Association of Clinical Psychologists statement on Cass Review

An interesting discussion on GB News between Andrew Doyle , Amy Gallagher the nurse suing Tavistock and Carole Sherwood a clinical psychologist talking about training

It starts at 1.22.19

Pretending that is not a preferable outcome is a huge part of the problem and, it seems, a huge blind spot for all those working at the forefront of this service

This.

It is going to have to be acknowledged by society and particularly by government that an ideology that has a fundamental belief that reality is created by choice, preference and emotion, and by pretending unwanted facts and bits of reality don't exist, and then trying to force everyone else to pretend this is the truth too (while screaming at, threatening and trying to silence anyone who will not indulge this) ..... pretty much renders anyone speaking from that ideology as not someone you can engage with or expect to make any sense on anything.

By all means people should have the personal freedom to enact whatever beliefs they like - but it is incompatible with decision making, policy making, safeguarding and any other matters affecting others. It is incapable of impartiality or coping with other people's perspectives, experience or with reality.

All you can do from the outside is shrug and move the conversation on without them. Sad but true.

“Being ‘affirmative’ is often misrepresented as meaning that a trans identity is encouraged, or treated as a preferred outcome, when an alternative understanding is that this practice is a stance whereby no particular path or identity is privileged over any other.”

I’m not sure that this is true, but even if it is, it is representative of the problem in hand, and the reason behind much criticism.

Of course the aim of all involved should be to work towards the least damaging pathway, which in (?almost) all cases is for the patient to become comfortable in their own skin without any damaging medical or surgical interference.

Pretending that is not a preferable outcome is a huge part of the problem and, it seems, a huge blind spot for all those working at the forefront of this service. Medical transition was previously a treatment of last resort, and if it does persist as a treatment (it may well yet be wholly discredited) it needs to return to that model, unless there is overwhelming evidence in the pipeline that affirmation is actually better in some way, which is looking less and less likely.

How they cannot see the harm they are doing is beyond me. It can only be, I think, that they are either way too close or way too invested. Thank goodness Hillary Cass can stand back a bit and see the bigger picture.

Aidan Kelly pretty much openly admits they don’t know what they are doing

twitter.com/rogdmum/status/1276821640203186176?s=61&t=ckJGUz0k-qk319ok2GIbgw

One of the signatories runs a private service for children.

www.kellypsychology.co.uk/gender

Great news. It will be interesting where this reported and where it is ignored...

💪💪

I don't know a lot about the whole situation, but there's been disgruntlement among some of the membership of the British Psychological Society, about its structures, leadership and policy for a long time, and more recently some of that has been focused around the debate on whether to push for psychologists to be able to prescribe (and particularly, to prescribe drugs and hormones used for transition).

ACP-UK is, I believe, a very new organisation set up by some of those dissatisfied with the BPS, and therefore it doesn't surprise me that it takes this position.

What bothers me is that their website is lovely and glossy but doesn't really seem to mention the history behind ACP's emergence, doesn't make it clear how new it is or why it was set up, and doesn't seem very clear about how many members it has.

Which LA. Praying its mine.

Which LA is it, out of interest?

In interviews with El Mundo, the directors of Spain’s Society of Psychiatry, Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Society of Endocrinology have gone public with their fears and objections to the Trans Law.

They join the renowned psychiatrist Dr Celso Arango and the College of Physicians of Madrid in an unprecedented call for prudence and science to take over from the haste and ideology of the draft law.

The medical society directors all see a link between the bill for self-declared sex change and mistaken trans identity claims, neglect of underlying disorders, needless medicalisation and treatment regret.

In an editorial, El Mundo said the bill’s proposal to enable legal sex change for minors without any mental health oversight was at odds with the right of young people to comprehensive health care.

“It is incomprehensible that the Trans Law should go ahead without the government deigning to listen to doctors and psychiatrists,” the newspaper said. “The hijacking of a key public discussion, with the excuse of transphobia, is unacceptable.”

News from Spain - experts warn against proposed Spanish self-id law from age of 12.

genderclinicnews.substack.com/p/the-experts-revolt?publication_id=627677

This is fantastic I hadn’t seen this. I hope at some point in the near future we can have a list or new membership organisation and governing body of gender critical therapists for those of us who need therapy and who are gender critical.

Great news! I only wish the social and schools contagion aspect of it all was highlighted. I am hoping that this is a craze that we can soon see the back of, rather than an ongoing situation with 1000s of girls (and also boys) needing psychological treatment.

Also, I am burying it in this thread a little to stay anonymous, but I have nearly just weapt for joy at the school's transgender guidance that has just been emailed round my school, from the LA.

From the LA?! That's amazing! I'm so pleased!

This is excellent news!

I only have hard copies of stuff that's been in PSW magazine including a letter from Sarah Phillimore and responses to her.

otherwise there's quite a bit on community care such as

www.communitycare.co.uk/2021/08/25/social-work-england-calls-debate-social-media-use-warning-social-worker-for-anti-trans-posts/

www.communitycare.co.uk/2021/01/15/judgment-puberty-blockers-case-obscure-benefits-transition-children/

and

www.communitycare.co.uk/2021/09/14/nhs-trust-ordered-pay-social-worker-20000-whistleblowing-gender-identity-service/

there are loads more but that's just some examples - you need to look at the comments also.

Excellent news 😊

Huge numbers of social workers are gender critical, there's ongoing debate about it in the professional press

do you have any links? I’d really like to read this.

At last. Real grown ups discussing this sensibly and proper safeguarding

As Benjamin says, up to this point the only people who have felt safe to say anything at all, have been those willing to repeat the orthodoxy.

As people become less frightened to say what they see and believe, it will start to shift. This has been controlled by fear and intimidation, not by there being better convincing points or evidence.

This is good to see but I do wonder if this represents the profession widely or if it's a marginal group?
As the BPS are totally affirmation only.
At this point the BPS are a lost cause and there needs to be significant push back within to turn things around which there just hasn't been.

That's why I've been sceptical about the new regional clinics. If the psychology profession and the NHS are captured: then what?

@exwhyzed I was just going to post something similar, I'm in children's social work. I am having many covert discussions in work and slowly being able to have more open light touch discussions. I am thinking about how I can bring this into discussions at work. There is a lot of worry about having these conversations more overtly, the current SWE matter may open up conversations if people feel safer to do this without being disciplined.

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL