Seven questions with Richard Harrison
16 December 2015
This week, we put seven questions to Richard Harrison, Psychodynamic Counsellor in UCL Student Psychological Services.
What does your role involve and how long have you been at UCL? What was your previous role?
I'm a therapist at UCL Student Psychological Services, and I provide psychological assessments and individual therapy for students at the university, as well as coordinating and facilitating personal development workshops for students.
I've been a member of the clinical team here for two years, having done counselling work here since 2010. I also do work as a therapist in private practice, and have previously been a member of a group practice in central London.
What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?
Alongside my clinical work with students, I've really enjoyed working with my colleagues to develop the Being@UCL personal development workshops for the department - this is a pilot series of workshops aimed at helping students to make the most of their time at university, helping them to draw on their strengths and talents, and building the confidence they need to meet the emotional challenges of university life.
The workshops are funded through Widening Participation and the university's Access Agreement, so there is a special focus on addressing challenges that are sometimes faced by students from groups that are under-represented in higher education - for example those who are in the first generation of their family to go to university.
Tell us about a project you are working on now that is top of your to-do list?
I'm currently finalising the line-up for the upcoming Being@UCL workshops in January and February: there will be a focus on getting the most out of your relationships with staff and students, building confidence, and developing assertiveness skills. There will also be two mindfulness groups, with a focus on managing low mood and stress.
What was your first job straight out of university?
I came to higher education later in life, after many years working in the music industry.
What is your favourite thing about London?
I love cinema, so the British Film Institute on the South Bank is very high on my list of favourite things about the city. It hosts the London Film Festival every October, and has monthly retrospectives of work by film makers from all over the world. A huge amount of footage from it's film archive is available to watch at the South Bank Mediatheque - you can just turn up and view the archive for free.
Who would be your dream dinner guests?
Outside of friends and family, I'd start with some contemporary London filmmakers who are good at telling stories and asking questions: Asif Kapadia, who made Amy - one of my favourite documentaries of last year; Vanessa Engle, whose new TV documentary on domestic violence Love You To Death will be essential viewing, if her other work is anything to go by; and Steve McQueen, whose studies of human nature have been consistently compelling.
What would it surprise people to know about you?
I played at Glastonbury in 1997 - the muddiest year on record.