Meet our first keynote speaker, Dr. Manivong J. Ratts 

 

Manivong J. Ratts is professor of counselling at Seattle University and  chair of the Department of Leadership and Professional Studies (AEDT,   Counselling, EDLR, SDA, and TESOL). Dr. Ratts received his Ph.D. in Counselling from Oregon State University (OSU). He holds an associate’s degree from Yakima Valley Community College, a bachelor's degree in psychology from Western Washington University, and a master's degree in counselling from OSU. In 2018, he was awarded a Doctorate of  Humane Letters, Honors Causa from Lewis and Clark College for his work in advancing multiculturalism and social justice in the counselling profession and was the graduate commencement keynote, Advocating for Social Change in a Toxic Political Climate.

Dr. Ratts is a licensed mental health counsellor (L.M.H.C.) and past President of Counselors for Social Justice, a division of ACA. His research is in the area of multiculturalism and social justice. He is one of the nation’s leading scholars in the area of social justice counselling. He coined the term “social justice counseling” and argued that social justice is a “fifth force” among counselling paradigms, following the psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, and multicultural traditions.

Dr. Ratts chaired a committee which developed Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC) for the counselling profession with Drs. Anneliese Singh, Sylvia Nassar-McMillan, Kent Butler, and Rafe McCullough. The MSJCC serve as a guide to help counselling professionals develop multicultural and social justice competence. The competencies have been adopted by ACA and are used in counsellor training programmes across the US. 

Dr. Ratts has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Counseling and Development and the Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology. He has published in various peer-reviewed journals on social justice counseling and is lead author of the following books Counseling for Multiculturalism and Social Justice: Integration, Theory, and Application (2014) with Dr. Paul B. Pedersen and ACA Advocacy Competencies: A Social Justice Framework for Counselors (2010) with Dr. Judy Lewis and Dr. Rebecca Toporek. He has produced two video series through Alexander Street Press titled Four Approaches to Counseling One Client: Medical, Intrapsychic, Multicultural, and Social Justice Counseling Paradigms (2011) and Five Forces of Counseling and Psychotherapy: Psychoanalytic, Cognitive-Behavioral, Existential-Humanistic, Multicultural, and Social Justice (2013).

Meet our second keynote speaker, Eina McHugh

Eina McHugh is a writer, entrepreneurial specialist with University College Dublin's Innovation Academy, Irish Fulbright Scholar and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

A Former CEO and Artistic Director of The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children in Dublin, for 10 years (2005-2015), Eina was responsible for all Ark programming, including the commissioning of award-winning works across multiple art forms.

As an independent consultant, Eina has worked with Channel 4, BBC,The Paul Hamlyn Foundation, The Nursery Channel, British Film Institute, S4C International and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.   Previous senior leadership posts include Director of the Second World Summit on Television for Children in London, Head of Project Development for the Welsh Broadcaster S4C's Commercial Division in London,  Deputy Director of the Northern Ireland Film Council,  Director of the Cinemagic International Film Festival for Children and Young People, and Director of 'E Force', the BBC/E.U. Media Training Programme.

Eina has a Masters in Applied Psychosynthesis. Eina is also a recipient of the Ray Murphy Leadership Fund (2010) for her innovative Women in Leadership initiative, Taking Yourself Seriously. An Irish Fulbright Scholar (2012-2013), she partnered with Lincoln Centre Education, the education wing of the Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts in New York, on a professional research project, Encouraging the Seedbeds of Creativity. 

Eina’s keynote presentation will focus on her childhood experiences and emotional trauma caused by the years of conflict in Northern Ireland and her psychotherapeutic recovery process. Eina described this therapeutic journey in her book: To Call Myself Beloved. To Call Myself Beloved offers a window into the intimacy and power of the therapeutic experience, told from a patient’s perspective, as well as a thought-provoking insight into the trauma of the 'Troubles’ in Northern Ireland.

WHILE VISITING BELFAST

Besides attending the conference, we want everyone who visits Belfast to experience something of the city and local culture. Conference organisers are working to identify a number of cultural activities for you to explore during your visit. Details will be provided as the conference approaches.

ACCOMMODATION

Anyone wishing to book a room at the conference venue, the Europa Hotel, can call the reservation team on 02890271066 (from the US dial 011 then 44 for the UK) or email res@eur.hastingshotels.com and quote booking ID 133868.

WEBCAST

We’re pleased to confirm that you can sign up to view selected content from the conference via live online webcast. The webcast will include a selection of presentations on a variety of themes, including the keynote presentations. The webcast programme will be confirmed soon.

The webcast will include the opportunity to discuss the presentations online via our chat facility. You'll also be able to submit questions directly to our presenters in our dedicated webcast studio. Bookings also include a two month on-demand catch up service so you can catch up on anything you miss.

Bookings for the webcast can be made on the BACP website.

Find out more and register for the webcast here