Counselling and Gender Critical beliefs

[rallyingcry]

Full disclosure: I'm a therapist and GC.
I work with children, teenagers and adults.
I don't come across trans issues often but when i do, always act with love, compassion and curiosity. Sadly I do tend to refer on clients where this is the main presenting issue as the law is unclear on conversion therapy and we don't appear to be allowed to explore issues, even when the client wants to! Insane! So I have to be careful and don't want to work under a cloud of censorship. I do worry that these clients will be potentially harmed by an affirming therapist who
doesn't help young people explore their identity when they want to, before embarking on lifelong irreversible journeys.
Anyhow, the person centred organisation (person centred is a modality which centres the client)
has released this statement:

https://www.the-pca.org.uk/index.php?option=comcontent&view=article&id=2786&catid=25&idU=1&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR00mQSg57WMSizvor-EEwTllyel1hsK9CIxsghsAOnI2vjPYY2l5ivNXH00aemUDEp4ti7NIIh7vhBST9J7Q

The well known therapist, academic and writer Mick Cooper (has a facebook page, look him up) has linked to this article on facebook and states that there's no place in person centred therapy for counsellors who are GC.

Is he also saying that therapists who are atheists, shouldn't work with christian/muslim/jewish clients? Because they don't share their belief systems? I'm not religious at all, but frequently work with clients who are followers and I show a respectful curiosity.

Anyone have any thoughts? Obviously no one
was really in disagreement with him in the comments and it seems a lot of comments have been removed. A well known TRA is one of the posters. And obligatory critic of the Cass Review as per expected.
I suspect the silent majority are remaining silent for the same reason I am.
We know that many detransitioners are angry that their therapists didn't ever explore underlying reasons for dysphoria, but simply affirmed.
I was trained to explore, show curiosity and gently challenge when appropriate.
The state of therapy today worries me greatly.

Somebody hasn't read the MoU which all major memberships bodies are signed up to. Or heard of the "chilling effect" but then some posters would have an agenda.

Please enlighten me.

I've read your opinions on this forum before. I don't happen to agree with them.

Is everyone enjoying being a 'fash recruitment agency'? Honestly these are qualified counsellors, they sound like Rik from The Young Ones. It's scary if people with such fragile egos and childish viewpoints are working with vulnerable clients.

😂😂
Oh dear - more toddler tantrums.

it's honestly ridiculous.
And also a little bit scary that these people are let loose with clients.

A fashionable recruitment agency? How nice. I must flick through the job boards. @Nameychangington there’s definitely has a whiff of Rik about that comment, I am sure their phone holder and rucksack are covered in excitingly coloured pins and badges.

That person has worked as a tutor on a counselling course and in schools with a LGBTQAI young people's charity. Scary that someone clearly unable to be neutral or balanced has had access to/ power over children and students.

It is absolutely terrifying.

Actually legally we do have self id for therapists... (Not saying it's a good thing obviously but even qualifications don't guarantee someone is competent.)

It's a shame that people write off mumsnet like this. Or other therapists who have different thoughts and experiences. Ironically lacking in empathy.

Edited to make up for the fact I am tired and apparently can't use conjunctions appropriately

There are approximately 7 million users on Mumsnet and most are women. So obviously all of us who say we work as counsellors or therapists are pretending...

yeah, obviously we're all just pretending and identifying as therapists 🤣

It's bizarre isn't it? Also, the scornful dismissals are baffling. It's NoDebate in action.

and in the spirit of no debate, the shared facebook posts have now been deleted! He was getting too much pushback and obviously people aren't allowed to disagree with him. Very person centred. 🙄

Yes I was definitely getting a sense that some of those 'person centred' counsellors would have a very hard time showing me UPR, were I their client. They really can't hear themselves at all though, they're too busy being right and righteous.

Obviously no one was really in disagreement with him in the comments and it seems a lot of comments have been removed.

Yeah, it's interesting how everybody always happens to agree with you - ergo you must be right - when you refuse to allow anybody who disagrees to respectfully voice their opinion.

Dammit yes I just went to look and all gone! Why is it counselling is so particularly captured I wonder. I work in a big mixed psych, counselling, health services type academic department and the counselling academics are definitely the most moralistically gender woo, no debate inclined. (Although I’ve also had therapy this year from someone with pronouns in bio who was perfectly professional and non-judgmental, so I don’t think that prevailing culture always translates into practice.)

Were people disagreeing with MC on the Facebook page then? It sounds like there is some pushback to that ridiculous statement.

There were some sex-realist comments and some attempts at a more balanced and nuanced discussion, plus a lot of TRA 'please delete these transphobic hate comments'. How predictable.

the replies were thoughtful, nuanced, intelligent. A lot of therapists felt insulted that MC thought they couldn't be GC and person centred. Obviously, in the interests of fair and balanced discussion, MC had to delete the whole discussion 🤣
I suspect the therapy world is majority GC.
Not openly so.
The loud minority continue to shout.

I have seen Mick Cooper speak before and he was pretty dismissive of any more critical questions then as well, plus he seemed to have a very dedicated fan base. It’s not my area so I didn’t know him but there was a lot of fawning! So definitely encouraging there was pushback - that’s what breaks the illusion everyone is on board with this stuff.

Yes, I recall a statistic too but can't remember the actual figures. The one I'd read pertained to the fact that children at the Tavistock had a much higher rate of a parent or family member being on the sex offenders register/convicted of a sexual offence than their peers in general population do

Here you go:

https://x.com/Serena_Partrick/status/1896513580222329259

Ten times more likely than the national average to have a parent who is a registered sex offender.

@Nameychangington could I be really forward and ask if you could screen grab the x post you've linked to for me please? I've deleted X and for some reason it will no longer even open in my browser:/

Here you go:

Thanks
I think those statistics are useful to know if you are a therapist.