Lydia Baxter was recognised for her project exploring the effectiveness of a therapeutic intervention among ethnic minority groups.
Date: 29 September 2020
Third-year student Lydia Baxter has been announced as a runner up for the 2020 Division of Counselling Psychology Trainee Prize. Lydia, who is studying for a Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology, was recognised for a project which detailed a case study from an Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) placement.
The case study was taken from a clinical placement that was conducting a research project that Lydia was involved in exploring the effectiveness of an integrative third wave Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) known as Comprehend Cope and Connect (CCC) in treating people from ethnic minority groups. The case featured Complex Trauma, emotional dysregulation and low self-esteem.
Her submission was commended as "excellent on all counts, and in particular, in relation to originality, relevance to Counselling Psychology, critical analysis and the overall standard of writing was deemed exceptionally high.”
Lydia said she felt “very surprised and honoured” that the judges chose her academic work, particularly as she had come back to university as a mature student and felt “quite rusty” when she started.
She added that “being awarded this prize has given me the confidence to continue writing. I would imagine I am much like many students who feel that their work is not quite good enough or that they could do more to improve it. Although this is not wrong, I feel that writing, although it has to meet the criteria and a focus on the subject, can be a creative pursuit to be enjoyed. Getting the right balance between the technical skills of writing and the artistic feel of the piece has been important for me to develop my writing style".
Lydia has now completed the Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology programme at LMU and is currently awaiting her viva voce examination. She has continued to be involved in NHS research, and from this involvement, she has also co-authored a book chapter on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Diverse Groups, which has recently been accepted by the editors. She is also employed within a High Intensity (HI) IAPT setting offering various therapies to people experiencing anxiety, depression, and complex trauma. She has a desire to specialise in trauma work, particularly Complex Trauma, which is an area that is growing in research interest.
Lydia would like to thank her lecturers for their knowledge and guidance throughout the course and would like to encourage other Counselling Psychology trainees to submit their work to this competition.
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