UKCP Trustee Nomination: Michelle Briggs

Accessibility is important to me, so I’ve recorded a video of me reading this statement. So please go to https://youtu.be/KXejItFU1ZU  if you’d like or prefer that.

Intro

Hello! my name is Michelle Briggs, and I’ve been a member of UKCP since 2018.

I present myself to be a trustee for the UKCP as it enters a new phase, as someone with the experience, expertise, drive and energy to be at the heart of the inevitable change we must embrace.  And it would be an honour to take up the position.

Since early on in my psychotherapy career, I’ve had a passion for the opportunities that exist for our profession.  It even appeared in my Masters small scale research project which addressed research dissemination, and the results included an element on trainee motivation too (see link at the end if you’d like to read more)*.

Why me

I’m a chartered accountant, with various jobs over the years.  My career hasn’t been typical though, and although I trained as an auditor, the subsequent 25+ years I worked as a team member and also a leader in lots of successful change programmes, including at Rolls-Royce in Derby where I got my project management training. 

Much of my first career was in corporates, but I also have experience in the charity sector.  This included 9 years as (pro bono) external advisor to the audit committee for a college for young adults with severe learning disabilities which I was sad to say goodbye to, and it was very exciting to be Director of Finance and Corporate Services for the Edinburgh Film Festival for a short time to help them through a difficult transition.  I was also engaged on consulting projects to improve decision making and programme management at a local government enterprise here in Nottingham, and was delighted to see the team grow and be recognised as the great group they are by the executives there.

So whilst I bring finance expertise, I also offer skills in change, governance, engagement and influencing, strategy, process improvement, programme design and delivery.  I also like to think I bring pragmatism and belief that things can be better.  It’s so important to me to nurture talent and provide opportunity, alongside listening and coaching.  My facilitation skills could really help gather ideas, and leverage the creativity that exists within our organisation and membership.

Something very important to mention, is that I stand up for what I believe in, and use my power and privilege as best I can to call out bullying and injustice.

Governance

My background and experience means I have worked with governance throughout my career. Now governance isn’t just about making sure money and activities are controlled.  It’s is about ensuring the future of the organisation which is done through the pillars or people, processes, technology and organisation structures, in the context of the external environment.  This is a model we used at Rolls-Royce PLC and I continue to use it to this day.

So a bit about our challenges. 

Healthy Tension: UKCP Charitable Objectives

The UKCP balances the inevitable tension in its charitable objectives to promote our work as well as maintain standards, but they don’t have to be in opposition.  As an engaged membership along with talented UKCP leadership deliver the highest standards, backed up by quality research, this can only strengthen our arguments for wider provision and ultimately deliver for the general public. 

“One UKCP”

Engagement, engagement, engagement….

So to move forward I know from my experience it’s imperative for us to have a “One UKCP” – i.e. a high level of internal engagement.  This means all of us working together: the UKCP membership, the Colleges, and the UKCP central organisation (and any other internal group I may have missed).  There’s something called the Service Delivery Model, which describes how an engaged, highly satisfied workforce leads to highly satisfied clients.  So for us, this means that if we deliver for our members, so we also deliver for the general public.

I know that engagement of a dis-engaged population is challenging, but it isn’t impossible. Whilst visible steps have been taken for our external audience, the member piece has yet to gain much traction.  Now, improvement workshops and consultations have taken place – I’ve been involved in some of them – we just need to step up our game.  I know we can do it – relationships are, after all, fundamental to the nature of the work we do.  We’ve so much untapped potential within our membership: it’s a real opportunity.

Representation

You know when I left school I expected to receive equal treatment to men, and I bring that attitude into the wider representation piece.  I expect that the UKCP, the Colleges, its Organisation Members, and the individual members i.e. everyone! to deliver on the rhetoric across representation and accessibility.  As a trustee I would use my privilege to drive more action.

Why I want to do it

It really would be an honour to be a Trustee for UKCP. I’ve always tried to use my energy to be involved, and to offer my talents to make a change, rather than sitting complaining from the side-lines. So I’d love the opportunity to take my experience, passion, energy and drive to support the executive and senior leadership teams as we develop the strategy and direction; to help prioritise, organise and deliver on the change that we must embrace within UKCP. 

I started my private psychotherapy practice in 2020, applying my business skills and knowledge, and that work is now thriving.  So now I am ready for a new challenge. I want the skills and expertise I developed over 30 years to be used, not wasted.  I believe I can make a real difference.

Thank you for taking the time to read through my statement!

If you’d like to connect, please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn

Michelle Briggs _{BSc MSc FCA UKCP}

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-briggs/

* https://www.counsellingwestbridgford.co.uk/2022/07/18/masters-research-dissemination/