While working as a counsellor at Lancaster University, I co-created ‘BAME Voices’. This initiative gave students from ‘black and minority ethnic backgrounds’ the opportunity to have sessions with a similarly identifying practitioner.
There were limitations to this. The term ‘BAME’ implies that lots of people somehow fit into one identity. As I continue in my practice, I will focus on what John Burnham called the ‘social graces‘. There are many ways in which we understand and try to make sense of ourselves. I will strive to stay open to what is most important to my clients.