# An Update from Your NCPS Wales Representative News NCPS Updates By Guest Blog 19th October 2026 ***Please see below for an update from Cherelle Mead***[***, NCPS Wales Representative***](https://ncps.com/about-us/our-community/regional-representatives)***, on her work to build connections across Wales and ensure our members’ voices are represented in conversations about counselling, psychotherapy and mental health.*** Hi from your Wales rep! As we enter a new season, It feels like a good time to share an update from Wales. Since taking on the Wales Representative role, a huge part of my work has been about getting NCPS into the room - meeting people, building relationships and making sure our members are represented in conversations about counselling, psychotherapy and mental health across Wales. Those connections are really beginning to grow. I’ve now met people and organisations from across the public, private and third sectors, with some brilliant possibilities for collaboration emerging. Just as importantly, these relationships help keep NCPS connected to what is happening in Wales and to the issues that matter to you our members and the communities we work with. ## Why having a voice in Wales matters Health is devolved in Wales, which means many decisions about health policy, priorities and funding are made here by the Welsh Government. This gives us a real opportunity to make sure counselling and psychotherapy (and the experiences of our members and clients) are represented in Welsh conversations about mental health. And there are some important conversations happening as a part of Wales new health and wellbeing strategy, which is focussed on prevention and early intervention, person-centred care, co-production, rights, trauma-informed practice, reducing inequalities and creating a “no wrong door” system where people can reach appropriate support without unnecessary barriers. Importantly, it explicitly commits to **equity of access, experience and outcomes**, including an actively anti-racist mental-health system. That maps closely onto NCPS’s stated values of **autonomy, diversity, creativity and connection**, as well as its commitment to accessibility and mental-health equality. NCPS’s ethical framework similarly centres client autonomy, dignity, diversity and justice. The Mental Health Foundation’s recent **State of Mental Health Inequality in the UK** report found that around **27% of people in Wales experienced poor mental health in 2023/24, approximately 720,000 people**. The report also drew attention to the wider conditions shaping mental health, including poverty, lower wages, housing pressures, geographical barriers and access to services. For those of us working therapeutically, this is important. The distress arriving in our therapy rooms doesn’t exist separately from people’s housing, income, identities, relationships, communities or experiences of inequality. It is encouraging to see more attention being paid to this wider context within conversations about mental health in Wales and we will continue to follow their work. ## Bringing Welsh members together One of the highlights of the year was our **first Wales-specific NCPS member meet-up in May**. It was wonderful to bring Welsh members together, hear about the work happening across different parts of the country and begin thinking about what we want our Welsh NCPS community to look like. We were joined by **Katy Thomas, CEO of Mothers Matter**, who spoke about their work supporting maternal mental health, and **Selima Bahadur from the Race and Policy Team at EYST (Ethnic Minorities & Youth Support Team Wales)**, bringing valuable insight into race, inequality and the experiences of ethnic minority communities in Wales. It was a brilliant first meeting and reinforced for me how valuable these spaces can be when we bring practitioners together with organisations already doing important work within Welsh communities. The raw and incredibly rich conversations has and connections made really made the day a stand out success. That first meeting was only the beginning. **Regular Wales-specific NCPS meetings will now take place throughout the year**, giving us opportunities to connect with one another, share information and help shape the priorities I take forward as your representative. ## Building connections and getting NCPS into the room Alongside our own member meetings, I’ve been spending time developing relationships with organisations working across health, mental health, equality and community support in Wales. More recently, I attended a meeting with **Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales (FTWW)** and heard more about their campaigning around health inequalities affecting women and girls in Wales. They are doing some fantastic campaigning work, and I’m keen to continue developing that connection and explore where there may be opportunities for collaboration. I’ve also been building connections with organisations including Mind Cymru, BEAT, Dewis Cymru and others across the public and third sectors. Each relationship gives us another opportunity to learn what is happening across Wales, share the perspective of our profession and make sure NCPS remains at the centre of any issues that are important to our members. I’m also really pleased that the **Senedd Cross-Party Group connected to counselling and psychotherapy is being re-established**. Having these routes into Welsh policy conversations matters, particularly because health is devolved here and decisions made in Wales directly shape the landscape our members and clients are navigating. Most recently, I represented NCPS at a roundtable hosted by **Platfform** exploring *The Hidden Harm of the Diagnosis of Personality Disorder*. We discussed diagnostic overshadowing, trauma and social context, power, consent and human rights, and what can happen when vulnerable people are pathologised. We also heard about the Truth Project and watched a trailer for *Traumality*, a film exploring the harm of the medical model and many of these themes. For me, this is a really important part of what the Wales Rep role can offer: **keeping NCPS connected to what is happening in Wales, building meaningful relationships and making sure we have a seat at the table when conversations relevant to our profession are taking place.** ## Recognition matters too I’ve continued to raise issues around professional recognition when they arise. Earlier this year, concerns were raised about a Rhondda Cynon Taf Council opportunity which appeared to restrict eligibility by professional membership. Following communication with the council, this was clarified so that appropriately registered NCPS practitioners should not be excluded. Please do let me know if you come across similar barriers. Sometimes change begins simply by asking why a requirement has been written in a particular way and making organisations aware of the wider PSA-accredited register landscape. ## What comes next? I’m really excited about the next stage of this role. We now have the beginnings of a connected Welsh NCPS community, relationships developing with some brilliant organisations and charities, and growing opportunities to make sure NCPS is represented across sectors in Wales. But I also want the role to be shaped by **you**. If there’s something happening in your area that other members should know about, an organisation you think we should connect with, a barrier you’re experiencing as an NCPS member, or an issue you would like represented at a Welsh level, please get in touch. I’d also love to hear what you would like from our future Wales meetings. There’s lots happening, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can build together. **Cherelle Mead** **NCPS Wales Representative** [**wales.rep@ncps.com**](mailto:wales.rep@ncps.com)