Dr Mary Welford, Chair of the Compassionate Mind Foundation joins Psychology Associates to lead the new Therapy Centre

Dr Mary Welford, a founding member of the Compassionate Mind Foundation joins Psychology Associates as the Clinical Lead for Therapy.  Her previous role was as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist for the NHS, Greater Manchester working within a Community Mental Health Team and across a range of research projects. 

Mary is currently the Chair of the Compassionate Mind Foundation and has been involved with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) for many years, in various roles including Branch Liaison Officer, Magazine Editor and European Scientific Committee Member.

Clinically, Mary aims to understand the difficulties people often experience in light of evolutionary, social, developmental and neurophysiological psychology. The approach she uses in individual, group and systemic work is predominantly Compassion Focused Therapy though she also practices a ‘warmed up’ version of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, and Meta-Cognitive Therapy along with other approaches.

When asked about her move to Psychology Associates, Dr Mary Welford said “most therapists enter their profession because they are motivated to alleviate distress. Maybe they have experienced difficulties themselves or have seen those around them struggle.  Both are true for me. Having subsequently worked in the NHS for 20 years I have been privileged to work with people who have amazing courage in the face of profound difficulties. Thankfully I have seen how individuals can transform their lives”.

Mary added “However I have also realized that changing systems and the wider society is often a slow, if not impossible, process and I have found this personally very difficult.  As such I have decided to get off the train I was on, where I was a small voice in a huge organisation and get on a different one. The opportunity to develop a new therapy centre at Psychology Associates is really exciting. My role here is starting to evolve and I have a lot of ideas; I feel hopeful that I can still abide by my original aim – to alleviate distress – but maybe this time on a much larger scale”. 

Dr Mary Welford will be developing the Therapy Centre from Psychology Associates Cornish practice whilst continuing to speak at various events and seminars across Europe. Details of where Mary is presenting are available on Psychology Associates website.