Dr Lisa MorrisonSector leader

Biography

Dr Lisa Morrison (also published as Lisa Morrison Coulthard) is Director of Professional Standards, Policy and Research at the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the UK's leading professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists, having joined in December 2023. She is a Chartered Psychologist with almost 30 years' experience in professional membership and research organisations in the charity sector, primarily supporting mental health. Before joining BACP she served as Head of Research and Impact at the British Psychological Society, where she led strategy on psychology knowledge exchange and policy influence. Throughout her career she has worked to bridge the gap between evidence, policy development and decision making, influencing government on mental health issues. She is publicly known for arguing that counsellors and psychotherapists must be placed at the centre of government mental health plans, that services must be more accessible and free at the point of need, and that the cost-of-living crisis poses a severe threat to the nation's mental wellbeing.

References

1. 1.CEO and Senior Management Team – BACP — Confirms her role title, start date (December 2023), and that she is a Chartered Psychologist with almost 30 years' experience in the charity sector supporting mental health.
2. 2.2024 Presenters – National Counsellors' Day — Confirms full name Lisa Morrison Coulthard, role at BACP, Chartered Psychologist status, and career background bridging evidence, policy and decision-making on mental health.
3. 3.BACP Cost of Living Report – Understanding the Impact — Evidences her public policy advocacy for accessible mental health services and government investment, and her leadership of BACP's cost-of-living campaign.
4. 4.New accreditation routes to open Wednesday 11 February 2026 – BACP — Evidences her role in delivering 13 new SCoPEd-aligned accreditation routes for BACP members.

Expertise

Cited on

• Mental health

Stated areas of expertise

• Mental health policy
• Access to counselling and psychotherapy
• Professional standards and accreditation
• Children and young people's mental health
• Cost-of-living impacts on mental health
• Research and evidence strategy

Notable achievements

• Led BACP's delivery of 13 new accreditation routes for members following the SCoPEd framework transition period, opening in February 2026. Source ↗
• Oversaw BACP's cost-of-living campaign and report, calling on government for investment in accessible mental health services free at the point of need. Source ↗
• Represented BACP in response to the NHS Change consultation, arguing for counsellors and psychotherapists to be central to government mental health plans. Source ↗
• Made the public case for deploying BACP's specialist children and young people counsellors to address the 'missing middle' in CAMHS provision. Source ↗

What they’ve said

• “We know that for many women this stage in life presents a convergence of major challenges – from the menopause and other physical changes, to relationship breakdowns, caring responsibilities and empty-nest syndrome.”

  Director of Professional Standards, Policy and Research at BACP · Mental health · 27 Aug 2026 · Survey of over-50s women finds almost two in three struggle with mental health ↗

• “As a woman in midlife, you kind of lose yourself. Maybe because you feel invisible or you're putting yourself at the bottom of the list of family priorities. Many women are dealing with being the "filling" in the middle of the sandwich between looking after children and also caring for older adults.”

  director of professional standards, policy and research at the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) · Mental health · 27 Aug 2026 · ‘You lose yourself’: inside the mental health crisis hitting gen X women ↗

Source references

1. Survey of over-50s women finds almost two in three struggle with mental healththeguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
2. ‘You lose yourself’: inside the mental health crisis hitting gen X womentheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.bacp.co.uk/about-us/about-bacp/governance/ceo-and-senior-management-team/
• Press office emailmedia@bacp.co.ukpublished here ↗
• Press office phone07766 700417published here ↗
• LinkedInhttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/dr-lisa-morrison-8a398516
• Xhttps://x.com/lisamcoulthardpublished here ↗

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.