Liberation psychology, the social unconscious and the politics of inclusion/exclusion

Dick Blackwell is a Group Analyst and Family Therapist.

Comprehend, Cope and Connect; engaging the individual from where they are – across diagnostic boundaries and cultures

Isabel is one of 5 presenters at the Psychotherapy Section’s 1-day conference, ‘The Outsider: Inclusion and Exclusion in the Therapeutic Relationship’ on 18 October 2019 9:00 am - 4:30 pm at BPS Offices, 30 Tabernacle Street, London, EC2A 4UE.

Join us in a day of exploration, where we will broaden and deepen our understanding of the complexity of the therapeutic relationship and the unconscious barriers that exclude outsider and marginalised groups.

Learning outcomes and objectives

• Which groups are Excluded from Treatment
• How do we help and support excluded groups
• How do we recognise systems that are exclusive
• How can we become more inclusive

Othering the therapist: Professional complaint hearings

Presentations considering being an Outsider in the therapeutic relationship typically look outwards at the Other. We will look inwards towards our profession and consider how therapists considered to misjudge the delicate balance between good and less helpful practice can become enmeshed in disciplinary processes and professional conduct hearings, which can often position the therapist as an Outsider. In a profession that values the Therapeutic Relationship, these processes can often isolate and position a person on the receiving end of a complaint as the Outsider.

Psychotherapy is constructed upon the ethical and philosophical imperative 'do no harm', also known as unintended harm (iatrogenesis). Around 10% of the public say they feel harmed by attending psychotherapy (Lambert, 2010). This figure significantly rises for marginalised groups. It is higher still for therapist’s, of whom 27%-40% (Williams, Lyons, & Coyle, 1999; Macaskill & Macaskill, 1992) report experiencing their personal therapy as harmful. The general trend of complaints to all professional registration bodies is upwards, and professional bodies and therapists have voiced concern at how therapists who receive complaints can become marginalised within complaint procedures. Marginalised here means effectively excluded from any opportunity to engage with a reparative or healing process: for the complainant, therapist and our profession. In fact, the Professional Standards Authority (PSA: 2017) has become so concerned at adversarial complaint processes that it drew up a Parliamentary Bill, which would change the landscape of complaint procedures.

Yet, the topic of therapists being marginalised in complaint hearings and how this sets them outside of any reparative procedure to support the complainant, seems rarely discussed in trainings or openly amongst therapists. At this conference we will create a safe space to explore what the public, therapists and complaint trends, seem to be telling us.

Complaints contain a transformative seed (Shohet, 2018).  People generally complain about something they care about. We will look at how complaint hearings position therapists complained about in ways that may not be useful to the therapeutic relationship (on multiple levels), and how this positioning of therapists serves different and sometimes contradictory needs within the system. By looking at how therapists become Outsiders to the potential for a reparative process for the complainant, and the field of psychotherapy, we can consider ways to work that are less adversarial and more humane.

On this one-day event, our aim is to understand the forces at work in us, in our professions and in society as a whole when relationships break down.  What are the unconscious dynamics at work?  What might be the feelings, unmet needs and values that have not had a voice? How can we embrace uncertainty, humility and being human in a way that will help us to move towards a more compassionate, systemic view in the face of inevitable challenges? We will explore how the therapist as an Outsider in a complaint procedure can move from the position of Exclusion to Inclusion in the Therapeutic Relationship.

Bio

Dr Philip Cox (PsychD) is a Chartered Psychologist and Counselling Psychologist with 25 years of clinical experience. Phil is consulted by the Psychotherapy & Counselling Union on professional complaints and offers private support. His research publications, conference presentations and lectures focus on unintended harm within psychotherapy, and how to support trainees and professionals through the emotional turmoil from receiving and/or progressing a complaint. He is a passionate advocate for social activism and supporting marginalised groups, particularly where there are intersecting aspects that leave some people at increasing risk of discrimination.

Dr Philip Cox (D.Psych, CPsychol, EuroPsy)

HCPC reg, BACP (Snr Accred)

BPS Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors (RAPPS)

BPS Psychotherapy Section Chair

BPS Psychotherapy Section e-letter editor & Facebook co-editor

Psychotherapy & Counselling Union advisor for professional complaints

The Bureaucratisation of the Romanticised Other

This paper will argue that institutions and bureaucracies conflate the values of the Enlightenment with those of the Romantics to produce procedures that marginalize and exclude even as they claim to include.

In part, this is made possible by creating a rupture between politics and culture to produce notions of identity that are depoliticised. The talk draws on ideas found in the book Thought Paralysis: The Virtues of Discrimination.

Farhad Dalal is a psychotherapist and group analyst, working with individuals, groups and organizations, initially in London, and latterly in Devon.

He has published four books to date:

• Taking the Group Seriously
• Race, Colour and the Processes of Racialization
• Thought Paralysis: The Virtues of Discrimination
• CBT – The Cognitive Behavioural Tsunami: Managerialism, Politics and the Corruptions of Science

Triple and Double Jeopardy in Psychotherapy

Psychotherapeutic practice needs to spell out the full implications of what Services need to do to truly reflect the needs of ALL people in the country with Intellectual Disability, SERVICES FOR ALL needs to become a reality.

My talk will explore how it can be achieved with the attendees having a good grasp and sound knowledge of the issues involved and the steps forward. 

Zenobia’s talk fits well with the conferences Learning Outcomes and Objectives:

• Which groups are Excluded from Treatment
• How do we help and support excluded groups
• How do we recognise systems that are exclusive
• How can we become more inclusive