy, and I have been in private practice since 2013. Prior to this, I ran various businesses while raising my two wonderful children. I am originally from the City of the Incas – Cusco, Peru – living here in the UK for the past 20 years. I love travelling, and languages, but I am especially passionate about people. I believe that each of us carry a seed of potential within, to tap into and blossom out of. My experiences with the homeless, asylum seekers, children, young people, immigrants, adults, and the elderly, have all enriched my life in many ways. My future aspiration is to create affordable access to online counselling for young adults. I am delighted to be one of the panel judges for the Counsellors Together UK (CTUK) event, National Counsellors’ Day. It is our duty to educate society about the lasting benefits that our counselling work has on others, and celebrate it. CTUK is an inclusive, new organisation that exists to end the exploitation of qualified counsellors. Together, working collaboratively, we can achieve CTUKs vision.
Emma Radway-Bright
I’m Emma. A counsellor / psychotherapist in Private Practice based in South East London. I also offer on line sessions via video. I work with people who are experiencing depression, stress, anxiety and the general pressures of modern day living. I specialise in trauma – big and small – and work with people to resolve the emotional, physical and behavioural effects of any trauma they have experienced in the past, or more recently. I’m an active member of CTUK and really honoured to have been asked to be a judge of the Awards. There are so many amazing counsellors and organisations in the UK working to support mental health and it’s really exciting to recognise some of them through these Awards.
Find out more about Emma here: www.INeedTherapy.co.uk