Sophia Balamoutsou

My first degree was in Psychology (The American College of Greece, Deree College) and then continued with a MA and then a PhD in Counselling (Keele Univeristy, UK). I lived and worked as an academic (Keele University, University of Wolverhampton, University of Chester) and as a counsellor (counselling service Keele University, counsellor at the National Health Service) in the UK for over 10 years. Currently I live in Greece, where I work as a lecturer at the Institute for Counselling and Psychological Studies, Athens, Greece and I also practice as a counsellor and supervisor privately.

I am an accredited member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and a Associate Fellow and a Chartered Psychologist of the British Psychological Society. I am also a member of the United Kingdome Register of Counselling and Psychotherapy (UKRC).

Some of the ways I would like to contribute to the work of the Board are:

• finding ways to support novice and experienced to trust and develop further their skills and commitment to person centered and experiential values. Eg via Continuing Professional Development opportunities.
• Supporting training courses which offer PCE approaches via the expertise within the World Association.
• Bridging the researcher practitioner gap.
• Forging collaborations with colleagues across the therapeutic communities as well as with socio-political stakeholders.