Reply from BACP

[Freshlylaidterf]

I wrote to the BACP expressing my disgust over the apology for Stephanie Davies Arias letter. Below is the editors reply. Needless to say does not address any of the issues I raised. Im considering writing back asking what were the concerns and who raised them.

Thank you for your email, to which I am replying on BACP's behalf.
Your views have been noted, and thank you
I can only say that BACP felt the apology and withdrawal of the letter were a necessary and appropriate response to the concerns raised.
With all good wishes
Editor, Therapy Today

thisisathing, thank you. I think the trouble is that I feel that family members might not feel able to seek help because they either won't trust that they won't be told that they simply need 'educating' or are afraid of being labelled as transphobic.

This is why Health Care related bodies should be neutral and shouldn't be taking lines like this, because it harms everyone involved because confidence in them and the freedom of counsellors themselves is totally undermined.

Its becomes a culture shaped by fear.

Thank you so much to the therapists trying to push back against this - you're putting your own careers on the line in many cases, but it's the right thing to do.

Over 20 years ago I watched one of my best friends (female) go through the transition process that existed at the time, and even then she was kicking against "gatekeeping" and angry that therapists wanted her to talk through what seemed very much like precipitating circumstances that had led her to identify as a man (she was raped by a friend with the stated goal of turning her straight). Since then I've seen most of the "gatekeeping" gradually removed, and I don't think it's to the benefit of the patients at all. It scares me how many young women may not be going through the system without even the minimal attempts to find out what else might be going on that my friend was met with. Thank you for trying to help put the brakes on.

May now rather than not.

I started a thread about therapy guidelines earlier but no responses as of yet. Suffice to say this is all entirely consistent with the BPS guidelines (which I’d not read before but was about a lot of the trans stuff in there).

www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/rep_92.pdf

Mercury - I notice the BPS guidance was published in 2012, prior to the very dramatic rise in referrals for children. I might ask if they are planning to update on the basis of available evidence of social contagion and desistance rates.

The guidance certainly seems to have a different tone to the much more approach clinics like the Tavistock are now taking.