NVR UK 6th national conference – NVR: Making hope possible
This event features keynote speakers John Burnham and Michelle Cox MBE, plus face-to-face workshops, networking, lunch and refreshments
Cost: £120
Liverpool Hope University Creative Campus
Shaw Street
Liverpool L6 1HP
Keynote speaker, John Burnham – HOPE ‘HOPENINGS’ and ‘HAPPENINGS’
Honorary Consultant Family and Systemic Psychotherapist and Supervisor at Parkview Clinic, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Birmingham, national and international trainer.
John’s professional passions include ‘thinking theory and talking ordinary’; ‘turning practice into theory’; ‘creating self and relationally reflexive practices’; ‘creating solidarity between young people, parents and professionals through multiple family therapy’, and using social and personal GGRRAAAACCEEEESSSS….S to enable clients and practitioners to conceptualise and influence their experiences.
HOPE ‘HOPENINGS’ and ‘HAPPENINGS’
- How Systemic/NVR thinking can help us work with hope to create unity without losing the excitement and creativity of diversity described in Social GGRRAAAAACCEEEEESSSSS…..S (Burnham, 1992, 2012, 2020; Roper-Hall,1998, 2003)
- How Systemic/NVR ideas can help to create a relationship between ‘Unity and Diversity’ which is appreciative of each and inclusive of both to generate ‘Hopenings’ (Roper-Hall, 2026) and then transform ‘hopenings’ into ‘happenings’, developing practitioners’ repertoire of skills and agility in moving between diversity and unity and using both in cooperation with the people we work with and for.
Keynote speaker, Michelle Cox MBE, is a Race Equality Consultant and Co‑Chair with Sonia Bassey MBE of Mandela8, bringing over 30 years of senior NHS leadership experience rooted in her background as a community nurse. She is committed to “making hope possible” by advancing racial equity, strengthening leadership accountability, and improving outcomes for patients and communities.
Awarded an MBE in 2026, Michelle is recognised nationally as a Queen’s Nurse, Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing, and Fellow of the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing, reflecting her clinical expertise and influence on workforce culture.
Her landmark 2023 Employment Tribunal case on race discrimination and whistleblowing is now a reference point for global majority staff seeking fair treatment and transparent processes.
Through her consultancy, she conducts independent reviews to uncover systemic bias, transform organisational cultures, and create safer, more equitable environments for staff and patients.
Internationally, Michelle contributes to leadership and workforce development initiatives in Ghana and Sierra Leone, supporting global movements for justice, dignity and hope.
Workshop titles
- NVR in Context of Neurodivergent children, parents and professionals
- New Voices: Hearing young people’s lived experience of NVR
- NVR with Special Guardianship
- Shame Sensitive NVR
- Safe, Compassionate + Structured NVR responses to harmful sexual behaviours
- Finding an NVR anchor, map & compass in inpatient CAMHS
Further details regarding travel and accommodation are available on the conference website
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Find out what you can expect at the Association for Family and Systemic Psychotherapy (AFSP) Conference on 15 and 16 October 2026, in Glasgow or online.