School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work colleague Dr Michael Duffy has been elected to the Governing Board of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP), the lead professional organisation for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the UK and Ireland. Michael, who is the Course Director of our three Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) programmes, was elected in a national poll to the position of Trustee Board member.

The election success is a measure of the reputation that our CBT programmes have achieved across the UK and Ireland. The multidisciplinary teaching team work tirelessly to produce a psychotherapy teaching experience of exceptional quality. We have trained psychotherapists and mental health practitioners in evidence-based practice from across Europe, the UK and Ireland. The course is multidisciplinary, training Clinical Psychologists, Social Workers, Mental Health Nurses, Occupational Therapists and Psychiatrists.

The ethos of the CBT Programme is to teach only those interventions that have the best evidence base. Michael Duffy is actively involved in contributing to that evidence base and in a number of research projects collaborating with universities and psychotherapy researchers across the globe.

The Irish Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (IABCP) is the all-Ireland Branch of the BABCP and Queen’s University has historically supported and contributed enormously to the development of both the BABCP and the IABCP. Michael’s election continues Queen’s long tradition of supporting staff partnerships with leading national professional bodies and ensures the University continues to help contribute and shape professional practice in health care.

Stephen Herron, President of the Irish Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies congratulated Michael on his appointment: ‘He is joining a dynamic and dedicated existing team of Queen’s University professionals working hard to maintain and contribute to the highest professional psychological therapy standards across the UK’.