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Up until a few months ago, I was embroiled in litigation against my former regulatory body, the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).
Now, in one of life’s strange twists of fate, I find myself defending them.
As many of you will know, in 2021 I was expelled from my Masters’ degree in Psychotherapy at the Metanoia Institute, after I spoke out in favour of biological reality and against the irreversible medicalisation of children. I subsequently brought a claim for discrimination against both Metanoia and UKCP, on the basis that UKCP had a hand in what happened to me.
At this point in time, UKCP appeared, as with all other therapeutic bodies, to be ideologically captured. They were pushing gender ideology on their membership and were signed up to the Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy (MoU), a document co-ordinated by trans activists, essentially forcing therapists to affirm children into transitioning.
However, in the intervening years, under new Chairman, Dr Christian Buckland, UKCP made a number of significant shifts.
Firstly, we agreed a settlement in my litigation. As part of this settlement, UKCP published a formal statement, which was ground-breaking. The statement read:
'UKCP recognises that gender-critical beliefs (that sex is both binary and immutable) are protected under the Equality Act 2010. UKCP also recognises the validity of the professional belief that children suffering from gender dysphoria should be treated with explorative therapy, rather than being affirmed towards irreversible and potentially damaging medical intervention. Psychotherapists and counsellors accredited by UKCP are fully entitled to hold such beliefs and any discrimination against them on this basis, including by UKCP-accredited training organisations, is unlawful.’
This was the first time that UKCP had made such an acknowledgement. It ensures that what happened to me will never happen to another trainee therapist. It also sends a clear message to therapeutic training course providers that if they discriminate against their students for believing in biological reality or child safeguarding, they will be held accountable.
The second significant intervention was that, after years of pleading, UKCP withdrew from the MoU. They stated that they had been misled by the Coalition Against Conversion Therapy (the activist group holding the pen of the MoU) as to whether the document applied to children. UKCP also highlighted the “professional concerns” around “child safety” that flow from the MoU. The importance of this action cannot be overstated.
However, UKCP have since been targeted by a group of therapists. I say therapists but I should use the term ‘activists’. Trans activist group, Therapists Against Conversion Therapy & Transphobia, published a statement, asking members of UKCP to bring a vote of no confidence against the Chair, Dr Christian Buckland, and his Board. The statement is filled with lies and scaremongering.
Let’s make no bones about this - a group of radical activist therapists are trying to remove the Chairman and Board of UKCP, because they dared to raise safeguarding concerns about vulnerable children. They are essentially trying to bully UKCP into accepting affirmation of gender ideology.
Given that UKCP is the only major therapeutic body to take such a brave stance, this is extremely concerning and there is a real risk that the Chair and Board will be voted out.
UKCP desperately need our support.
If you are a member of UKCP, please throw your support behind Dr Christian Buckland and his Board and do whatever you can to ensure that any vote of no confidence fails. If you are not a member, please publicise what is happening as far and wide as possible.
We must not allow a group of activists to keep the world of therapy shackled to dangerous gender ideology.
This is brilliant James you are forging the way for the rest of us- we need also to use this as leverage for other therapy professional bodies ie BACP
'We must not allow a group of activists to keep the world of therapy shackled to dangerous gender ideology.'
This short sentence encapsulates the unspeakable horror of the gender identity movement. There is just no end to the lies and distortions, as well as the violence and criminality, that these activists will adopt to keep their target of the destruction of our children afloat.