Conference team
Continuing the Journey is not run by any single organisation and continues its journey only because conference participants give the mandate to a planning group to investigate the next stage. It is a ‘trans-denominational’ conference, supported by a number of Christian trusts and counselling centres.
Meet the planning group
Martine Bailey (workshop co-ordinator) a teacher for many years – French of course – Trained as a volunteer Bereavement visitor for her local hospice 20 years ago. Still working there as a supervisor of a lovely and lively group. Trained as a counsellor, has been working in a GP surgery for 11 years. Martine was taken to her first CTJ conference many moons ago by her boss who said, “This will be good for you”. It was, and Martine has been to every CTJ conference since. Loves gardening, Pilates and above all, walking in her beloved Vosges Mountains.
Bill Bazely is a UKBHC registered healthcare chaplain who specialises in mental health care. Through his wife Mogs, he has had a longstanding relationship with the conference, but finally attended in person in 2010. Originally an engineer in the steel industry, Bill has worked for almost 20 years in the NHS and also has 12 years of parish work experience in his ministerial career. As well as loving his work supporting service users, Bill also enjoys providing supervision for staff and other chaplains…and trying to keep his Wii fitness score in the early 20s!
Andy Butler (liaison with conference centre) is the longest serving member of the planning group. He first attended the conference in 1988 when he was working as a community social worker for a Baptist Church in South West London, where he was also an Elder – he has been on the planning group ever since! Andy is a qualified Social Worker and has worked for Surrey County Council for over 19 years. He is currently a Senior Practice Development Manager working on a number of local, regional and national policy developments relating to Adult Social Care. Andy lives in Hampshire with his wife and four children and is also a local Justice of the Peace.
Sue Colman (worship co-ordinator) works for an organisation supporting vulnerable young people, developing spirituality and teaching emotional welbeing. She was on the staff of her local church for many years in lay pastoral ministry and is at present on a journey towards ordination. She has led courses and taught on Inner Healing, Prayer Ministry, and Spirituality and would describe her own spirituality as charismatic, evangelical and contemplative. She is particularly interested in issues around adoption, children and adolescents in the care system and mental health and is passionate about seeing how the unique healing gifts of the church can be used in conjunction with the rich and broad range of therapies.
Ruth Dormandy (chair of planning group) is a UKCP registered psychotherapist, a supervisor and trainer having qualifications in pastoral counselling, psychosynthesis psychotherapy, supervision and teaching. She has worked in various settings since 1994, having been the director of a community counselling agency and is currently working for Interhealth and in independent practice. Ruth’s work also includes offering pastoral supervision to clergy and group supervision on the diploma course at the Psychosynthesis and Education Trust. In addition she facilitates workshops and training events for churches and counselling organisations. Her particular interests include the interface between personal and spiritual development, resourcing Christians and church leaders psychologically, and belly dancing.
Kim Gooding (secretary to planning group & publicity) is a UKCP registered psychotherapistkim gooding pic in independent practice and for a small charity. Kim has managed a community counselling service, worked as a counsellor in primary care and had a former existence as a community development worker. Kim’s work has focused on building community in the inner city and making counselling accessible to the marginalised. She is particularly interested in cross cultural work, facilitating ministry and ‘whole’ person care. Kim is part of the leadership of an Anglican church and in her spare time she loves to walk, bird watch and explore places without people!
Lynette Harborne (small groups co-ordinator) works in private practice in Buckinghamshire as a psychotherapist, supervisor, spiritual director and trainer. She also works in the Human Development department in a Roman Catholic Seminary and is particularly interested in the similarities between therapy and spiritual direction. Walking, swimming, running and knitting are essential in her life and looking after her grandchildren brings welcome perspective.
Hugh Jenkins (small groups co-ordinator) is a psychotherapist in independent practice and Senior Tutor at the Institute of Psychiatry. He was formerly Director of the Institute of Family Therapy and was awarded the medal of the Hungarian Family Therapy Association in 1996. He is currently working with Areopagus, a Christian organisation in Timisoara, Romania, running training programmes and developing a new institute for family therapy and systemic practice. When time allows, his passion is water colour painting.
Ruth Layzell (workshop co-ordinator & publicity) is currently Director of Training for the Sherwood Psychotherapy Training Institute and co–Director of the Institute of Pastoral Counselling. She is a BACP accredited counsellor with 20 years worth of experience in training counselling practitioners. In her therapeutic work, she has a particular interest in working with people of faith, ministers in particular and she and her colleague Mogs Bazely have recently developed a Certificate in Reflective Practice for one Anglican diocese. Previous jobs include social work (generic and then in adoption and fostering) and Director of Counselling training at St John’s College Nottingham. Her interest in making links between theology and psychology has issued in a number of short articles, a Grove booklet about adoption, a chapter on religious abuse in a book entitled Clinical Counselling in Pastoral Settings and co-authoring the Beta Course and her current Doctor in Practical Theology studies. She enjoys Pilates, swimming and maintains her interest in all things French with regular visits to Brittany.
Karen Stallard is currently the minister of Union Chapel, Islington, a congregational church where she enjoys the challenging context of a large, beautiful non–conformist cathedral which houses a tiny congregation, a restoration project, a homelessness project and a popular live music venue. Karen has lived and worked in inner city London for 10 years now; she is director for a counselling charity in Tower Hamlets and has a background of working as a chaplain within a mental health NHS trust. Favourite activities include eating and drinking with friends and skiing when not completely terrified.
Sarah Watts (treasurer) worked as a counsellor in independent practice for over 10 years, but now works full time with the Institute of Business Ethics where she is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of a busy not for profit organisation. Sarah values the input of the CTJ conferences through the years and the community of like–minded souls that gathers bi–annually in the beautiful Derbyshire countryside. In her spare time she enjoys (or is that endures?!) training for and competing in triathlons.
Claire Wendelken (newsletter editor) returned to conference in 2006 after a long gap, having first attended in the 1980s. A social worker and social work tutor, she was active in the Social Workers Christian Fellowship, editing their annual conference material and, for four years, their journal. Claire has retired from paid employment. She enjoys a pastoral role with an ecumenical group of seniors, occasional writing, and mentoring work/faith integration and social care training. Her church family is at Queens Road, Wimbledon. Photography, family history, charity archives, art and aqua-aerobics enrich the remainder of her time.