Press Release

Professor Diane Waller Awarded OBE

19 June 2007

The Health Professions Council (HPC) is pleased to announce that Professor Diane Waller has been awarded an OBE in the Birthday Honours list for services to healthcare.

Diane has been a registrant member of the Council since 1 May 2001 and is Professor of Art Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and Life president of the British Association of Art Therapists. She is Vice-President of the International Society for Expression and Art Therapy, a council member of the World Psychiatric Association’s Section on Art and Psychiatry and Honorary President of the British Association of Art Therapists.

Diane is also a group analyst registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy and her research interests are in sociology of professions in the UK and Europe, art and group psychotherapy, intercultural therapy, addiction and progressive illness. She has written several books on these subjects. Diane was formerly Chair of the Arts Therapists Board at CPSM, and of the HPC Education and Training Committee. Diane lives in Brighton, Sussex.

Diane Waller said “I am really surprised and very honoured to receive this prestigious award. I am looking forward to my future work with HPC, especially in the area of bringing new professions into regulation, and with Goldsmiths, and to continuing my research which for the past few years has been focused on new forms of service provision for people with progressive illnesses (such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia)".