Pink Therapy News
Keeping YOU in the FrameMarch 2011
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Greetings!
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I can often feel frustrated and angry at the microaggressions I see around me from people who view homosexuality negatively. However, these experiences are radically different to those living in highly homophobic countries like Uganda. I know some of you will have seen the recent BBC 3 documentary on the subject but it made me feel a whole heap better about the freedoms I take for granted here in the UK. It also fired me up to do something to try and make a difference for people living all over the world where homosexuality and gender variance is not tolerated.
We've just embarked on a plan to raise £10k to be able to offer scholarships to therapists living overseas who would want to attend our International Summer School, but who haven't got a chance of being able to afford to do so. We're looking for 40 people to become Patrons and donate or raise £250 each to enable our partners at London Friend, to award scholarships. I am delighted that within the first week, three people have become Patrons and we're indebted to Janet Dowding, Giel Luichjes and Laurie Slade (who is sharing the financial burden with a friend). We now just need 37 more Patrons and I hope YOU will be joining them! please see below for more information.
We're also going to have an Art Auction and hope to run some small Celebrity dinner parties as other fundraising strategies. More details to follow.
Dominic DaviesDirector |
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Essentials in Sexual Minority Therapy
Spring 2011 programme | |
 We have one or two last minute places remaining for our BACP endorsed six-day Essentials in Sexual Minority Therapy course starting on 12 March, and running over three weekends a month apart.
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?
Award: Attendance Certificate in Essentials of Sexual Minority Therapy.
Chick here for more information
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Ageing, Growth, Time and Change: Working with the Older LGBT Person
Saturday 14 May 2011
|  This workshop explores the experience and psychic world of the older LGBT person. We will think about the specific interests and needs this client group might bring to therapy, and explore ways of working. The likelihood of working with a significant age difference in the therapy room can stimulate feelings and associations for both client and therapist, and we will explore the meaning of this. The approach will be informed by ideas from primarily psychodynamic theory, and also by social constructs of ageing. We will consider the essentially ageist nature of western society, and how LGBT people may be both similar and different to heterosexuals in their developmental needs and experiences as they grow older, and how these might be explored within the therapeutic relationship.
We will explore relational life and needs (including the challenges of long term couple relationships, inter-generational relationships, and the experience of ageing alone); the wider social and cultural arena (including the youth-oriented dynamics of the gay scene and the place of the older person); sex and sexuality (as seen by self and others); and the dynamics of the client/therapist relationship.
Click here for more information |
International Summer School
4-9 July 2011 |  We are aware from frequent enquiries from counsellors and support workers around the world that they are often faced with gender and sexual minority clients with demanding mental health issues where they themselves have received little or no formal training in how best to offer help.
These workers are often working in isolation without formal supervision or consultation support and doing the best they can, but with little opportunity to check out their ideas and discuss their work.
We hope by providing this week-long intensive course you will find a greater sense of confidence and increased knowledge of some of the current ideas and developments in therapeutic practice in working with LGBT people.
There will be extensive guided pre-course and post course reading which is both optional and encouraged.
English will be the working language throughout the course and participants need to be able to understand written and spoken English.
Numbers will be strictly limited and we advise early application to secure a place. We may be in a position to offer some of the places to UK based therapists, but initially priority will be given to therapists overseas. Please contact us to register your interest if you're a UK therapist and wish to undertake the course.
The course will be faciltated by a team of experienced therapists/trainers and the content will be similar to our well established Essentials in Sexual Minority Therapy training programme.
Click here for more information |
 International Scholarship Fund in partnership with London Friend
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In order to allow therapists from poorer countries where homosexuality and gender variance is not accepted and respected as it is here in the UK, where there are often few civil rights and very little social and psychological support services, we would like to be able to offer scholarships to therapists working in those countries to attend the International Summer School. We've already had enquiries from therapists in Croatia, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Greece, and Colombia who are working with LGBT people but who receive little or no fees for their time and who may not be able to afford the fares, accommodation and course fees to travel to London for the Summer School. Most of these therapists work in countries where there isn't even a gay switchboard/helpline let alone any other of the LGBT support infrastructure we have here. They, like most therapists here in the UK have had little if any formal training in working with gender and sexual minority clients, but unlike British LGBT therapists, they are generally working in isolation with very little collegial and knowledgable supervisory support. We have partnered up with London Friend (a registered charity) and we are inviting you to consider becoming a Patron of our International Scholarship Fund. We're looking for 40 people to each donate or raise £250 and this money will be used to fund LGBT therapists working in poorer countries around the world to come to London and study on our highly regarded International Summer School this July.
Last year, the Summer School attracted people from Singapore, Thailand, Denmark, Ireland and Scotland and it was an extraordinarily powerful learning experience for everyone involved with it and for a number of the participants it really changed their lives. We're hoping this year to build on this and want to be able to welcome people who are working in some of the toughest places to be Out as LGB or T.
Becoming a Patron would make a huge difference to how quickly we're able to raise £10k and that level of funds would enable us to offer scholarships to 6-8 therapists, some people may be need virtually whole subsidy places, others may be able to pay their fares, but might need help with accommodation or course fees. Of course, many people won't have the money (or the time to raise £250 via sponsorships or fundraising schemes) but may still be moved to help. We would welcome ANY donation, irrespective of amount and you can donate safely and securely via a JustGiving page we've set up with London Friend. Please follow this link for more information
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THE SUPERVISION OF SEXUAL MINORITY THERAPY
A SEMINAR FOR CLINICAL SUPERVISORS
Saturday 15 October 2011 - 9.45am - 4pm
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Dominic Davies will be facilitating a workshop for Cambridge Supervision Training in October. He draws on 30 years of experience of counselling, and supervising therapists about sexual minority issues.
Since working with sexual minority clients is rarely covered in therapy or supervision training, he thinks that supervisors working with therapists of all sexualities might appreciate an opportunity to come and discover what is different and what is similar in supervising sexual minority therapy.
In this workshop he will provide a seminar for supervisors that furthers your knowledge and understanding of therapeutic work with gender and sexual minority clients. It will offer a mixture of short talks, discussion, and some live supervision if that seems useful.
The aim of the workshop is to provide a safe space to reflect on your practice as a supervisor with a group of others. There will be space for participants to nominate issues for discussion, so you are welcome to bring specific examples of relevant problems encountered in supervision.
Participants will be asked to do some guided reading prior to the workshop.
Please bring a contribution for a shared lunch
For further information contact Penny Henderson Tel: 01223 369198
Email: ph286@cam.ac.uk
www.cambridgesupervisiontraining.com
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Coming Out - A Personal Development Group for Gay Men
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 Coming out as a gay man can be a personal challenge; a struggle with a new identity, sometimes dealing with rejection and for those without any support it can also be a lonely journey. This is a personal development group dedicated to exploring and working with issues such as rejection, manhood, homosexuality, family and relationships. It also offers a unique way to explore personal issues WHY GROUP? Groups offer powerful ways in a safe and confidential setting to explore and understand how we relate to ourselves and others, and how we impact and are being impacted by our environment. Groups also offer a unique setting for breaking away from isolation, creating a sense of belonging and community and are cost effective when compared with individual therapy. APPROACH The approach used in the group is Gestalt psychotherapy; this is a relational and an experiential approach to exploring and understanding how we relate to other people and ourselves and trying out new behaviours in a safe environment. FACILITATOR Gilead Yeffett BSc Psychology and a Gestalt psychotherapy practitioner specialising in group therapy. Gilead facilitates groups regularly. Every Thursday from 6.30 to 8.30 pm over ten weeks at the: Awareness Centre, 41 Abbeville Road, Clapham, London SW4 9JX. www.theawarenesscentre.com Group 1: Thursday 10 February - Thursday 14 April 2011 Group 2: Thursday 5 May - Thursday 7 July, 2011 Group 3: Thursday 6 October - Thursday 8 December, 2011 FEE £25 per person, per two-hour session, a £75 deposit is required to secure places. To discuss this further and confidentially contact Gilead: groups@practica-ltd.com tel: 0796 766 6713
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Loving Men Intimacy Program
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 The Intimacy Programme has grown from many years of our work with gay and bi men exploring what helps and hinders loving relationships between men. Each workshop offers skills and perspectives on a different aspect of intimacy. The programme will support you to develop your personal relating style and enjoy deeper, more fulfilling loving relationships with men.
Workshops include:
· Loving Yourself
· Looking for Mr Right
· A Relationships Roadmap
· Communication I, II & III
· Touch I & II
· Sexual Healing
Starting in April 2011, the programme will be facilitated by the Loving Men Team: Alfred Hurst, Dennis L Carney, Tim Foskett and other invited facilitators.
Please visit our website: www.lovingmen.org for more information.
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PACE Women's Health Project - Get involved - Learn new skills - Meet new women
12, 13, 26 & 27th March 2011
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The Women's Project - workshop series
15th March - 26th April
An exciting & diverse discussion group, every Tuesday in Camden, for women over 25 years, run by women, for women who love other women
LBTQ Women's facilitation training
26th February 11am - 5pm at PACE
Learn skills & share experiences about facilitating groups or projects with LBTQ women
Join the Women's Health Champs Team
Training dates 12, 13, 26 & 27th March at PACE
Volunteer as a peer support worker for LBTQ women who want to improve their health
To sign up for a PACE workshop contact Hilary Knack Hilary.knack@pacehealth.org.uk or 020 7700 1323 For more information go to www.pacehealth.org.uk/Women+Getting+Active
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London Friend Appeal
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Dear Colleagues,
Can I please ask you to circulate this appeal amongst your contacts?
London Friend have been given six months to buy its building or face the possibility of being evicted by its landlord Islington Council.
The LGBT health charity, which celebrates its 40th birthday this year, won the right to attempt to buy the building after lobbying against a decision to put the premises up for auction late last year. The news comes as London Friend were preparing to take over the running of LGBT the drugs and alcohol service Antidote, which is closing due to government funding cuts.
The organisation were given just three weeks notice before Christmas that their premises were to be sold. Supporters of the charity including local MPs and Lord Smith of Finsbury lobbied Islington Council to reverse the decision.
Islington Council are committed to selling the premises they deem 'surplus to requirements' but have given London Friend the opportunity to buy it from them. If they cannot raise the necessary funds the building will be sold via auction.
London Friend now have just six months to raise the £200,000 they need to save their premises.
To make a donation please visit www.justgiving.com/Friend200
THANK YOU
London Friend
t: 020 7833 1674 020 7833 1674
e: offcie@londonfriend.org.uk
w: www.londonfriend.org.uk
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Sex on the Download
Friday May 6th 2011
|  Joe Kort, a well-known American psychotherapist, sexologist and author (Gay Affirmative Therapy for the Straight Clinician: The Essential Guide; Ten Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Improve Their Lives, 10 Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Find Real Love; etc), is coming to England in May to present a number of workshops. Each workshop is a bit different - this one is for Therapists! CPD certificates will be handed out to those attending.
"Sex on the Download" is a reflection of our current culture of internet relationships where the growing societal influence of connecting in cyber relationships can create real time intimacy, but may also lead to compulsive sexual behaviors, porn addiction and compulsive infidelity. Is it inevitable that in the not too distant future we will ultimately download all of our intimate and sexual connections?
For some users, this time may already be here. And it may be effecting real life partnerships, jobs, and the ability to create healthy sexual connections.
Therapists, educators, sexuality counselors and medical practitioners will benefit from this training to assist anyone who uses the internet as a pathway to relationship, connection, sexuality or pleasure and who finds themselves caught in a web of cyber chaos, pain, addiction or crisis.
Learn direct interventions, insight oriented and nonpathologizing behavioral changes, and directed attempts to connect for couples and individuals.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please e-mail joekort@joekort.com The flyer is also available to download at www.joekort.com
Cost: £100 per individual. Payments can be in cheque, money order and credit card. Contact Joe Kort at joekort@joekort.com or Mic Austen at 07788-442835, micausten@hotmail.com
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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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