Association of Clinical Psychologists statement on Cass Review

there is as yet no reliable way to predict whether transitioning will alleviate any young person’s distress or further contribute to it.

There is a lack of robust, high-quality evidence regarding the safety and effectiveness of using puberty blockers and cross sex hormones to treat gender dysphoria in adolescents[17]. The long-term consequences of such treatment are also unknown

Wow. This is really important stuff. The idiots who insisted for years that feminists were criticising settled Science need to read this.

I am so appreciative of you posting this OP!
Have recently sent feedback to my professional organisation raising all of these points, and so I have now been able to follow up with this.
It has been so maddening up to this point, I daren't let this raise too much hope for the beginning of a return to sanity, reality, and safeguarding.. I'll let myself feel a little though- for respite!

This is so heartening to see. We need to keep pushing so that by the time of the next GE Labour will not be able to sneak self id through without being fully aware of the consequences.

Gosh what a turnaround and so welcome.

Things really are edging in the right direction aren’t they.

What a relief.

Any minute now it seems inevitable we are going to get a Labour government who will be pushed, hard, to abandon all sense and evidence and gallop at full steam towards eradicating women's rights and spaces and embracing full on self ID plus medicalising children without any safeguards.

At this point all this evidence and obvious issues are going to bring into sharp contrast how gung-ho, extremist, intolerant, anti-women and un-child-centred all this is, and that anyone busy embracing it is going to have to own it. And then sell their owning it to an increasingly aware general public without looking absolutely irresponsible and insane.

pattihews

This webinar about risk management of transgender prisoners with convictions for
sexual offences might be relevant for your friend too:
www.psychological-approaches.org/store/p11/Transgender_individuals_with_serious_violent_or_sexual_convictions%3A_tips_for%C2%A0assessment%2C_formulation_and_sentence_planning.%C2%A0.html

Huge numbers of social workers are gender critical, there's ongoing debate about it in the professional press, particularly given the stance of a pour regulatory body SWE in relation to social workers expressing those views.

I've not yet met a social worker who works with young people with autism who isn't horrified by what's been happening to autistic girls.

Thank you, Funny Talks. This woman is a lesbian as well as a clinical psychologist and I struggled with knowing that she was unquestioningly waving men into the female prison system. I expect better from lesbians. She argued that she was only obeying the guidelines at the time: I argued she ought to be challenging those guidelines. She was at the kind of level where people would have had to listen if she'd spoken out. We weren't close friends so it hasn't been a massive loss, but she was connected to others I was also friendly with and those people followed her rather than me. A couple have started creeping back. I no longer seem to be persona not grata.

It's lovely to feel vindicated, isn't it? I'm tempted to wear a big badge saying 'See, I was right and you were wrong' just in case I meet people who've accused me of being hateful.

Thanks for sharing, I feel so relieved. Every fact base statement is another domino. I hope this seeps into schools.

This, combined with Mermaid's safeguarding concerns, sheds a lot of light for parents/care givers.

it was surprisingly hard to find a full list of the MoU signatories but this seems to be the current one:

Albany Trust
Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
Association for Family Therapy (AFT)
Association of Christian Counsellors
BACP
British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)
British Association of Drama Therapists (BADTH)
British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC)
British Psychological Society (BPS)
CliniQ
College of Sex and Relationship Therapists (COSRT)
Gendered Intelligence
GLADD (The Association of LGBT Doctors and Dentists)
Mental Health Network – NHS Confederation
Mind
National Counselling Society
NHS England
NHS Scotland
NHS Wales
Northern Ireland Humanists
Pink Therapy
Psychological Professions Network
Psychotherapy and Counselling Union (PCU)
Relate
Rethink Mental Illness
Royal College of General Practitioners
Royal College of Psychiatrists
Spectra
UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)

source: www.bacp.co.uk/events-and-resources/ethics-and-standards/mou/

(screenshot shows the 2017 signatories)

So it doesn’t look as though the ACAUK were ever signed up to it, but I suppose with NHS England, NHS Scotland and NHS Wales all there, it wouldn’t need to be a signatory for the chilling effect to affect ACAUK members!

BACP are the ones that I have a bee in my bonnet about because they are responsible for hundreds and hundreds of in-school counsellors via the Place2Be charity.

It says this:

there is as yet no reliable way to predict whether transitioning will alleviate any young person’s distress or further contribute to it.

And this:

It will be imperative that any research into this area is funded via sources that are able to maintain impartiality on the outcomes.

Thanks!!

You see, I know for certain that there are teachers in this school who are really pushing the mermaids / stonewall agenda..... My next task is to get the posters in the sixth form area removed, which state that a lesbian is a non man attracted to other non men.....

But not to derail the thread, this statement from the ACPUK is another piece of evidence that we were right all along, isn't it?

I have lost a dear, dear lifelong friend over this. I so hope in time he can look on this and understand what I have been trying to say is not trabsphobic, fascist or biggotted at all

Thank goodness someone in a position of influence is finally articulating this part so clearly:

In short, there is as yet no reliable way to predict whether transitioning will alleviate any young person’s distress or further contribute to it.

Really good to see this development. We are getting there (albeit slowly)

Gives rabbitwoman a quiet hug in solidarity. It must be such a relief to be in a school where you know that the rights of girls & vulnerable children are centre stage rather than the demands of all the adult males and lobby groups determined to transition other people's children.

Here’s an explanation of the MoU - it started in 2015 and was solely about conversion therapy re: sexual orientation.

in 2017, Gender Identity was added.

There have been further amendments:

can-sg.org/frequently-asked-questions/what-is-conversion-therapy-and-what-is-the-memorandum-of-understanding/

and here’s an article that talks in depth about the trans activist influence on the MoU:

criticaltherapyantidote.org/2022/03/31/through-the-looking-glass-making-sense-of-the-mou-part-1/

Thank you, InvisibleDragon, for the goood news thread and your helpful summary.

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.

With Sex Matters in the acknowledgements, with safe schools alliance, sex matters AND transgender trend listed under other resources, you can imagine it protected girls safe spaces, stated the difference between gender reassignment and gender identity (GI not a protected characteristic), said no one should be compelled to use preferred pronouns, we should not be teaching 'trans women are women as fact'.....

Stonewall is referenced under other resources, but no mention of mermaids anywhere.

I feel like crying.....

As a retired Clinical Psychologist (and long time lurker) I welcome this statement from the ACPUK. I hope this enables GC Clinical Psychologists to talk more openly. I know many former colleagues who share my GC beliefs but have felt unable to raise their concerns in clinical settings. I believe this position statement is hugely important. The tide is well and truly turning.

That’s correct. Here’s a recap on James’ case:

tribunaltweets.substack.com/p/james-esses-vs-metanoia-institute

IIRC lots of professional bodies co signed the same document, called the ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ on conversion therapy. It’s that document that has left individual psychologists, therapists and counsellors in fear of their jobs.

off to find some references…

One of James Esses claims is against UKCP (is that right?) . I realise there is a difference between psychologists and psychotherapists but I wonder whether this statement will have an impact.

Massive respect for you pattihews. It is really tough to lose a friendship and I certainly talk less around certain people. But given your ex friend's position of influence, you did the right thing trying to raise this with her.

Seconded! I came across this on Twitter the other day and it made me think of you, Patti!

So glad that ACP has reps for all 4 UK nations so this is potentially going to be very helpful for Scottish parents & teachers.

GIDS was NI, E&W only, Scotland has Sandyford who thus far seem to be flying under the radar and not getting anywhere near the scrutiny that the London service and it’s satellites have had.

Scots authorities have been refusing to look at the Cass interim report due to technical irrelevance.

I do so hope that social workers wake up and smell the coffee next.

This is excellent.