I became interested in counselling as an aspect of  pastoral care in secondary schools, and for some years ran CPD courses at Roehampton and (what is now) Anglia Ruskin University, for teachers involved in pastoral care, guidance and counselling. In 1998, I co-founded Open Door Counselling Service in Woking (Surrey) and was a trustee, chair of the management committee and volunteer counsellor with the Service for many years. (The Service has since ceased to operate).

More recently, I was a trustee and member of the Board of Trustees of the Caspari Foundation which promotes and provides educational psychotherapy for children who encounter learning difficulties due to emotional issues of one kind or another.

Selected publications

Best, R. [2014]: 'Educational Psychotherapy: an approach to working with children whose learning is impeded by emotional problems', Support for Learning, 29(3), 201-216.

R Best [2008]: British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 36(4), 343-440. (Symposium on Developing Personal, Social and Emotional Well-being in Education)

H Geddes and R Best (Eds) [2002]: Psychodynamic Practice, 8(3). (Special issue on Educational Therapy).

R Best, C Jarvis, D Oddy and P Ribbins [1981]: ‘Teacher Attitudes to the School Counsellor: a Re-appraisal’, British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 9(2).

For a full list of my publications, see my CV