Professor Simon du Plock

DPsych, AdvDipExPsych, MA, MA, BSc (Hons)

Senior Research Fellow

E-mail: Simon.duPlock@metanoia.ac.uk

Biography

Professor Simon du Plock is a graduate (2006) of the Doctorate in Psychotherapy Programme, and has led the Programme since 2007. He is a UKCP Registered Psychotherapist, an Associate Fellow of the BPS, a Founding Member of the BPS Register of Psychologists Specialising in Psychotherapy, and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Medicine.

He lectures in the UK and internationally on aspects of existential-phenomenological therapy, is a member of Specialist Research Faculty at Sofia University, Palo Alto, CA, and became, in 2006, the first western therapist to be made an Honorary Member of the East European Association for Existential Therapy, in recognition of his contribution to the development of collaboration between East and West European existential psychotherapy. He has authored seventy-five book chapters and papers in peer-reviewed academic journals, and has co-edited the journal of the British Society for Existential Analysis since 1993.

Institute Roles

• Doctorate in Psychotherapy by Professional Studies
• Academic Board, Member
• Academic Quality and Standards Committee, Chair

• Du Plock, S. (In press) Editor, Case Studies in Existential Therapy: Translating theory into practice,London: PCCS Books.
• Du Plock, S. (In press) Section Editor ‘Newly evolving forms of Existential Therapy around the world’ and Chapter Contributor, ‘Overview of geographic development’, The Wiley World Handbook of Existential Therapy.
• Du Plock, S. (In press) Chapter ‘Philosophical Issues in Counselling Psychology’, in Murphy, D. (ed) Counselling Psychology: A textbook for study and practice, BPS Textbooks in Psychology series, London: Wiley.
• Du Plock, S. (2017), Everyday Therapy: Putting the Wonderment Back into Our Daily Lives. Existential Analysis, the Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, Vol. 28.1
• Du Plock, S. (2016), The Therapeutic Functions of Literature and Narrative. Existential Analysis, the Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, Vol. 27.1
• Du Plock, S. (2016), Where Am I With My Research? Harnessing Reflexivity for Practice-based                                Qualitative Inquiry. The Psychotherapist, January 2016.
• Du Plock, S. (2015), Bibliotherapy and Beyond: Research as a catalyst for change in therapeutic practice, in Goss, S. P. & Stevens, C. (eds) Making Research Matter. Researching for change in the theory and practice of  Counselling and psychotherapy. London: Routledge.
• Du Plock, S., et al. (2015), Developing Doctoral-level Training That Responds to the Unique Requirements of Therapy Professionals. The Psychotherapist, 61, pp. 28-30
• Du Plock, S. & Goss, S. (2015), Capitalising on practitioner social-entrepreneurialism in developing the profession. Leeds, BACP Practitioner Conference Proceedings.
• Du Plock, S. (2015), The Challenge to Theory in Existential Psychotherapy. Existential Analysis, the Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, Vol. 26.2
• Du Plock, S. (2015), Editor (with Prof Emmy van Deurzen) ‘Special Issue’ on Existential Therapy, International Journal of Psychotherapy, Vol. 19, No. 1. Author (with Prof Emmy van Deurzen) The Historical Development and Future of Existential Therapy. International Journal of Psychotherapy, Vol. 19, No. 1.

Conferences:

• 2017 (July 1), Invited Speaker International Literature and Psychology Conference, Pontificia Facoltã di Sicilia. ‘Existential Bibliotherapy: A journey from the personal to the professional perspective eMarcel Proust’s ‘The Death of Baldassare Silvande’ and the paradox of inauthentic death anxiety’
• 2017 (April 20-21), Invited Speaker, Relational Existential-Phenomenological Supervision, East European Association for Existential Therapy, Birstonas, Lithua
• 2016 (October 21-23), Invited Speaker, II International Mental Health Congress, Fundação Romão de Sousa, Estremoz, Portugal
• 2016 (September 5-7), Invited Speaker, East European Association for Existential Therapy, IX International Conference, Institute of Humanistic and Existential Psychology, Birstonas, Lithuania. Paper and workshop: ‘Everyday Therapy: Putting the Wonderment Back into Our Daily Lives’
• 2016 (July 9), Invited Speaker, 20^th Anniversary Conference of the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling at the British Library. ‘Philosophy and Trauma’.
• 2016 (June 29-4 July), Invited Speaker, 33^rd International Literature and Psychology Conference, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne. ‘Existential Bibliotherapy: A journey from the personal to the professional perspective’
• 2015 (October 2-4), Tutor ‘Reading to Heal: Bibliotherapy and its Contexts’.Madingley Hall, University of Cambridge
• 2015 (June 24-28), Invited Speaker, 32^nd International Literature and Psychology Conference, University of Malta. ‘Albert Camus: Existentialist or Absurdist?’
• 2015 (May 15-17), 1^st World Congress for Existential Therapy, Church House, London. Workshop Leader: ‘Literature and Narrative Approaches to Therapeutic Practice’; Workshop (with Patrycja Huf and Orah Krug, ‘Key Concepts and Methods of Existential Therapies – a Comparison of Main Schools’
• 2015 (March 27-28), Speaker on ‘Phenomenological Psychotherapy’, Inaugural Conference on Phenomenology and Health, The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities (TORCH), University of Oxford
• 2015 (February 19-20), Seminar as Visiting Professor ‘Thinking About Working with Addiction From an Existential-Phenomenological Orientation’, European Humanities University, Vilnius, Lithuania
• 2014 (November 7), Invited Speaker, Saéde Mental em Portugal: que repostas? Conference, Fundação Romão de Sousa, Estremoz, Portugal. ‘A Phenomenological Approach to Psychosis’.
• 2014 (November 1-3), ‘Approaching Psychosis’ Rehabilitation Centre “Anastasis”, Belarus.
• 2014 (Sept 18-21), Invited Speaker, VIII International Conference of the East European Association for Existential Therapy, Birstonas, Lithuania. Presentation on ‘Existential Bibliotherapy’; Practical seminar on ‘Practice of Existential Supervision’.           
• 2014 (June 26-28), Invited Speaker, 30^th International Literature and Psychology Conference, Madrid, Spain. ‘Procrastination about Procrastination: Existential Anxiety and the Early Works of Marcel Proust’
• 2014 (June 2-4), Malta Postgraduate Psychiatry Training Programme, Mount Carmel Hospital, Triq Notabile, Attard, Malta. External Examiner and Workshop Leader, ‘The Democratization of Psychological Health Culture: Some reflections on ways to engage not just with illness, but with what defines us as human beings.