BABCP

Dear Colleagues

I am delighted to have this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Christmas.

2009 has been a great year for BABCP. Membership has exceeded 7,500, while BABCP has continued to expand the services it offers to meet members' needs.

In 2010 BABCP will be facing some important challenges:

• Early in the New Year we will be asking members for their views on our initial strategic development plan for the period 2010-13. The purpose of this plan is to enable BABCP to go from strength to strength and increase our support for members in a safe and sustainable fashion.

• The New Year will also see BABCP offering the first national accreditation scheme for Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners, who are making a significant impact upon the nation's mental health through the IAPT programme.

• We will continue to support plans for the regulation of psychotherapists that is being undertaken through the Health Professions Council.

• In addition, we have another full CPD programme planned for 2010. BABCP will be holding its Spring Conference and Workshops in April in London, while our 38th Annual Conference will take place during July in Manchester. Both the World and European Congresses of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies will also convene, during June (in Boston, USA) and October (in Milan, Italy) respectively. Full details can be found on our website here.

Finally, 2009 saw the retirement of Howard Lomas, one of our founding members. Howard has worked tirelessly on behalf of the Association since its inception, latterly as Company Secretary. I'd like to say a final thank you to Howard for his efforts on our behalf, and to wish Howard and Sallie all the best for the future.

On behalf of the Board and our officers at BABCP central in Bury, I wish you and your families a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

John L. Taylor
President, BABCP