Press Briefing: May 2003
Leading local university forced to close core prestige courses
The Chief Executive Officer of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) has issued the following statement:
To Sir Kenneth
Calman, Vice Chancellor and Warden,
the University of Durham
Dear Sir Kenneth,
The decision to end counselling courses at the University of Durham has recently been drawn to the attention of this Association. BACP deeply regrets your decision to close CESCO (Centre for Studies in Counselling) and with that the BACP Accredited Course, 'Programme of Professional Counsellor Training'. This course has offered counselling to the North East for over ten years. In an area of much economic and social deprivation the closure of this opportunity for students to become competent and ethical practitioners is a great loss to the counselling profession. It is a great shame that Durham University will no longer be contributing to the social and mental health of the area.
Laurie Clarke, BACP Chief Executive
Background: The University of Durham is one of the three ancient prestige universities in England. Like all educational institutions, it is being forced by the current government to prune budgets and reduce or minimise the definition of what constitutes its core teaching. Huge emphasis has been placed on "preparing youth for employment". The Minister himself, Charles Clarke, has made several speeches, some correcting his earlier pronouncements, about the need for a "justification" of subjects in terms of career opportunity. His typical wrath has been directed against what he calls mediaeval notions of scholarship, including the teaching of Latin.
All the more disappointing, therefore, to run across an interpretation of this brief which targets a popular and profitable course in counselling and psychotherapy, one of the most modern and relevant disciplines a student may encounter. Surely not what the Minister had in mind when he bemoaned the link between white elephants and ivory towers!
Facts: Durham's Centre for Counselling Studies
- Has an excellent reputation in Counsellor Training, Education and Research
- Has over 100 MA students 30 of whom are full time and include a number of overseas students
- Has 5 PhD students
- Is the largest University based counsellor training unit in the UK
- Has the only counsellor training course in the North East that is accredited by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
- Makes money for the University
- Fulfils the University mission statement in terms of recruitment of postgraduate students, widening access and recruiting students from non-traditional backgrounds.
- Is active within the local community
- Is helping the fight against the HIV/AIDS
Nor is the subject of counselling and psychotherapy some fashionable post-modern invention. There is a growing, important and substantive body of evidence covering more than 100 years, which supports and underpins our relevance and value. The Department of Health has produced guidelines suggesting that talking therapy should be considered as a routine treatment for many psychological conditions.
BACP issues this press briefing in sorrow not anger over a clear misinterpretation of the true position and urgently asks the University to live up to its long humanistic tradition of civilised learning. It would be a sad day if students were thought to be undeserving of the sophisticated and comprehensive curriculum of a modern university just because they share a North-East postcode, nor could it be justified by the facts.
For further information please contact Phillip Hodson, Head of Media Relations at BACP on 020 7794 2838, phillip@philliphodson.co.uk or Lewis Edwards, BACP Communications Manager, on 0870 443 5252 lewis.edwards@bacp.co.uk