Dr Kate Anthony - Executive Specialist for Online Coaching

Kate is a world-leading expert on the use of technology in therapy, now extending her interests into coaching. She has trained practitioners and organisations worldwide in online therapy for over ten years, with both her online training courses and offline workshops endorsed by BACP. She is co-editor and co-author of three textbooks on the subject as well as numerous articles, chapters and journal symposiums, and Ethical Frameworks for the use of technology in mental health. She is a Fellow of BACP and Past-President and Fellow of the International Society for Mental Health Online. She is co-founder of the Online Therapy Institute and the Online Coach Institite, and Managing Editor of TILT Magazine (Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology). Her focus within BACPC is on ethical delivery of coaching using technology.

Linda Aspey - Chair

A former BACP main board member (2002-2009), Linda is inaugural chair of the BACP Coaching Division and a Fellow of BACP. A former nurse (RGN, RSCN) then a business manager, Linda has spent the past 25 years in consultancy, gaining several thousand hours of executive coaching and counselling and extensive organisation development experience. Linda is a trained Time to Think coach, facilitator and consultant, has a Masters in Strategic HR, is a BACP accredited counsellor / psychotherapist, and is accredited by AC as a coach and APECS as an executive coach. Linda has played an active role in the development of coaching practice, accreditation and supervision standards in the UK. She sees BACP Coaching becoming the liberated voice of the therapist-coach, collaborating towards making coaching a true profession and encouraging people and organisations to see the value of therapeutically informed coaching and the use of coaching skills in creating inspiring environments and generative, trusting relationships. 

Jo Birch - Executive Specialist for the Third Sector

Jo has a Masters in Counselling and is currently undertaking a Diploma in Coach Supervision. Jo is passionate about the third sector and its important and significant contribution to our society. Jo's broad knowledge has grown through 30 years in paid and unpaid roles ranging from befriender to CEO; from counsellor, coach and supervisor to board consultant. As BACPC Executive Specialist for the Third Sector, Jo wants to get to know BACP members working as coaches within the sector. She wants to hear about the most relevant development issues; the current challenges and successes; and what additional professional support would benefit members at present. Jo also wants to hear from organisations and strategic decision-makers keen to increase access to high quality coaching. Jo is also Scotland Link Lead and has already established a thriving regional network with Scottish members.

Jayne has a Graduate Diploma in Counselling and extensive experience of working with clients in the short, medium and longer term on a wide range of issues. She has an MSc in personal and corporate coaching from Hull University; her coaching experience ranging from working with executives on work stress, work life balance and performance, with individuals around lifestyle changes and wellbeing and with groups in corporate settings. Her background is in general nursing - from which she developed a longstanding interest in health and wellbeing, and in the ways that stress can be managed - motivated her recent research into the impact of coaching on work related stress, which has now become Jayne's area of speciality. Additionally, Jayne is a lecturer for Hull University, where she teaches coaching and counselling. Jayne has already developed several dynamic Network meetings nationally offering the opportunity for members to have an active involvement in the division's development in addition to them making contacts, gaining support and learning.

Debra is an independent coach, counsellor and trainer with a BA in counselling studies and an MSc in personal and corporate coaching. A BACP accredited counsellor / psychotherapist, throughout her career Debra has had an enduring interest in the welfare of children and young people, from counselling in schools, establishing counselling for children and young people whose lives were affected by substance misuse, delivering drugs education classes, and work with ‘Achievement for All' - a government national strategy to improve dialogue with parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Debra's current work is inspired by the field of Positive Psychology and within BACPC she highlights and showcases positive and innovative examples of coaching practice with children and young people and/or those involved with them (such as teachers, carers and parents). She has a particular interest in the area of interface between coaching and therapy and as BACPC Executive Specialist for Children and Young People she wants to explore how coaching might compliment more traditional therapeutic approaches in meeting their needs.

Jacqueline McCouat - Executive Specialist for Events

Jacqui is a mentor and coach, and a BACP / UKCP registered psychotherapist providing in her spare time voluntary counselling services at the Central School of Speech & Drama. MBA and MSc qualified, Jacqui has over 20 years' experience in Business Consulting, Operations Management, Event Management, Human Resources and Marketing & Communications. She has worked across a range of industry sectors and as a Management Consultant with global Fortune 500 companies and the Public Sector on strategic and business transformation projects. Currently with IBM, the Global IT Services & Consulting Firm, Jacqueline leads Analyst Relations for IBM's European Consulting Division working with market influencers and Industry Analysts. She brings extensive experience of planning and managing professional and memorable events as well as sound organisational experience to BACP.

Barry McInnes - Executive Specialist for Research

Barry practises as an independent therapist, coach, and consultant in service improvement and outcome measurement in psychological therapy. He has a particular passion for bringing together research, evaluation and practice, and helping practitioners to evidence their outcomes and develop their practice. He's delighted to be bringing this perspective to the BACP Coaching Executive and contributing to its development. 

His journey in coaching began in 1994 as head of service for the Royal College of Nursing counselling service. While not providing formal coaching, the service attracted many clients whose needs could be more accurately described as coaching than counselling. It was also at the RCN that Barry introduced a system (CORE) for routinely monitoring service quality and outcomes. By the time of his departure in 2005 the service was one of the highest performing services using CORE in the UK, with 84 per cent of clients completing their therapy journey and 85 per cent of those showing reliable improvement.

Between 2005 and 2010 Barry worked with CORE IMS as a director, providing consultancy in service improvement and outcome measurement to services and commissioners, offering support with system implementation and the application of evaluation data to service profiling and improvement. Barry sat on the BACP research committee between 1996 and 1999, and on the Association for Counselling at Work executive between 1999 and 2006 (as Chair from 2002 to 2005). He is an experienced trainer and presenter, and has published in a wide range of academic and professional journals.

Keren (BEd) is a coach, counsellor, consultant and trainer with over 25 years experience.  She is a BACP accredited counsellor/psychotherapist, an accredited AC member, and has Diplomate Status for Coaching and Counselling with IABMCP.

Keren is passionate about altering outdated stereotypes on age, and helping individuals and organisations change their beliefs and attitudes about ageing, so people are seen for what they are truly worth whatever their age, rather than seeing age as a number.   She has written three books and numerous articles for the 50-plus in national newspapers and magazines.   

Keren hopes to make the dilemmas of ageing more widely known, to encourage both individuals and the professionals to tackle these issues and link BACP coaching with businesses and organisations including those who are campaigning on behalf of the older worker. She would also like to explore BACP Coaching members' ageing and retirement issues and how these relate to our professional standards.

Barry has had a long career in working with people in a number of different settings, including youth work, social work, counselling and coaching. He is particularly interested in solution focused approaches and brings that to bear in his counselling and coaching work. He has just changed direction career wise becoming self employed after seven years of employee assistance work. He had responsibility in the last four years for the organisational coaching work at different levels. This included selection and supervision of coaches as well as coaching individuals at all levels. During his time within the EAP he developed a keen interest in process and how things could be done more effectively - leading to a further responsibility as Lead Auditor. It is the combination of his interest in quality and process and his clinical and coaching insights that leads him to be ideally placed to work with professional standards within BACP Coaching.