Programme - Therapy in Colour: Anti-Racist & Intersectional Approaches

THERAPY IN COLOUR

Anti-Racist & Intersectional Approaches

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

BAATN, Onlinevents and PCCS Books are delighted to welcome you to the conference, inspired by the publication of the book Therapy in Colour: Intersectional, Anti-Racist and Intercultural Approaches by Therapists of Colour (Jessica Kingsley Publishers)

This online conference offers a combination of keynote speakers, panel discussions and a wide-ranging choice of practical workshops.

Our aim is to provide a space for students, trainers, practitioners and researchers to explore and showcase best practice in:

challenging race discrimination and white fragility within the counselling professions developing new ways of preparing students to work in our multicultural society

finding new ways to offer therapy to a diverse population increasing access to talking therapies for people from minoritised racial groups promoting black, Asian and minority ethnic presence within the profession at all levels.

CONFERENCE SPONSORS CONFERENCE SPONSORS

Liverpool Empowerment Centre

One of the primary aims of BAATN is to address the inequality of access to appropriate psychological services for Black, African, South Asian and Caribbean people, which is a well-recognised reality. Part of the solution to addressing this inequality of access is through the provision of events and training for our members, the entire therapy community and the wider public.

Our overall goal is the individual and collective processing of our inner experiences for the benefit of ours and other communities and to give a voice to a ‘black empathic approach’ in therapy and therapy education. As a body, we seek to influence the integration of this approach into mainstream psychotherapy training, literature and practice. We also encourage other organisations to work with us and support our work.

Our Directory of Practitioners.

Our directory is open to psychological therapists who are experienced in working with the distinctive African, Caribbean and South Asian experience

Our Events

BAATN offers Practitioner Spaces, which are healing and learning spaces for therapists and others in the helping professions. There are Practitioner Spaces specifically for those of Black, African, South Asian Caribbean and People of Colour heritages as well as events for therapists of all heritages. BAATN also offers healing and learning spaces for members of the public who want to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of the network and who want to engage proactively and consciously in their psychological lives.

Not for Profit

BAATN is a Social Enterprise, which means that all profits are reinvested. BAATN is run mostly by volunteers and survives through membership fees, donations and crowdfunding

Our goal at Jessica Kingsley Publishers (JKP) is to inspire readers to change society for the better. We publish on a range of subjects, including mental health, autism, social work, adoption and fostering, gender diversity & more.

At JKP, we believe in the importance of promoting diversity, which is why we publish authors who have lived experiences of the topics we cover. Our authors are the experts, and it’s our job to make sure their voices are heard.

We work very closely with the communities for whom we publish, to ensure we’re commissioning books that genuinely help and empower them. Every week we get messages from people that say how their lives have been changed by the books that we publish, how we’ve helped them feel included in a society where difference is all too often frowned upon.

“Over the years, even though JKP have grown in size and prestige, they have managed to maintain that personal touch” –

Kathy Hoopmann, JKP author

Connect with Jessica Kingsley Publishers

We want a better deal for everyone who seeks help for emotional distress –better understanding from practitioners and society, better responses and more choices from services and better outcomes from treatments. Our aim is that our publishing reflects these goals.

Black Identities + White Therapies: Race, Respect + Diversity

Therapists Challenging Racism and Oppression: the unheard voices edited by

Neelam Zahid and Rachel Cooke

PANEL DISCUSSION PANEL DISCUSSION

Decolonising the Curriculum

A panel debate and open forum for participants to discuss how we might make therapy education and training more inclusive of and relevant to students of colour.

Chaired by Eugene Ellis

Chair - Eugene Ellis

Stephen Abdullah Maynard Sabnum Dharamsi

Dr Anvita Madan-Bahel

Sarah Henry Patmarie Coleman

PANEL BIOS

Eugene Ellis is a psychotherapist, writer and public speaker on issues of race, difference and intersectionality. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy For the past 20 years, Eugene has been the director and founder of the Black, African and Asian Therapy Network, the UK's largest independent organisation to specialise in working therapeutically with Black, African, Caribbean and South Asian people.

His book, 'The Race Conversation: An essential guide to creating life-changing dialogue’ (2021), explores the race construct both through its cognitive and historical development and also, more crucially, on the intergenerational, non-verbal communication of race, both as a means of social control and as an essential part of navigating oppressive patterns.

Sabnum Dharamsi is a psychotherapist, and writer She co-founded the Islamic Counselling Model, developing an accredited training curriculum and practice based on sacred, timeless ways of seeing and being.

Stephen Abdullah Maynard Has been a counsellor for almost 40 years, he has worked in mental health, drugs counselling and HIV and private practice. In 1990 with Sabnum Dharamsi and the support of The Inner City Centre and The Lincoln Clinic he set up the Certificate in Counselling in the context of Racism, one of the first transcultural counselling certificate programmes in the UK.

Together with Sabnum Dharamsi in 1996 He developed the therapeutic model Islamic counselling In 2008 He wrote the Department of Health Muslim Mental Health Scoping Report and in 2010 founded The Lateef Project an Islamic counselling service working in Birmingham and London.

Sarah Henry is a published author, person-centred counsellor and counselling tutor She is a contributor to the book People Not Pathology: Freeing Therapy From The Medical Model (PCCS Books, 2023), with a chapter focused on the overmedicalisation of Black people.

Sarah has also presented nationally about the impact of race and ethnicity within the counselling and tutoring relationship. Born in England to a Black British mother and Jamaican father, Sarah's formative experience was a notable dynamic of complementary and clashing norms. Elements of this disparity continue into adulthood and inform her work, both implicitly and explicitly.

Dr Anvita Madan-Bahel specializes in multicultural psychology. A majority of her work is around diversity training, cross-cultural issues, and immigrant mental health She is also a psychosexual therapist and works towards reducing sexual violence & shame and stigma attached to sex and sexuality. She is most passionate about designing culturally based programs that address minority-based issues

She designed one such program for her dissertation, using Bollywood films clips to discuss comprehensive sexuality education with South Asian girls in New York The dissertation was published as a book: Sexual Health and Bollywood Films: A Culturally Based Program for South Asian Teenage Girls. NY: Cambria Press. She currently lives in London and works as a therapist, trainer and lecturer

Patmarie is a UKCP registered psychotherapist, qualified counsellor, supervisor, and trainer. Patmarie has successfully facilitated online therapeutic support groups for Black female students and has an interest in this area of work She is a new delighted and adoring grandmother. She loves gardening, walking her dog and yoga.

CONFERENCE CHAIR CONFERENCE CHAIR

David Weaver

Past President, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)

David is past President of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (2017 to 2022). Prior to that he served as a Governor / Trustee (2012 to 2016) and Vice President (2004 to 2009). He has played a key role in BACP's drive to embed social justice as a core principle / aspect of its work; and strongly advocates the relevance of the counselling professions for ordinary people and communities'.

A former social worker, university lecturer, local authority senior manager and political advisor, David leads a leadership change organisation that works with individuals, organisations and communities to help them achieve their full potential. He offers significant expertise as a coach and mediator and is utilised for his expertise in the area of strategic leadership in the UK and abroad.

Most of David's work is focused on leadership. A significant aspect of this is his work with the NHS, local government and several professional bodies on strategies for embedding and ensuring that equality, diversity and inclusion are viewed as business-critical and a central feature of their leadership and change agenda. This was a much recognised and important part of David's work as president of BACP and his ongoing leadership role within the counselling and mental health field.

A former political advisor to Home Office ministers including the Deputy Home Secretary and Home Secretary in the late 1990s, David represented

the UK government on a council of Europe body (European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia) based in Vienna. He is passionate about social justice, human rights and anti-racism and is regularly featured in the media.

David is a fellow of the British American Project - a body comprising business, media, community, and political leaders on both sides of the Atlantic. A co-founder of high-profile human rights body, Operation Black Vote (OBV), David sits on the Board of several community based organisations working in the areas of human rights, community development and counselling in communities. David holds an MSc in Human Resources Management and qualifications relating to conflict coaching, mediation and psychological profiling.

KEYNOTE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS SPEAKERS

Tyre Nichols was murdered on 7 January 2023. The video being released some two weeks later on sites across the world. That this incident happened at all in the wake of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and other murders of persons of colour in the US and in the UK, says a lot about the continued struggle against prejudice and racism that we all endure.

This talk builds on the narratives from the book designed and presented by Colin Largo and Divine Chaura and explores some more of the psychology behind issues of racism and in particular how systemic racism plays a massive role in the oppression and the hatred meted out against the racialised other.

Dr Dwight Turner is Course Leader on the Humanistic Counselling and Psychotherapy Course at the University of Brighton, a PhD Supervisor at their Doctoral College, a psychotherapist and supervisor in private practice. His latest book Intersections of Privilege and Otherness in Counselling and Psychotherapy was released in February 2021 and is published by Routledge. An activist, writer and public speaker on issues of race, difference and intersectionality in counselling and psychotherapy,

Dr Turner can be contacted via his website www.dwightturnercounselling.co.uk and can be followed on Twitter at @dturner300

Dr Dwight Turner

This presentation will introduce you to the brand-new Working Within Diversity model of anti-oppressive practice. A model which has evolved from Myira’s extensive clinical experience as a Counsellor, Supervisor and Tutor, to deliver anti-oppressive practice in her own work.

The presentation will walk you through the 5-component model and its underlying principles, before exploring key elements of how to work in an anti-oppressive approach and what you need to consider in offering an antioppressive practice. There will also be an opportunity for Q and A and space to reflect on the material presented.

Myira works in private practice, under her organisations ‘Myira Khan Counselling’ and ‘Grow to Glow’ and has over 12 years of clinical experience. Myira also delivers workshops and events internationally and is a regular speaker and facilitator at national conferences. As the Founder of the Muslim Counsellor and Psychotherapist Network (MCAPN), Myira runs the network for Muslim counsellors, therapists and psychologists, offering support, CPD opportunities and raising the visibility of Muslim practitioners.

A visibly Muslim ethnically-minoritized practitioner, Myira represents a diversity within the therapeutic and coaching professions, promoting counselling and coaching to ethnically-minoritized, Muslim and under-represented marginalised communities and clients.

Myira Khan

For a full list of publications and media contributions, conference and event appearances, and social media and podcast appearances, please see Myira’s website:

Publications and Media: www.myirakhancounselling.co.uk/publications-andmedia

Conference and Event Appearances: www.myirakhancounselling.co.uk/conference-event-appearances

Social Media and Podcasts: www.myirakhancounselling.co.uk/social-mediapodcast-appearances

For a full list of awards, please see: www.myirakhancounselling.co.uk/about-myira-khan-counselling

The stories we tell ourselves and each other are vitally important. They are the genesis of our actions and our reference point for prioritising where we place our minds and how we use our resources. Story, however, is not just narrative, and the stories we tell ourselves can so easily override the story of our bodies. Developing body listening and expanding our ability to sense the body’s signals in complex and non-judgemental ways can take us towards a way of being that is both hopeful in its outlook and, at the same time, grounded in the reality of the world as it is.

Eugene Ellis is a psychotherapist, writer and public speaker on issues of race, difference and intersectionality. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy. For the past 20 years, Eugene has been the director and founder of the Black, African and Asian Therapy Network, the UK's largest independent organisation to specialise in working therapeutically with Black, African, Caribbean and South Asian people.

His book, 'The Race Conversation: An essential guide to creating life-changing dialogue’ (2021), explores the race construct both through its cognitive and historical development and also, more crucially, on the intergenerational, nonverbal communication of race, both as a means of social control and as an essential part of navigating oppressive patterns.

Eugene Ellis

WORKSHOPS WORKSHOPS

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This presentation will discuss the experience of developing and running a Distance Learning Module (also offered as short course) on Intercultural Counselling Practice and Processes within the MSc Humanitarian Intervention, at the University of East London.

The excitement and the challenges of this experience, what was learnt so far and the unvaluable constructive feedback from students will be part of this presentation, with the aim to open up space for further reflections, questions and dialogues around such a fascinating aspect of our practice.

Lucia is currently Associate Professor and Course Leader of the Distance Learning MSc Humanitarian Intervention at the School of Psychology, University of East London. At UEL she is also teaching on the BSc (Hons) Counselling.

Lucia is a BACP Accredited Gestalt Psychotherapist since 2003 and she has been working with a variety of clients, individuals, couples and groups, adolescents and adults. Her areas of interest are psychosocial intervention in countries in war and conflict; existential therapies; intercultural counselling training. She has been involved in co-creating psychosocial interventions in countries like Afghanistan, Angola, India and Syria.

Lucia Berdondini & Nomsa Wayland

Nomsa Wayland is a Professional Doctorate Counselling Psychology Trainee, qualified Integrative therapist, and part-time lecturer at the University of East London (UEL). She contributes her knowledge to the foundation Counselling Skills and the Intercultural Counselling Practice and Processes modules within the Humanitarian Intervention programme. She is passionate about addressing race and racism in therapy.

Nomsa has delivered lectures on race and culture while working to create a more inclusive therapeutic environment, demonstrating her commitment to fostering meaningful conversations and promoting positive change.

Her current research project, "Understanding Counselling Professionals' Experiences of Working with Black Clients Presenting with Race-Based Traumatic Stress," aims to contribute to a larger conversation about equality, diversity, and inclusion within the counselling psychology field and to improve education and the counselling process for minority clients. Nomsa's research and dedication make her an asset to UEL and the counselling psychology field, as she advocates for cultural competence and social justice.

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“the sense of complete aloneness and separateness is close to insanity (Fromm, 1962, p. 94)

For immigrants and the children of immigrants, the experience or not " belonging is complex. The story of how people come to be in a new land might be fraught with traumas – past and present. In the UK experiences of immigration are intertwined with the hostilities of racism and other forms of othering. Yet, we know that an experience of belonging – to a family, to a community and to a society is a fundamental human need.

This workshop considers the dynamics of alienation and the challenge of identity and belonging when dominant structures and normative mindsets are ostracizing to that quest. There will be opportunity to share personal experiences and link them to ideas that help understand this challenge from radical and relational perspectives.

Karen Shireen Minikin, (MSc. UKCP Reg TSTA (P)) is a psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer in private practice. She is has written a number of articles on alienation and radical perspectives in psychotherapy. She is a co-editor of two journals: “Psychotherapy and Politics International” and the “Transactional Analysis Journal.” She is currently based in West Somerset.

Karen Minikin

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This workshop will be offer a presentation reflecting on personal lived experience and invite participants to share and reflect on their learning and experiences thus far.

Collectively, we will envisage the future – what it may hold and what our combined knowledge and experiences can contribute to the profession.

Dr Valerie Watson is an independent counselling and psychotherapy practitioner, supervisor, coach, consultant and trainer. She has worked in education, public health and service and social work settings for over 30 years and has extensive voluntary work experience with community-based organisations and projects.

She has a passion for racial justice, a continuing interest in community work, health, learning about equalities issues and change. Val is a member of BACP Coaching Division Executive and holds a number of voluntary senior leadership roles at Director and Chairperson level.

Dr Valerie Watson

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Psychotherapy in context of the individual relationship, the organisational reality, and negative/ cultural/ societal impact

Stephen Abdullah Maynard Has been a counsellor for almost 40 years, he has worked in mental health, drugs counselling and HIV and private practice. In 1990 with Sabnum Dharamsi and the support of The Inner City Centre and The Lincoln Clinic he set up the Certificate in Counselling in the context of Racism, one of the first transcultural counselling certificate programmes in the UK.

Together with Sabnum Dharamsi in 1996 He developed the therapeutic model Islamic counselling. In 2008 He wrote the Department of Health Muslim Mental Health Scoping Report and in 2010 founded The Lateef Project an Islamic counselling service working in Birmingham and London.

Stephen Abdullah Maynard

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Who do you become when working with ‘the other?’ We know that clients edit out their concerns with what they think will be received or what is appropriate for the environment, but who do you as a therapist, whether coming from a similar or dissimilar background, become in this encounter? In this workshop I focus on case studies with Muslim Clients based in the UK - who since 9/11 and the war on terror have gone from a relatively invisible minority to a highly policed, politically charged, identity.

I’ve selected these examples because they represent real cases, and also because ’Since oppression is systemic, resisting it must also be: ‘the Black radical tradition has to embrace the struggle against anti-Muslim racism, which is perhaps the most virulent form of racism today.”(Angela Davis 2016) Similarly, because oppression is systemic, I offer this workshop also to to support moving beyond shame and ‘white identity disclaimers’ (Alleyne 2022) and anti-blackness in all our communities, and through reflection find a different way of being in ourselves.

This workshop is offered as a way of developing therapeutic practice, but more importantly, through exploring perceptions, feelings and taboos when working with those who have been ‘othered’, it is also becomes a space to find ourselves in the other, and to remember heart and hope.

Sabnum Dharamsi is a psychotherapist, and writer. She co-founded the Islamic Counselling Model, developing an accredited training curriculum and practice based on sacred, timeless ways of seeing and being.

Sabnum Dharamsi

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Tonia, author of the chapter ‘Effective Anti-racist Practice in Counselling and Therapy Training’ from 'Therapy in Colour', offers her perspective.

I work as Head of Therapeutic Services at MAP, a Youth Charity (www.map.uk.net).

I qualified as a person centred counsellor in 2007 and have devised and delivered anti-racist training since the mid-nineties. I am a member of the Black, African and Asian Therapists Network (BAATN), with whom I have been a mentor since 2016, and situate my counselling practice in the context of a lifelong, active commitment to personal and community development and global justice and equality.

Tonia Mihill

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Cultural Colourism

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Colourism is discrimination against individuals based on the shade of their skin. It is thought those with the darkest skin experience more than lighter skinned people. A perfect storm of colonialism, slavery, racism, eugenics, and opposition to racial mixing have contributed to the way it manifests at this present time.

From research in the UK, we know it affects dark and light skinned people, men, and women. It happens between members of different racial groups and members of the same racial group. Research has not addressed colourism in the family and has failed to draw out nuances and complexities around hair texture, or facial features. From my work with people whose ancestry lies in countries that were colonised by the British Empire, I have observed that colourism adds another layer of trauma to those struggling with white racism.

I am going to use this presentation to explore an aspect of colourism that occurs constantly in my counselling practice: cultural colourism. This manifests, for example, as people who are biologically Black being rejected by their community for not being culturally Black enough. Or a South Asian person being rejected for not being Indian, Pakistani, or Bengali enough. This raises questions about authentic identity, how that is policed. And how the failure to recognise that identity is diversifying and evolving weakens the collective struggle against global white racism.

Yvon is a psycho-dynamic counsellor living and working in Bristol. After gaining her PhD in trauma and resilience built an intersectional practice. Yvon writes about the mixed race experience in the UK. She also creates multimedia resources for understanding and working with colourism in the UK. In her spare time, she loves going for long walks, cooking, and family time.

Dr Yvon Guest

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A workshop exploring how religious faith (Christianity) is defined and expressed through the therapist - client lens; in black, white and in colour.

Dr Rachel-Rose Burrell is an accredited, registered psychotherapist and author. She has a background in nursing and many years experience of developing counselling services in the public, voluntary and faith sectors. She is currently Head of Psychotherapy within the Ministry of Justice. Dr Burrell is a member of the leadership team at her local church and heads up the well-being service which she developed in 2019 supporting congregants, third families and the local community.

Dr Burrell provides training on a range of topics including: mental health awareness, wholistic self care, conflict management and counselling skills for leaders.

Dr Burrell is the founder of Sozo Therapeuo a resource (primarily but not exclusively) for churches, promoting, improving and maintaining good mental health awareness and support through education, training and therapy.

Dr Rachel-Rose Burrell

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As a Black British woman, there are times when my experience of a White British person has left me feeling confused, scared and angry. I’ve been told at times that the feeling has been mutual. Despite well-meaning intentions there is still so much that is misunderstood in interracial interactions.

In this workshop is to facilitate delegates’ exploration of their racial blind spots and the assumptions they make from their own racial frame of reference. I will also be sharing my own experiences as a Black client and a Black counsellor within interracial therapeutic relationships. Together we will explore questions such as:

What do racial blind spots look like? What might we be overlooking about those who are racially different and similar to us? How can we increase our professional resilience in interracial therapeutic relationships?

Through exploring how our racial identities have shaped our overall experiencing, can we as practitioners hold the racial difference between us and our clients with integrity rather than tokenism and with confidence rather than fear?

Sarah Henry

Sarah Henry is a published author, person-centred counsellor and counselling tutor. She is a contributor to the book People Not Pathology: Freeing Therapy From The Medical Model (PCCS Books, 2023), with a chapter focused on the overmedicalisation of Black people.

Sarah has also presented nationally about the impact of race and ethnicity within the counselling and tutoring relationship. Born in England to a Black British mother and Jamaican father, Sarah's formative experience was a notable dynamic of complementary and clashing norms. Elements of this disparity continue into adulthood and inform her work, both implicitly and explicitly.

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Based on Ruth’s PhD research into how white trainee counsellors understand race, racism and whiteness, this talk will consider her original concept of the ‘Good White Counsellor’. This concept argues that counselling and psychotherapy systemically believes that taking a colourblind approach is the ‘right’ way to understand race.

Ruth will explore ideas about the historical construction of whiteness, white ignorance and white privilege and identify how these may manifest in counselling and psychotherapy by using examples from her research findings and from collaborative self-reflection.

The workshop will include her PhD research findings and incorporate the work of race scholars such Charles W. Mills, Eduardo DeSilva and Shannon Sullivan in order to understand the role of whiteness within counselling and psychotherapy. The seminar is intended to be reflexive and supportive in order to allowing us to consider whiteness and how it impacts us personally and within our therapeutic practice

Dr Ruth Smith lives in South Wales and has undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in counselling and psychotherapy and a PhD in Social Justice. Ruth’s research interests are socio-politics and social justice, particularly how these intersect with counselling and psychotherapy. Ruth has worked as a therapist with survivors of trauma, including survivors of war, torture and human trafficking.

She now works in private practice, specialising in working with survivors of domestic abuse and coercive control. Ruth can be contacted via her website: dr-ruthsmith.co.uk

Dr Ruth Smith

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Much of psychotherapy’s foundations were built upon and have reflected the structural oppressions of the wider world, and the field of therapy continues to perpetuate white privilege and racism. All practitioners will experience, witness, inflict, hear about or be complicit in racism and race related trauma as trainees, qualified therapists, clients, colleagues, tutors or through supervision.

Based on our newly published book, in this workshop we invite practitioners of all heritages and races to tell their stories and hear others’ experiences of racism within therapeutic settings. The group will have the opportunity to explore these encounters in as safe an environment as possible. We will also offer case vignettes for those who may not feel comfortable enough to share their own stories.

Through the medium of storytelling, we aim to facilitate support, connection, understanding and potentially healing from the racial trauma (whatever our racial background) that we hold in our bodies.

We will reflect on:

What happens in our bodies when we talk about race.

What racial trauma is being activated when and where.

How white fragility and white privilege continue to show up in therapy

How racial trauma impacts relationships

How therapists can better support and be in alliance with each other.

Neelam Zahid & Rachel Cooke

Therapists Challenging Racism and Oppression: the unheard voices edited

by Neelam Zahid and Rachel Cooke

Rachel Jane Cooke (she/they), MA, is a queer, integrative psychotherapist, supervisor and educator from Ireland, in practice since 2009. She is based in London, runs an online therapy platform (p-therapy.com), consults to charities and social enterprises, and has a weekly radio segment where she often discusses identity, privilege and oppression. She regularly speaks on podcasts and hosts talks and workshops for the public, for therapists and for organisations on topics such as intersectionality, trauma, attachment, health and wellness under neoliberalism, embodiment, feminist therapy and Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity (GSRD). Rachel is passionate about training therapists committed to social justice, particularly through embodied and relational practice. You can read more about her work at racheljanecooke.com.

Neelam Zahid is an Integrative Counsellor, Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor accredited by the BACP and have worked as a therapist since 2003. She previously worked within higher education for over a decade and currently has her own private practice. She is also the Deputy Course Leader for the Foundation year at the Minster Centre and teaches on the Introduction to Counselling Skills Course. In addition to this, she’s currently a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Westminster teaching on the B.Sc. Psychology and Counselling and Introduction to Counselling Skills Course. Her areas of interest are Intersectionality, Difference, and Diversity and has contributed to the following publications:

· Therapists Challenging Racism and Oppression: the unheard voices (2023, eds Neelam Zahid and Rachel Jane Cooke).

· The Handbook of Transcultural Counselling and Psychotherapy (2001, eds Colin Lago).

· Black Identities + White Therapies: Race, Respect + Diversity (2021, eds Colin Lago and Divine Charura).

You can find out more about her at www.neelamzahidcounselling.co.uk

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Western psychotherapy has developed on euro-centric cultural values. At times, the tenants of therapy can be different, out of sync or at times opposite to the cultural values of clients who have Asian, African and indigenous cultural heritage. It is essential that we address this cultural bias in our teaching. Students must recognise their own cultural values as well as gain knowledge and understanding of other cultural values. This will expand their approach to practice and help them gain skills to work with diverse client groups.

Dr Anvita Madan-Bahel specializes in multicultural psychology. A majority of her work is around diversity training, cross-cultural issues, and immigrant mental health. She is also a psychosexual therapist and works towards reducing sexual violence & shame and stigma attached to sex and sexuality. She is most passionate about designing culturally based programs that address minority-based issues.

She designed one such program for her dissertation, using Bollywood films clips to discuss comprehensive sexuality education with South Asian girls in New York. The dissertation was published as a book: Sexual Health and Bollywood Films: A Culturally Based Program for South Asian Teenage Girls. NY: Cambria Press. She currently lives in London and works as a therapist, trainer and lecturer.

Dr Anvita Madan-Bahel

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This is a 90-minute work shop that will invite participants to consider the barriers to the inclusion of racialised identities in therapy. In our discussion we will examine findings from research studies that document the complexities and challenges that therapists experience in the process of therapy and impact on the client – therapist relationship.

The workshop context will discuss how micro-aggressions may be perpetuated in the therapeutic frame making connections with the significance of history racialised experiences and racial trauma in the presentations of racial identities in the therapeutic relationship.

Mark Williams is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work with Leeds Beckett University since 2004. He has extensive experience in mental health social work practice and worked in both statutory and third sector mental health provision, prior to joining the university, including having the privilege to be involved in the development and launch of the first Assertive Outreach provision in Leeds (in 2000), and earlier the development of a multicultural mental health community resource (in 1998).

As a British African Caribbean man Mark has a particular interest in the lived experiences of Black and Global Majority (BGM) communities living in the UK. His interests has led him to become involved in the development and delivery of mental health services targeted towards the needs of BGM groups which has now extended

Mark Williams

to concerns about the diversity and inclusion of BGM individuals in higher education.

In recent years Mark has been interested in the use of Psychodynamic Perspectives as andragogical and heutagogical approaches to training and education. He has completed masters degree with Tavistock and Portman with a focus on transcultural psychodynamic psychotherapy, and previously Mark undertook masters training in Freudian psychoanalytic studies which he uses in his delivery of anti-racist training, and training on diversity and inclusivity.

His recent research interests centre on the investigation of the racialised experiences of BGM students in professional practice learning settings and the impact of racial trauma on education outcomes for people from BGM communities; a theme that is certainly in keeping with Mark’s contribution the Black Identities + White Therapies publication, and a reflection of much of the work Mark has been committed to thus far.

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Black queer men are increasingly at risk of mental health problems related to anxiety and depression. The reason behind this is the occurrence of traumatic experiences, such as childhood abuse, anti-gay bullying, and racial discrimination, which often perpetuate the mental health distress in this population. Additionally, the intersection of masculine gender role norms, sexuality and culture can influence Black queer men’s willingness to seek help and impact counselling and coaching interventions. To date, research has not investigated the efficacy of incorporating a trauma-informed integrative counselling and coaching approach with Black queer men who experience trauma with consideration of the intersectional differences of this population.

In this workshop, I will discuss findings from my MSc research investigating effective trauma-informed integrative counselling and coaching approaches that support Black queer men to recover from traumatic experiences. I will also explore with delegates their experiences working with this population and reflect on areas for further research and best practice.

Anthony Davis

Anthony is an experienced counsellor, psychotherapist and coach accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. He has over 13 years’ experience working with individuals of various age groups and diverse backgrounds. Practicing in both the United States and the United Kingdom, he has worked with clients in the NHS, adult social care and in private practice exhibiting a range of challenges that impact their lives and cause them emotional and psychological distress.

Anthony currently works in private practice offering individual and couples therapy, and life, career and executive coaching to adults. He provides an integrative therapeutic approach to his practice, and supports his clients using various therapeutic modalities such as CBT, psychodynamic, humanistic and solution focussed. Anthony also offers coaching and integrated counselling and coaching to facilitate growth and personal/professional change.

Anthony specialises in working with a range of difficulties such as anxiety, depression, stress (personal and work related), relationship difficulties and bereavement/loss. Anthony also specialises in working with the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly those struggling with their gender identity and sexual orientation or those who have experienced discrimination due to their sexual orientation. He has also completed significant therapeutic work with Black and minority ethnic clients and supported individuals who experienced racial/ethnic discrimination.

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A discussion around some of the ways in which Therapists of Colour experience transferences and projections in the room when working with patients. Based on some of the experience shared in the chapter "(Inter)Racial transference: A case of Projective Identification," and some additional discussion points.

Jaspreet (Jazz) is a senior counselling psychologist currently working in Older Persons CMHT in Northamptonshire NHS. Currently he is co-leading on a project to develop a psychosis and mood disorder pathway across the county for older persons. He has research interests in hard to reach communities (PoC, LGBTQIA+, Older Persons) accessing therapy and works from a relational perspective.

Jaspreet Tehara

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"Have you attended many courses on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, (EDI), and you are still missing what to do? You may have even written a course on EDI and secretly you still know you remain uncomfortable, fearful, and struggle working effectively with matters associated with race. Join me and others to explore another way in developing your competency in working effectively with race."

Dr Delroy Hall, Counsellor, Coach and Trainer. With over three decades of experience, Delroy Hall is a trained counsellor, wellbeing practitioner, trainer, and independent scholar.

Delroy has given lectures and academic papers nationally and internationally and has extensive keynote speaker experience Including Harvard University, Boston College Massachusetts, USA, Durham university and South Yorkshire Police.

Delroy has coordinated mental health projects and is currently working with Birmingham Community Health Care Trust (BCHC) facilitating the Inclusive Leadership component on their ‘Inspire Leadership Programme. He is coordinator for a Black Male Suicide Prevention programme under the auspices Sheffield Health and Social Care (SCHC).

An area now occupying Delroy’s thoughts, reflection, and training, is racial trauma and racial healing. This is not so much simply an area of interest; it is of significant existential concern. With concern around race and injustice/abuse that can occur, both victim and protagonist need liberating.

Delroy Hall

Since April 2020, during the first lockdown, Delroy hosted live wellbeing sessions on Facebook, but now other platforms; LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

Delroy is also the Chaplain for Sheffield United Football Club. As a former four hundred metre hurdler, ranked No 2 in Great Britain in 1979, Delroy now keeps fit and is presently training for various aqua bike events in the UK.

www.delwes.com

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Therapy training in the UK is overwhelming white and middle to upper class. Students are predominantly hetrosexual Judo-Christian women making the diversity of gender, race, class, sexual orientation, disability, neurodiversity in the extreme minority.

Othering occurs in groups to marginalise and oppress minorities. Trainees are subjected to invasive experiential and practical work that is not sufficiently held or managed by professionals who haven’t undertaken anti-racist or antioppressive training, thus resulting in harm to Black and minority ethnic students.

Student therapists of colour are assigned or limited to working with white therapists from the same modality who cannot identify with the issues training and racism encountered during the training. These therapists often have blind spots or play out power dynamics of white supremacy in the therapeutic relationship, further harming the students of colour during training and beyond.

Many white students are unaware of their own projections, prejudices and overt racism and are free to express these views on clients and students alike, with no fear of retaliation from course providers. When students of colour express their discomfort or lack of safety they are met with harsh hostility and ostracised. Leading them to feel silenced. Isolation amongst peers and communities of colour who can’t relate, leads to many therapists with trauma from the training experience.

Lydia Puricelli

Robinson (2012) explored the lived experiences of eight women of colour who were students within a counsellor education program. The participants reported multiple instances of isolation, humiliation, invisibility, and extreme stress as a result of marginalisation and racism within the program. A few of the key themes highlighted in the study included lack of support by faculty, feeling invalidated, stereotypical assumptions about race, disproportionate opportunities to White students, and other related themes.

Silencing then goes to internalise complex racial trauma deep into the subconscious.

This workshop helps to work towards breaking the silence of this often overlooked issue many students of colour experience. Utilising creative imagination tools and the collective participants we will work to find their voice. This workshop is suitable for Black and therapists of colour who are in training and qualified.

Lydia Puricelli (aka Conscious Culture Coach) is an Anti-racist integrative transpersonal trainee psychotherapist, coach, social justice activist, speaker, writer, author and trainer.

She focuses on the unique challenges Black & People of Colour as well as other marginalised groups face in training institutions and the workplace. She also specializes in treating the Mental Health and Wellbeing of B&POC and LGBTQIA+ communities through Frontline therapy and Opening Doors London. Where she works as counsellor and advisor.

Lydia is one of the Master graduates under Dr. Isha McKenzie-Mavinga delivering anti-racist training to therapists through BAATN on “The challenge of racism in therapy’. She also chairs the Student of Color and Allies Network at the Centre of Counselling and Psychotherapy Education where she works support students of colour in their training and challenge the institution on their oppressive teaching practices and curriculum.

Lydia has led and launched employee affinity networks for marginalised groups across global organisations including Investec, Fidelity and InterInvest - where she leads on Racial Equity in the Investment Industry.

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Author of the Chapter

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“Ibelievethatsomewhereinthedarkestnight…acandleglows. Ibelieveabovethestorm…thesmallestbreath…willstillbeheard”.

(‘Ibelieve’byRobsonandJerome2016)

Kirendiscusseswhyshewrotethisbookchapterusingpersonalexperiencesof counsellortraining,loss,andbereavement,includingexplicitdiscussionsaround suicideandtrauma. Togetherwewillexplorehowawarenessandpowercan impactrelationships,ourclients,oursupervisionexperiences,complaintprocedures andourparticipationinthewiderworld.

Theworkshopwillincludecreativity,Activities2healandmultimedia(noartistic abilitiesnecessary),toenableparticipantstolookattheirownexperiencesfrom differingperspectivesandsharetheirlearning,iftheywishto.

Finally,wewillbelookingathowtheseoutcomes,canbeappliedwithinour practice.Everyoneiswelcome!

Allparticipantscameraswillbeswitchedofftocreateaninclusive,accessible,and safeenvironmentforexploration Allnameswillbeanonymised Captionswillbe available.

***Ifattendingpleasebringpaper,feltpensorpencils,aphotoofyourselfas achild(ifpossible,oramemory)andascarf***

Kiren is an Accredited, Person Centred, Private Practice Counsellor, Coach and Supervisor, who created Activites2heal, as a way to support a range of clients and students from White, Black, Brown and Mixed Race and Heritage backgrounds.

Kiren Khosla

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