EIATSCYP was the brain child of Ken Evans, developed following conversations with fellow professionals about the lack of therapeutic services for children and young people not only in UK but also across Europe. Ken perceived that there was a need for like-minded professionals to have a ‘home’ for their specialist work with children, their trainings and for professional support.
Before training as a psychotherapist Ken had originally been a social worker with children and their families. His commitment to and concern for the welfare of children and young people led him to go to Croatia during the war in the 1990’s taking supplies and wanting to offer help. There he met Professor Dubravka Kocijan Hercigonja and her colleagues and was hugely impacted by the work they were doing with children affected by conflict. Ken and his team introduced Croatian experts with the concept of burned-out syndrome and the importance of self-care in people working with traumatized children. Ken developed a life long friendship with Professor Dubravka and her family.
Living in and working widely across Europe he became passionate about forming links between institutes and professionals in all countries.
Later Ken, supported by Joanna Hewitt Evans from EUROCPS, European Centre for Therapeutic Studies and Karen Davies-Hough from TACT, Therapy and Counselling Teeside, set up the infrastructure to allow EIATSCYP to operate as a European Association. Ken was delighted that
Professor Dubravka agreed to be the first president of EIATSCYP and on the 5 th March 2011 there was an Inaugural Meeting of its first member organisations hosted by IRPI and Mara Priceputu, Romanian Institute for integrative Psychotherapy, in Bucharest. (There were originally 11 Training Organisations that signed up to membership which included organisations based in the UK, France, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Malta, Slovenia, Denmark, Bosnia, and Ireland – where Greece, Belgium and the Netherlands were early members.
Following Ken’s death in 2015 EIATSCYP has continued to grow in its membership and passion for providing high quality training and practitioners to work with children and young people. The Board honoured Ken and his dedication to children by adding his name to our organisation on 11 th October 2019. We are now called EIATSCYP Ken Evans.
Ken would be very happy that EIATSCYP now has its home base in Croatia, in an area of Europe very close to his heart.