Anyone want to email BACP re article about parents of trans people?

[Bananaketchup]

It's a completely reference-free article on supporting parents of trans+ people (I don't actually know what the + means, and the article doesn't tell me) in the April Therapy Today journal, which is sent to all BACP members. With unevidenced assertions that transitioners are happier and an ominous warning that 'without acceptance from their parents, trans+ people have no choice but to seek acceptance outside of their family'. It isn't explicit that it's talking about children/teens rather than adults, but all the anecdotes are clearly about parents of minors. Nothing at all about social contagion, watchful waiting, the barbarity of pharmaceutical or surgical transition. Just 'this is how to help clients get over their concerns and affirm gender change in their child'.

I'm a member of BACP and work for a completely captured NHS Trust. I've stuck my head above the parapet probably as much as I safety can recently. But if anyone feels like banging their head on a brick wall (BACP are captured), responses can be sent to [email protected]

Thanks to anyone who tries.

Critical Therapy Antidote recently published a book on this called Cynical Therapies, and is there to join if you're wanting to push back. Same with Thoughtful Therapists.

@WifeOfTiresias , contact Thoughtful Therapists to get a non-woke therapist. You deserve to be heard. x

thefactsarefriendly · Today 09:23
Critical Therapy Antidote recently published a book on this called Cynical Therapies, and is there to join if you're wanting to push back. Same with Thoughtful Therapists.

Thank you for telling us about them.

I doubt that any therapist like the one who was abusive to WifeofTiresias is any good at all, regardless of the problems of someone who comes to see them. They would be equally useless for someone suffering from gender dysphoria.

What happened to you was horrible on every count, WifeofTiresias. I hope you can get some help 💐

Another BACP member here with similar concerns. Yes, happy to work on a joint response.

Thanks for the kind comments, 💯 more support than I received from that counsellor!

Not sure if I would be able to trust another counsellor enough to be able to open up to them after that experience. It took a lot to take that step and I was soundly trampled on.

Sorry you had such a bad experience @WifeOfTiresias I hope in time you feel able to seek out a more appropriate therapist.

Perhaps you could contact those two organisations for guidance about finding a counsellor you could trust? I read through their main pages and they do seem committed to remaining separate from the ideology.

BACP is the organiser of the Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy with its many signatories so this has widespread ramifications. These organisations need to be taken back from the inside if it is possible, board etc.

I'm so sorry that 'counsellor' abused their position in that way . It is them who is in the wrong, not you or your feelings. You deserve support from someone worthy of your trust

TT was set up to oppose the BACP MoU...
CTA also has a network of people who reject critical social justice in therapeutic contexts. So there's bound to be a way of connecting with trustworthy counsellors who actually know what their job is, instead of parroting groupthink.

I just joined Mumsnet to say that, as a quite recently qualified therapist I read the Therapy Today article and agree with the OP, but feel too nervous to put my name to a letter. I think this might be worth mentioning in the letter, if it's relevant: that it doesn't feel safe to speak out. I find the BACP quite intimidating.

I'd describe myself as pretty "woke," passionate about social justice, and to me that includes being a feminist who wants to be able to say gender is a construct and sex is real.

'As therapeutic professionals, we can use our empathy, lack of judgment, and listening skills to support these parents, helping them to work through their feelings and allowing them to start supporting their child or to do it better.'

Anyone spot the ironic mistake? 🤣

So the take home is ‘as a therapist, I go in with a preconceived idea of what this client should do, I then apply my therapeutic ‘skills’ to manipulate my client to thinking the same way I do’ about right?

The BACP membership survey is out today, if any BACP members feel like sharing their views with BACP? I may have waxed somewhat lyrical in all the free text boxes. Trigger warning - you will be asked your gender identity and your sex assigned at birth I may have waxed lyrical about that too.

“Lack of judgment and listening skills” 😂

Only just spotted that one, @Sparklybutold 😂 An absolute classic of Freudian slippage.