IACP seeks new CEO: Must be a "Servant-Leader"

Below is IACP's advertisement for a Head of National & Member Services, essentially a CEO. The list of requirements is lengthy including, intriguingly, that the successful candidate should have "A Servant-Leader approach and mindset." 

[Update: Apparently a "servant-leader" is a respectable concept in corporate-speak and I displayed my ignorance above in describing the requirement as intriguing. IACP is not looking for a butler.]

Head of National & Member Services

“Members working together to achieve excellence of practice, career development and wider awareness of the value of Professional Counselling and Psychotherapy”

The IACP, founded in 1981, is the largest accrediting body for Counselling and Psychotherapy in Ireland, serving over 3500 members based both in the north and south of the island.

As the organisation and the wider profession head into a new era of change, regulation and increased significance in the support of emotional and mental health of the population, we wish to appoint a professional, experienced and empathic leader to the position of Head of National & Member Services.

The individual will work with the Board of Directors, the Head Office staff and the extensive infrastructure of Members in creating a ‘best in class’ organisation which is focused exclusively on serving and supporting our membership, maintaining the highest professional standards of practice and, in conjunction with sister organisations in Ireland and internationally, raise the awareness of the effectiveness of counselling and psychotherapy in our society.

Role Purpose

The Head of National & Member Services will work with the voluntary Board of Directors to devise and develop the strategic priorities in order to achieve the IACP’s stated purpose. He/She will be responsible for coordinating the combined resources of the Directors, the Head Office Staff and the Members in the delivery of the strategy.

Scope

• Reporting to the Board of Directors, create a member centric organisation that is aligned with the purpose of the IACP.
• Establish an ethos of service to members in order to support them professionally as well as in their careers and businesses.
• Deliver on the strategic plan as devised in conjunction with the Board of Directors.
• From time to time be the public face/voice of and spokesperson for IACP and it’s members.
• Build on the existing relationships with national and international counselling and psychotherapy organisations as well as develop new relationships with allied and complimentary organisations in order to advance the awareness, understanding and impact of the profession in society.
• Manage the day-to-day operations of the organisation in conjunction with the Directors and Staff.
• Enhance the functioning of the IACP Head Office through its people, processes and systems in order to achieve the organisational purpose and values.
• Create a staff development programme to promote learning and growth for each person individually and for the collective team. 
• Establish the Head Office of the IACP as a support centre and resource for all members.

Person Specification

• Previous experience at leadership level of a member-centric organisation.
• Track record in leading an organisation through change.
• A Servant-Leader approach and mindset.
• Excellent communications, listening and influencing skills with both internal (staff, directors, members) and external stakeholders (media, sister organisations and professions, government, the public).
• Strong people development and management skills and experience.
• High degree of self-awareness and interest in personal development.
• Good project management skills and experience.
• Background in operations, project management or finance.

A competitive salary and benefits package is on offer including a commitment to matching your personal and professional development needs.

For further information, please contact Shane Twomey, Organisation Dynamics. Applicants for this position should submit their CV, with a covering letter, by Friday 29^th July 2016.  Click here to apply and follow the application instructions provided.

For more information about IACP see www.iacp.ie

IACP is an equal opportunities employer.

IACP: 30 hours' CPD must include 10 hours of supervision CPD

lACP has clarified that the 10 hours of annual CPD required of supervisors is included in the 30 hours' required of accredited members. Here's the announcement in a newsletter sent of 8th July 2016:

"The annual CPD log (consisting of 30 hours of CPD and where the applicant is a supervisor a minimum of 10 hours of the 30 hours must be related to supervision) should be completed with the reflection piece and signed off by the supervisor at the time of application for renewal of accreditation.

"Please do not send the Log with your Annual Re-Accreditation form and only provide the details of CPD activities on page 2 of the application form. The CPD Log should be kept by the supervisee in case of an annual audit.

"The full CPD log is available as a download on the IACP website."

IACP members seeking re-accreditation no longer need to be with same supervisor for 12 months

The IACP has changed the requirement that members be with the same supervisor for at least 12 months prior to the application. In a newsletter issued on 22nd July 2016, the IACP says:

"Due to introduction of Annual Re-Accreditation, the 12 month requirement to be with the same supervisor before applying for re-accreditation no longer applies. Please note that if you change your supervisor during the course of the annual accreditation year, there is a special Change of Supervisor Report Form for Accredited Members & Supervisors to be completed.

"The Supervisor Report form is available as a download under the supervision menu titled ‘supervisor report forms’ on the IACP website under the following location:
www.iacp.ie/Supervisor-Report-Form

Please send this Supervisor’s Report Form to IACP Office with your Annual Re-accreditation application form."

Do goals get in the way of supervisees' client work or of supervision?

Back in 2009, a paper published by Harvard Business School  created a stir in the area of business psychology, achievement and so on.

The paper, Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side Effects of Over-Prescribing Goal Setting,  questioned the idea that having goals and working towards them assiduously is always a good thing. On the contrary, they suggested that too-intense focus on goals takes away from an awareness of the bigger picture, can lead to dishonest behaviour and reduces motivation in those who feel they have not achieved the goals set for them.

 When I read this recently I began to wonder if this might be an area for exploration by supervisors with their supervisees.  Some questions that occurred to me were:

• Could a solution focused therapist discount relationship-building or listening because of an intense focus of goals?
• Could a person centred therapist paid too little attention to helping people set useful, attainable goals?
• Could a therapist who has had a client achieve success in one area actually discount this because he or she is focused on a goal in another area? For instance if the goal is to move the client from pessimism to optimism,  could the therapist discount the still pessimistic client's success in improving relationships at home and at work?
• Could' the therapist see himself or herself as "not a good therapist" because the client has failed to "achieve" certain goals, even though many other things have improved?
• Could a supervisor have goals that he or she thinks ought to be achieved in the therapy and could he or she judge the supervisee according to whether these goals are reached? 

I think most of us would hope to avoid those traps most of the time but the thing about traps is that you can fall into them first without realising it. Although the paper referred to above is a business paper it's worth a read.

IACP to commence annual re-accreditation from 2016

The IACP will move from 5-yearly to annual re-accreditation from 1st January 2016. Here are extracts from the announcement in its latest newsletter to members:

"At some point in over the course of 2016, you will be contacted via email by a member of the IACP Accreditation Department with detailed instructions on how to renew your IACP accreditation for your therapeutic and supervision work.

"Members will be invited to renew their therapeutic accreditation (including Supervisor Accreditation at the same time, if applicable) in one simple application form.

"Your new accreditation date may be on, or after, the date of your current accreditation (according to the month).

"The new accreditation date will calculated by giving you a later date in the year, to ensure you benefit and not lose any months of accreditation.

"Please visit the IACP website for more details and to view a sample of the new re-accreditation application form.

www.iacp.ie/renewal-of-accreditation

"The processing fee for the renewal of IACP accreditation will be €20 per year.

"Any processing fee that has already been paid in recent years will be credited to future processing fees as appropriate.


"If you are an Accredited Supervisor:

"There is only one form to be completed for both categories of membership (Accredited Member and Accredited Supervisor).

"From 2016, your accreditation as an Accredited Member and an Accredited Supervisor will be renewed at the same time.

"The processing fee for the renewal of IACP Supervisor accreditation (including therapeutic accreditation) will be €30 per year in total.

"Any processing fee that has already been paid in recent years will be credited to future processing fees as appropriate."

Supervisors' Forum, Ennis, Co Clare, 26th September

A Supervisors' Forum will be held in the West County Hotel, Ennis, on 26th September from 10.30am to 3.30pm. 5 CPD hours. Facilitators: Christina Hogan & Tricia McGlacken Ryan

LINK

Supervisors' Forum Dublin, 19th September on emotional regulation

"Emotional regulation and its role in Supervision" is the subject of the next IACP Supervisors' Forum in Dubin on 19th September, 10.30am to 3.30pm. Presented by Peter Sherry. Facilitators: Trish Farrell & Ann McDonald.

Venue: All Hallows College, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.

5 CPD hours

LINK