John came to psychotherapy from a background in research, media, sociology, management and industry training. He has brought this into his work as a psychotherapist and has made it available to the New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists.
John has made a considerable contribution across NZAP. Beginning with the Online Communications Committee, he later joined the ACP (Advanced Clinical Practice) in 2012 Committee. He was a script marker and oral examiner from 2010 and then a moderator of the exam processes. He has offered workshops for candidates, supervisors and therapists, and focused on thinking about their work through the lens of the ACP. These have been well received and he has over 70 published papers both in the Association journal, Ata, and internationally, on a wide range of psychotherapy topics, ranging from process notes to theory. On the ACP Committee, his ever-enquiring, thoughtful and creative mind had a huge impact, including a paper challenging the thinking of the Psychotherapy Registration Board, PBANZ, about a Professional Development Pathway.
John served for 4 years on the NZAP Council and was significant in developing a change and review process for the whole Association. His ability to think through issues, to envision possible consequences, to express ideas and to find creative solutions was immensely valuable.
He joined the Editorial Advisory Board of the Ata Journal in 2015 and was also responsible for getting Ata online via the NZAP website.
In his second term on the Council beginning in 2020 he has sought, as Chair of Public Issues, to create a voice for NZAP around major mental health changes. These followed the He Ara Wellbeing report from 2018. He stepped back from this role last year to develop the Academy, an online learning hub for psychotherapists which will launch later this year.
From his early involvement with the Cameron Centre in Dunedin and later its foodbank, John has had an active concern for mental health in the community, the impact of poverty and the contribution of psychotherapy. He helped develop innovative research for Presbyterian Support’s report, “Voices of Poverty in Dunedin 2008”. For the last 14 years he has run a successful group for people working with community groups. He has been a critical incident specialist, and has frequently performed trauma debriefs for staff at the Otago DHB. A former senior lecturer at Otago, he retains an informal association with its Media, Film and Communications programme, actively publishing and involved with the journalMedianz and Peripheries. In his academic work he is extending psychoanalytic thinking into new spheres.
John Farnsworth has brought many gifts to psychotherapy and to NZAP. We have benefitted from these. They have been shared with wisdom, moderation, good nature, humour and a high degree of self-giving. This award acknowledges all of these.
(2022)