Pink Therapy News
Keeping YOU in the FrameFebruary 2011
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Greetings!
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I've been quite preoccupied with professional issues this past month. Our Introduction to Psychosexual Therapy course has been approved by COSRT (formerly BASRT). This is a great endorsement of the quality of our training programme and it is one of the courses we run of which I am most proud.
It is also one year today since Patrick Strudwick reported in The Independent that a BACP Senior Accredited Counsellor offered him Reparative Therapy to cure him of his homosexuality.
I have been somewhat vexed by the fact that the counsellor concerned in the week before the Complaints Hearing told her story to the Sunday Telegraph, thereby undermining the due process of the hearing. Because of this, BACP decided to postpone the hearing. So this 'therapist' is still enjoying the advantages conferred by her accredited status of BACP. It had taken a year to bring this complaint to the Panel, and I had hoped for a clear lead being set by BACP that this was unethical behaviour and breached the ethical codes.
Of course, it's not just Christian Counsellors offering therapy to change sexual orientation as Bartlett et al (2009) discovered http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/9/11 and their research finding that 1:6 of UKCP/BACP/BPS therapists were willing to engage in contracts to reduce same sex attraction despite their being absolutely no evidence base for the effectiveness of these treatments and that homosexuality has not been considered a mental illness for at least two decades. There is clearly an issue for our training courses and us as a profession to grapple with. So, it was with delight for us to see the second cohort of our own professional and specialist training for therapists in working with gender and sexual minority clients begin a couple of weeks ago. We're excited to be part of changing the field and ensuring gender and sexual minority clients get access to high quality therapy from carefully trained practitioners. We hope you will join with us in wishing them well on this journey!
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Essentials in Sexual Minority Therapy
starts 12 & 13 March 2011
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Do you offer counselling or psychotherapy to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender clients?
Are you confident that you have had sufficient knowledge and training to work competently with sexual minority clients?
Would you be interested in updating your knowledge and have an opportunity to work on your values, belief and attitudes in this area?
Attendance at individual weekends is also possible, subject to availability, but priority is given to people booking for the whole course.
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Introduction to Psychosexual Therapy with Naomi Adams & Dominic Davies
Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th February 2011
|  This two day workshop provides an introduction to some of the key issues in working therapeutically with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender clients with psychosexual concerns, as well as clients involved in Kink/BDSM practices. The workshop will cover current models of sexual response, the classification of sexual difficulties and a brief review of the literature and then explore some of the implicit assumptions in these hetero-normative models.
By widening our understanding of sex, sexuality and sexual difficulties we will give workshop participants an opportunity to explore some of the multiple contexts (sexuality, gender, age, ethnicity, culture, religion etc) that shape both clinicians and clients views of sexual difficulties and diverse sexual practices.
We will then move on to interactive exercises with the aim of helping participants develop practical skills in assessment and therapeutic interventions with individual clients and couples. We hope that by the end of the two days, participants will feel a greater sense of confidence in incorporating discussions of sex and sexual functioning into their general clinical work and/or developing their psychosexual therapy. Endorsed by CORST - College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists |
Self-Esteem Injury and the Social Context with Keith Silvester
Saturday 26 March 2011 1pm - 7pm
|  This day will look at the roots of homophobia (both internalised and externalised) from the standpoint of the development of self-esteem - or lack of it. Sometimes referred to as 'narcissistic wounding', the reverberations of low self-esteem play out not simply in terms of individual problems, but are a key determinant of the social politics of the gay scene. Low self-esteem arises from messages within the family of origin as well as the wider cultural context. Despite nearly four decades of gay liberation, and a widening of social opportunity, young LGBT people still suffer from low self-esteem, and it may take several generations to work through the effects of this collective history. The role of counselling and therapy is crucial to this process.
Click here for more information
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Working with Gender Identity with Michelle Bridgman
Saturday 21 May 2011 13.00-1900 Central London
|  There has never been a more important time in the treatment of Transgendered people. DSM V is being reviewed. Standards of Care are being challenged and the whole picture in the field of transgendered health is under scrutiny.
Most importantly, you will leave feeling more confident in your ability to work in what is often seen as a very challenging field whilst, at the same time, enjoying an opportunity to explore your fears and concerns in a supportive environment with one of the world's most experienced clinicians on these issues.
Participants will gain an understanding of the issues affecting people who do not fit a binary gender model and/or are transgendered.
You will gain an understanding of:
Terminology
Current clinical treatment pathways for people questioning their gender identity
Pathways for those seeking gender re-assignment
Practical ideas that can be applied in your own therapy Practice
A Case study
How Psychotherapy can be effective in this field
Your own fears & concerns
How to embrace those fears and concerns and how to work with them
Click here for more information
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Bi Visible, Bi Active in 2011
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 The notion of "disciplined nonconformists" seems to fit the bisexual men and women working to build on the bi activist movement worldwide. The following is a selection of (certainly not all) events highlighting the history of the movement and the work being done now to achieve greater ends and create change for bisexuals and the LGBT coalition around the world.
For a list of the bisexual and some of the trans conferences for 2011, starting with Creating Change on Feb. 3rd, please go to:
http://visible.bisocialnetwork.com/bi-visible-bi-active-2011/
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Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre - Pink Law
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 The School of Law at Queen Mary, University of London currently runs a Legal Advice Centre which specialises in providing free legal advice aimed at members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community on employment discrimination, civil partnerships, cohabitation, immigration and business law. The service is entirely free to any member of the public needing legal advice in these areas. Additionally, if a client has a legal issue which we cannot advise on, we can refer the client to an organisation that will be able to assist them. Free legal advice for:- the LGBT community
- Employment discrimination
- Civil partnerships
- Cohabitation
- Immigration
- Business
The Centre runs a term time only appointment system once a month. If we can help you, we willprovide written advice within 14 working days of the appointment. We cannot represent you incourt, but will refer you to an organisation that can. To make an enquiry, contact:Legal Advice Centre, School of Law Queen Mary, University of London Mile End Road, London E1 4NS Tel: 020 7882 3931 Fax: 020 7882 7600 Email: lac@qmul.ac.uk www.advicecentre.law.qmul.ac.uk
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Stop 'corrective rape'
Please sign this petition
|  Millicent Gaika was bound, strangled, tortured and raped for five hours by a man who crowed that he was 'curing' her of her lesbianism.
She barely survived, but she is not alone -- this vicious crime is recurrent in South Africa, where lesbians live in terror of attack. But no one has ever been convicted of 'corrective rape'.
Amazingly, from a tiny Cape Town safehouse a few brave activists are risking their lives to ensure that Millicent's case sparks change. Their appeal to the Minister of Justice has exploded to over 140,000 signatures, forcing him to respond on national television. But the Minister has not yet answered their demands for action.
Let's shine a light on this horror from all corners of the world -- if enough of us join in to amplify and escalate this campaign, we can reach President Zuma, who is ultimately responsible to uphold constitutional rights. Let's call on Zuma and the Minister of Justice to publicly condemn 'corrective rape', criminalise hate crimes, and ensure immediate enforcement, public education and protection for survivors. Sign the petition now and share it with everyone -- we'll deliver it to the South African government with our partners in Cape Town:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_corrective_rape/?vl
'Corrective rape' is based on the outrageous and utterly false notion that a lesbian woman can be raped to 'make her straight', but this heinous act is not even classified as a hate crime in South Africa. The victims are often black, poor, lesbian women, and profoundly marginalised. But even the 2008 gang rape and murder of Eudy Simelane, the national hero and former star of the South Africa women's national football team, did not turn the tide. And just last week Minister Radebe insisted that motive is irrelevant in crimes like 'corrective rape.'
This is ultimately a battle with poverty, patriarchy, and homophobia. Ending the tide of rape will require bold leadership and concerted action to spearhead transformative change in South Africa and across the continent. President Zuma is a a Zulu traditionalist, who has himself stood trial for rape. But he condemned the arrest of a gay couple in Malawi last year, and, after massive national and international civic pressure, South Africa finally approved a UN resolution opposing extra-judicial killing in relation to sexual orientation.
If enough of us join this global call for action, we could push Zuma to speak out, drive much-needed government action, and begin a national conversation that could fundamentally shift public attitudes toward rape and homophobia in South Africa. Sign on now and spread the word:
With hope and determination,
Alice, Ricken, Maria Paz, David and the rest of the Avaaz team
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L Group Families
New lesbian parenting organisation
|  L Group Families is a new volunteer led organisation to support lesbians thinking of having children and those with children.
Please spread the word and do contact them if you would like to know anything about their free services.
L Group Families supports lesbians by providing specialist information and advice on the different services, in order that they can make informed choices on the best treatment and options available to them and enjoy the prospect of parenthood.
Our aims are:
To provide support, information and advice to lesbians who are thinking about starting a family, (now or in the future); and
To provide a support service to lesbian parents, carers and their children.
Email: info@lgroupfamilies.org.uk Tel: 077 3824 0625 www.lgroupfamilies.org.uk
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ELOP
NEW social group for same-sex parents and carers
|  Are you an LGBT parent or carer? Are you starting your family and want to make contact with other same-sex parents and LGBT families in the area? ELOP can offer you a comfortable safe space where you can meet and socialize with other LGBT parents and carers, share support and parenting tips, talk about the issues relevant to you, and develop LGBT social networks for you and your children, which research has shown to be effective in developing resilience and positive identity in children of same-sex parents (Johnson & O'Connor, 2001).
NEW weekly social group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) parents and carers with bumps, babies and toddlers on Wednesday mornings from 10am - 12pm at The ELOP Centre in Waltham Forest.
STARTS Wednesday 2nd February 10am - 12pm
The ELOP Centre 56-60 Grove Road, Walthamstow, E17 9BN 020 8509 3898 Email: info@elop.org Web:www.elop.org |
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That's all for this month, thanks for your attention, and please do send us things that have a specific relevance to people working with gender and sexual minority clients. |
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Dominic Davies
Pink Therapy
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