Pete Sanders

Pete worked as a volunteer counsellor for ‘Off The Record’ in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the early 1970s whilst a psychology undergraduate. This, and a full time Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling at th University of Aston in Birmingham in 1974/5, set him on his subsequent career as a counsellor, trainer, supervisor and author. During this time he was the course leader on three BACP recognised courses, was centrally involved in establishing and running the BACP Trainer Accreditation Scheme, wrote, co-wrote or edited 15 books, and founded PCCS Training and PCCS Books with his wife Maggie.  Apart from his continuing interest in the development of theory and practice in person-centred and experiential therapies, he is dedicated to the demedicalisation of distress. Pete thinks that mental health services are in urgent need of reformation and is more likely to be found at a Hearing Voices Network conference than a BACP event. He is a Trustee of the Soteria Network, UK.