PSYCHOLOGIST's BACKGROUND
I have an unusual background having first started out as an NHS psychiatric nurse in the 70's and then somehow ending up as a consultant organisational psychologist in the international corporate world from the mid 80's to the mid 2000's.
I have been a chartered occupational psychologist since 1989, and have over 30 years experience working in the NHS and internationally in the Corporate world. Prior to qualifying as a psychologist and working in organisational consultancy as a senior executive leadership coach, I worked in the NHS as a behavioural psychotherapist from 1976~81 and again from 2002~12. In 2012 I retired from the NHS as a senior CBT psychotherapist within the IAPT team in primary care Portsmouth and had a private practice in Petersfield from 2002 until 2018. I'm often asked and to be honest I am tempted to go back, but I have now retired from therapeutic ways of working to concentrate on being mindful in everyday life and whenever the opportunity presents itself, helping others to do the same.
Looking back, my career has been about helping people from all walks of life to solve their problems, achieve their goals and be the best they can be. Along the way, I acquired and used many tools and techniques. I had quite a collection and first came across mindfulness in 2002 and thought this was the best one yet! I did my training with Bangor University, started a dedicated meditation practice, taught others about mindfulness and mindfulness became the most important and vital part of my working and everyday life ~ it still is, but I no longer think of mindfulness as a tool or technique and ~ shock horror ~ I don't meditate as a formal practice any more. I'm not against it ~ far from it. I encourage others to meditate ~ especially beginners ~ and I think it's good, I still enjoy it, but I don't have a regular practice myself.
In 2012, after 10 years of mindfulness practice, study, retreats, teaching and direct experience of being and not being so mindful, I started a local group to share and pass on the good things I had learned. Gradually, my own practice became less frequent ~ it's common to 'fall off the cushion' from time to time and in my case, I eventually chose deliberately to stand up and step away from the cushion all together. Others have talked about the importance of being mindful in ordinary everyday life, but they seem to see this as a bolt-on addition to the main act, which is the practice itself. I took a different direction that made being mindful in everyday life the primary thing. I'm pretty sure I could not have arrived at this point without my solid and dedicated years of practice, and I am certainly keen for others to start that way, have that experience too and continue to practice as a way of life if they want to ~ many people do.
Some people might consider that as a 'non-practitioner' I have failed. However, I have a mindful belief that I'm not trying to achieve anything any more and real life is where we need to be. Let's see! In my experience, learning to be mindfully aware in ordinary/extraordinary everyday life is the real test of being mindful. Meditation is amazing, but I'm not convinced that living life mindfully to the full depends on meditation practice. In my experience, there is no time for practice in real life, we need to be mindful as life unfolds from moment to moment ~ to be present to the reality of what is ~ aware of whatever comes our way.
To benefit from all my experience, on this website you don't have to join or subscribe to anything! Just grab whatever you want to learn from.
Wherever and whoever you are in mindfulness, and whatever story brings you to this site, why not get in touch? Doesn't matter where you are in the world - let's acknowledge that we are all interconnected!
Colin's Previous Academic and Professional Qualifications/Education:-
BA(Hons) Psychology (Portsmouth University 1984),
MSc Organisational Psychology (Manchester UMIST 1985),
C. Psychol, Cert. Behav. Psych,
Member of the BPS Register for Chartered Psychologists Specialising in Psychotherapy, BABCP Accredited and Registered Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist,
HPC Registered Practitioner Psychologist,
Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development,
Certificate in Further Education Teaching, Highbury College 1979,
Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy, Graylingwell Hospital Chichester 1976~77, Psychiatric Nursing qualification, RMN St. James’ Hospital 1973~75.