Working transpersonally with gender, sex & relational diversities

Who is this for?

• This session is open to all counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists and mental health practitioners, as well as students in their final year of counselling or psychotherapy training (and those who attended the taster session).
• It is for those who want to broaden their knowledge and increase their confidence and effectiveness when working with gender, sexual and relationally diverse clients. The session looks at their specific needs and issues, which might challenge the way you provide effective and non-pathologising support.

Workshop purpose

Recent research* highlights the mental health of those who express (or are questioning) themselves, sexually, spiritually, relationally or gendered, in ways other than heteronormative. Statistics highlight that Gender, Sexual and Relationally diverse (GSRD) people are nearly twice as likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and other mental health issues than the rest of the population.

This workshop explores the specific issues with working with this client group. It also provides psycho-educational input to counsellors/therapists about appropriate mental health support for GSRD clients.

Our approach

Psychosynthesis applied to psychotherapy is a non-pathologising and unique approach that combines both psychology and spirituality. It is a transpersonal and holistic process that helps the individual deal with patterns of behaviours that inhibit or prevent living life in meaningful and fulfilling ways.

It brings us into contact with the life journey to meaning and wholeness and can often hold deep significance for GSRD clients. Ignoring this takes us back into the problematic areas of pathology and neurosis, which overlooks the impact of the society and environment in which these clients have to live and function, creating psychological disturbances.

What you can hope to get from this training:

• Broader awareness and understanding of the impact of living in a heteronormative culture and environment and how this affects ‘everyone’, regardless of one’s GSRD identity.
• Greater confidence in working with the issues specifically affecting the GSRD communities; the psychological/emotional/spiritual impact for these clients and how Psychosynthesis, in particular, can be used to work effectively with these issues.
• Increased knowledge and awareness of your own perspectives and mindsets about GSRD clients. Plus, one’s own relationship and biases with gender, sexual and relational diversities.
• Further understanding of the implications for clinical work - what helps, what’s appropriate, and what may not be.
• 12 hours CPD credits.

Find more information and book your place at psychosynthesistrust.org.uk.