Who's Who in the REM State Team
Mike Beard PhD, FHGI
Mike is Director of REM State. In a previous role he has developed, delivered and directed therapeutic services for a specialist residential facility for young people. Mike has also worked as part of the Personal, Social and Health Education team within the Devon Local Education Authority, where his work focussed on the development and delivery of training for health and education professionals working with vulnerable young children. He has previous experience of working within the Criminal Justice Service and at a strategic level within the Connexions service.
Mike is a tutor for MindFields College, the only specialist psychology college in the UK and the leading independent provider of training days and workshops to the NHS and social services. In addition, Mike is an Associate Trainer for (and consultant to) BEAT (formerly the national Eating Disorders Association), and lectures on aspects of emotional and mental health as part of Devon Education Services teaching assistant induction training and for the University of Plymouth’s undergraduate programme. He also teaches as part of Exeter, East & Mid Devon’s Hospiscare training programme. He is a Fellow of the Human Givens Institute.
In a voluntary capacity, Mike is present Chair of the Exeter Drug and Alcohol Implementation Group (a section of the Devon Drug Action Team), and is Chair of Young Devon (Formerly Devon Youth Association), a charity established to support and deliver services to young people living in Devon.
Mike’s professional interests lie at either end of a ‘therapeutic-education’ continuum! At one end, he is particularly involved in developing brief and more effective therapeutic interventions for what are sometimes considered ‘long term’ and more ‘intractable’ mental illnesses such as eating disorders, psychosis etc. (particularly when those suffering these illnesses may be very young and/or have additional needs, or have experienced particular difficulties or traumas in their lives). At the other end of the spectrum, Mike is keen to develop (through mainstream education) the skills and abilities of all those involved in the care and education of young people to identify and work more effectively with the early signs of vulnerability – reducing the numbers of children who go on to experience mental illness and emotional difficulties in later life. A third area of interest for Mike is where these two areas may combine or be developed elsewhere!
(For further information, please see: www.hgi.org.uk/register/Therapists/Mike-BeardSW.htm).
