UKASFP Annual Conference 2026

Hope In Uncertain Times
Friday 10 & Saturday 11 July 2026, 9am – 5pm
Greyfriars Church & Centre, Reading
5 minutes walk from Reading Station
Register Now Find Out More

Conference begins in

— Weeks
— Days
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The Conference

An Open & Friendly Gathering

Our annual national gathering brings together everyone interested in Solution Focused Practice — how it works, where it fits, and what it shifts. Therapy and coaching remain at the heart of the field, but the approach is increasingly reshaping conversations across every kind of workplace and organisation.

You don't need an SF background to belong here. The community welcomes leaders, educators, healthcare professionals, designers, public-sector workers — anyone whose work involves helping people and systems move forward. Newcomers find themselves alongside the UK innovators, trainers and authors who shaped the practice, all ready to share what they've learned.

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"Many participants attend year after year — a warm, intellectually vibrant community united by the conviction that solutions, not problems, are where the future lives."
— UKASFP Conference Community
25+Sessions confirmed
2Full conference days
2004–2026Annual SF Conference
UKNational gathering

Keynotes

Featured Sessions

Anchoring this year's programme, alongside many more workshops and presentations across both days.

Janine Waldman & Paul Z Jackson
Janine Waldman Paul Z Jackson

From Coping to Hoping: a conversational tool for finding resources and next steps

A practical conversational tool for identifying resources and meaningful next steps forward.

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Diana Conroy
Diana Conroy

One Approach, Many Contexts: Applying Solution Focused Practice in Trauma, Crisis and Organisational Change

Solution Focused Practice across trauma response, organisational crisis, and large-scale change in humanitarian settings.

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Andrew Gibson
Andrew Gibson

What is Solution Focused Practice?

An accessible foundation for newcomers and a grounding touchstone for experienced practitioners.

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Ayse Adil
Ayse Adil

I didn't even like Solution Focus at first!

An honest, personal account of discovering and embracing SF practice over time.

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Nick Perry
Nick Perry

Solution Focused Practice for Approved Mental Health Professionals: Skills for Promoting Autonomy and Choice

Skills for promoting autonomy and choice in statutory mental health settings.

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Register to Attend

Schedule

Programme

Two full days of keynotes, workshops, and conversations. Workshop blocks run as parallel strands — delegates choose one from each.

Day 1

Friday 10 July 2026

  1. Welcome & orientation — Conference Team

  2. Whole Audience Exercise

    Janine Waldman & Paul Z Jackson

    From Coping to Hoping: a conversational tool for finding resources and next steps

    Find Out More

  3. Coffee break

  4. Workshop 1

    Four parallel strands · choose one

    Strand A

    Sarah Kellett

    SFP and Autism: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study
    Find Out More

    Strand B

    Tara Gretton and participants from Beechen Cliff School, Bath

    Finding Certainty in Everyday Interactions: Small Shifts in School Language
    Find Out More

    Strand C

    Lauren Jerome

    Delivering solution-focused therapy digitally with young people who self-harm: what young people think and how we can improve
    Find Out More

    Strand D Part 1 of 2

    Chris Iveson

    Creative Answers to Mundane Questions part 1
    Find Out More

  5. Workshop 2

    Three parallel strands · choose one

    Strand A

    Martin Galpin & Natasha Adams

    At My Best in Uncertain Times
    Find Out More

    Strand B

    Rose McCabe & Fiona Robinson

    SOLutions In Schools: Training school staff in Solution Focused Practice to improve mental wellbeing, communication, and school culture
    Find Out More

    Strand C Part 2 of 2

    Chris Iveson

    Creative Answers to Mundane Questions part 2
    Find Out More

  6. Lunch

    Poster Presentation

    A Solution Focused Community Symposium

    Sarah Charlton

  7. Keynote

    Diana Conroy

    One Approach, Many Contexts: Applying Solution Focused Practice in Trauma, Crisis and Organisational Change

    Find Out More

  8. Coffee break

  9. Workshop 3

    Four parallel strands · choose one

    Strand A

    John Pihlaja

    A Single Session Cure for Addiction
    Find Out More

    Strand B

    Maria Long & Rose McCabe

    Embedding Brief Solution Focused Therapy in Child and Adolescent Crisis Care
    Find Out More

    Strand C

    Sarah Kellett & Aine Garvey

    Overcoming fears when supporting those with communication challenges: Solution Focused pathways to “the how”
    Find Out More

    Strand D

    Greg Oberbeck

    A Session Without Hopes - A Demonstration of Practice
    Find Out More

  10. Comfort break

  11. Keynote

    Andrew Gibson

    What is Solution Focused Practice?

    Find Out More

  12. Appreciation and Gratitude, Curious to know about — Organising Team

  13. Depart for the evening

  14. Cabaret Dinner

Day 2

Saturday 11 July 2026

  1. Welcome — Organising Team

  3. Workshop Strand 1

    Three parallel strands · choose one

    Strand A

    A. Biba Georgieva

    The Subtle Art of Shifting Focus: Creating Early Experiences of Empowerment in Group Work
    Find Out More

    Strand B

    Kaya Adil

    Solution Focused Practice in Policing: De-escalation, Mental Health and Human connection
    Find Out More

  4. Workshop Strand 2

    Three parallel strands · choose one

    Strand C

    Sonali Kumarakulasinghe

    Creating new perspectives and possibilities: Conversations about feelings at work
    Find Out More

  5. Lunch

    Poster Presentation

    A Solution Focused Community Symposium

    Sarah Charlton

  6. Workshop Strand 3

    Two parallel strands · choose one

    Strand A

    Zarine Jacob & Jonas Wells

    Movement building in Solutions Focus (SF): composting colonial legacies, finding hope in the cracks
    Find Out More

    Strand B

    Stephan Natynczuk

    There’s more to SF thinking than one might know
    Find Out More

  7. Coffee break

  8. Keynote

    Nick Perry

    Solution Focused Practice for Approved Mental Health Professionals: Skills for Promoting Autonomy and Choice

    Find Out More

  9. Gratitude, Appreciation and Close — Conference Team

  10. Departures

Bill's Restaurant Reading — interior of the private dining room in St Mary's Church House

Friday 7pm · Day 1

The Cabaret Dinner

A tradition of our conference is the self-organising Cabaret Dinner on the evening of Day 1 — great food, great company, and enthusiastic volunteers taking to the stage. Don't worry: participation isn't compulsory.

This year we'll gather at Bill's Restaurant & Bar, set within the elegant Georgian St Mary's Church House on Chain Street — a short walk from Greyfriars. The menu spans British and Mediterranean classics with a refreshing twist, with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options on hand.

Details to follow. Dinner time and booking arrangements are still being confirmed — full details will be shared with delegates closer to the conference.

Visit Bill's Reading

Registration is Open

Be There!

Registration for attendance is now open on this page.

Two-Day Attendance

One-Day Attendance

Please indicate which day on registration.

  • Basic £145
  • Members discount £110
  • Group 5 for price of 4 £580
  • Members Group 5 for price of 4 £400
  • Concession £60
Register Now Contact Us
The Thames Suite — main conference room at Greyfriars Centre, Reading

Our Venue

Greyfriars Church & Centre, Reading

A Grade I Listed building with over 700 years of history — and a brand new, purpose-built conference centre completed in 2023. The meeting of ancient and modern makes Greyfriars a truly distinctive setting for exploring hope and human possibility.

  • Gothic architecture — the oldest Franciscan church still in use in the UK
  • Thames Suite (100 pax) plus Kennet, Loddon & Holybrook breakout rooms
  • Modern AV: built-in speakers, Bluetooth, flat-screen TVs throughout
  • Atrium Coffeeshop & Bookshop on-site
  • Dedicated hirers' parking space; Q-Park Chatham Place 2 min away
  • Fully accessible — ramp, hearing loop, accessible toilets
  • 5-minute walk from Reading Station
View on Google Maps Venue Website
Map showing Greyfriars Church, Friar Street, Reading RG1 1EH

Greyfriars Church & Centre · Friar Street · Reading · RG1 1EH

Getting There

Transport Links

Reading is exceptionally well connected by rail. Greyfriars Church is a 5-minute walk from Reading Station.

By Rail

  • London Paddington~25 min
  • Bristol Temple Meads~1h 10min
  • Birmingham New Street~1h 40min
  • Manchester Piccadilly~3h 15min

Then 5 minutes on foot along Friar Street.

By Car

Hirers receive a dedicated parking space. Additional parking at Q-Park Chatham Place — a 2-minute walk, with a discount card available from Greyfriars.

M4 access: Reading Junction 11 (east) and Junction 12 (west).

By Air

Heathrow: approximately 35 minutes by car or via Elizabeth line to Paddington, then onward to Reading.

Gatwick: approximately 1h 15min via Gatwick Express + onward connection.

By Bus

Multiple Reading Buses routes stop on Friar Street directly outside Greyfriars, connecting from across Reading and surrounding areas.

Stay Local

Accommodation in Reading

We've negotiated discounts with several nearby hotels. Book early — the Novotel and Ibis offer a limited number of rooms at these rates.

Recommended — Best Value

Ibis Reading Centre

£69
per room / night — inclusive of breakfast, VAT & local fees
  • Breakfast included in price
  • Free leisure centre — pool, sauna, steam room, gym
  • Limited to 30 rooms at this rate
  • No commission charged
Book: alina.mincu@accor.com

Novotel Reading Centre

£99
per room / night, single occupancy (10–11 July)
  • Free leisure centre access (pool, sauna, steam, gym)
  • Next door to Ibis Reading
  • Limited rooms at this rate
Book: alina.mincu@accor.com

Village Hotel Reading

£83–£92
per room / night
village-hotels.co.uk/reading

Premier Suites Reading

Serviced apartments — ideal for longer stays.

  • 10% discount — code: SFPUK
  • Enter at checkout on their website
premiersuiteseurope.com

Malmaison Reading

10% off the best available rate. Contact Agnieszka Webber for a booking code.

AIWebber@malmaison.com

Penta Hotel Reading

No discount offered but close to the conference centre.

pentahotels.com

Cancellation policy (Novotel & Ibis): 3 days prior to arrival — no charge. 2 days prior or no-shows — 100% charge. Changes to stay length are treated as new enquiries and rates may be revised.

Organised By

Your Hosts

The dedicated team behind the UKASFP annual conference.

Andrew Gibson

Andrew Gibson

Host
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Susannah Stobart

Susannah Stobart

Host
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Michael Graham

Michael Graham

Host
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Linda Gan

Linda Gan

Host
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Natasha Adams

Natasha Adams

Marketing Support
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Zuzana Žilková

Zuzana Zilkova

Marketing Team
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Joel Marks

Joel Marks

Web Co-ordinator
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