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ABOUT US
Joshua Cole
Specialist Practitioner Joshua Cole is a highly effective Mental Health Professional, specialising in the treatment of individuals with complex needs, including personality, eating and dissociative disorders. He is passionate about helping those who experience mental health issues, and possesses a unique blend of entrepreneurial skills and business acumen, combined with exceptional knowledge of the sector. He is regarded as an inspirational, visionary, leader amongst peers and a 'safe pair of hands' within the wider profession. Joshua founded and established the Registered Charity BPDWORLD in 2003, a service designed and constructed to offer information, advice and support to those afflicted with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). He is trained and qualified to Post Graduate Diploma level in Mental Health (CBT), and is in the process of completing a Masters Degree in Mental Health with the University of the West of England. Having completed a Master Practitioner award from the National Centre for Eating Disorders, and Certificated in the Treatment and Diagnosis of Dissociative Disorders, Joshua is an inveterate self-improver. Joshua studied with Professors Anthony Bateman (Consultant Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist, and Honorary Senior Lecturer at University College, London (UCL), and Peter Fonagy (Freud Memorial Professor of Psychoanalysis at UCL), to become certified in MBT (Mentalisation Based Treatment). This is an innovative treatment for personality disorder which can be implemented by nurses and other generic mental health professionals, making it generalisable to other services in the NHS. He also studied Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) with Dr. Fiona Kennedy. DBT combines standard cognitive-behavioural techniques for emotion regulation and reality-testing, with concepts of distress tolerance, acceptance, and mindful-awareness largely derived from Buddhist meditative practice. It is the first therapy that has been experimentally demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of BPD. Joshua was previously commissioned as an independent consultant in the role of care coordinator with the social services department of Gloucestershire County Council. He also provided specialist long term treatment as a psychosocial development worker for four years to a group of 15 women in a low secure hospital. The women, who self-harmed regularly, were diagnosed as having severe borderline personality disorder and considered a risk to themselves and others. Joshua has organised conferences on BPD, which have included contributions from key speakers and subject matter experts such as Professor Anthony Bateman. Contributions to various mainstream media presentations have included the BBC radio programme "All in the mind", with Dr. Raj Persaud (Consultant Psychiatrist and Gresham Professor for Public Understanding of Psychiatry), and a documentary on BPD, which investigated the theories, causes and treatment of the disorder. Joshua is committed to promoting change within the mental health profession, and contributing to the further education of fellow professionals. He has authored several Open College Network-accredited training courses, delivering up-to-the-minute knowledge and direction, and providing expert commentary on key developmental issues and strategies, in the fields of both counselling and mental health up to HNC-level. He has designed, developed, and delivered distance learning courses for mental health professionals and students. This experience has led to the establishment of his own distance learning establishment, MyDistance Learning College (http://www.mydistance-learning-college.com), a UK Limited Company. This venture further expands the much-needed flexible learning environment for people unable to attend full-time tertiary education. Joshua has been granted the NCFE Investing in Quality License, and the College has been awarded NCFE Approved Centre status. Frances Rogers Frances has an MSc in Applied Behavioural Sciences and a Graduate Diploma in Integrative Counselling and holds membership with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Frances also has a background in Nursing and Health Visiting and is currently working towards a PhD. Besides working with people who have a diagnosis of personality disorder she also has special interests in postnatal depression, Depression, Anxiety and Bereavement. Frances has worked with the charity BPDWORLD for 3 years along with working as a volunteer counsellor within the NHS. She is also a Director of the Specialist organisation Simple Complexities Ltd.
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