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OBITUARY Mary Godden
into private practice. She worked with Cruse and also with local faith organisations to increase counselling skills across a wide range of professionals and volunteers. Her work on the use of counselling skills as part of another role was widely respected. Throughout the e ff orts to professionalise counselling her focus was always the clients, and her concerns included keeping access to counselling available to all, irrespective of fi nancial resources. This made her passionate about the voluntary sector, and in 2016 she was still writing to Therapy Today asking BACP to support charities in making counselling available. She also felt that individual counsellors should take on pro bono work, a view which did not always make her popular but which she lived out in her own life. As an individual Mary was clear-sighted, determined, warm and generous, with a sense of humour that eased many tricky situations. For her the future was always more important than the past. She expressed her views forthrightly, staying true to her principles while respecting those of others. When you were with Mary you knew you were with a force to be reckoned with. In December 2021 Mary moved from the home in Margate where she had raised her three children, Mark, Ruth and Karen, and took up residence in a care home in Reigate to be nearer to the family. She made this move with her usual determination and vigour, pronouncing herself satis fi ed with the place and taking a keen interest in everything around her. Even at 92 her death was unexpected as she was so fully engaged with life. Many people – family, friends, past clients and supervisees and colleagues – will be saddened by her passing. She is remembered with love and respect. Dr Nicola Barden FBACP , Professional Fellow, University of Winchester, BACP Chair 2005-2008
(13 July 1931 to 18 February 2024) Mary Godden was a founding member of BACP, and its Chair from 1980-1983. Her role in developing counselling began before BAC existed, with the Standing Conference for the Advancement of Counselling, formed in 1971. From this emerged the British Association for Counselling Working Party, leading to BAC’s formal inauguration in 1977. Mary was on the fi rst Executive Committee, representing the Personal-Sexual-Marital- Family Counselling division, and worked on the Association’s fi rst Code of Ethics. She became Vice Chair of BAC in 1978, simultaneously chairing the Development Committee and being a member of the Finance Committee. In September 1980 she became the third Chair of BAC. In her fi rst year in this role she brought forward the initial proposal for a system of counsellor accreditation. Mary was a believer in the need for transparency and accountability, most importantly to clients: ‘We must be ready to say what our standards are and to live up to them individually in our practice and corporately in what we o ff er to the community,’ she wrote in her fi rst Annual Report. She wanted to raise the pro fi le and professionalism of counselling for the bene fi t of clients fi rst but also for counsellors themselves. She was determined that members should be involved in the Association, contributing to its operation and direction and, as part of maintaining accessibility, preferred to focus on recruitment rather than fee increases. When she completed her term as Chair membership stood at 1,700, with over 100 organisational members. This seems small compared with today’s fi gure of more than 65,000 members but counselling was a very new profession,
Mary was a believer in the need for transparency and accountability, most importantly to clients: ‘We must be ready to say what our standards are and to live up to them individually in our practice and corporately in what we o ff er to the community’
and Mary’s own membership number was 10! Following her time as Chair Mary continued to support the Association on professional conduct and accreditation committees, and as a representative to the UKCP. Mary’s counselling career started with the National Marriage Guidance Council (now Relate), and moved through teaching
THERAPY TODAY 15 MAY 2024
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