Author Archives: sextherapybristol

Max Clifford, Me and #MeToo

The exposure of Harvey Weinstein may well be looked back on as a watershed moment. Sexual harassment has long been illegal in the work place, but only now is it becoming unacceptable. Women put up with it as part of … Continue reading

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Is Affordable Counselling Cutting Psychotherapy’s Throat?

Psychotherapy is a profession in crisis. If you work in the NHS, you will know this already. Despite Government commitments to do more, therapy posts have been cut and health care providers are paying less and using more volunteers. If you … Continue reading

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UKCP Suspension “Not Routine” says PSA

First Suspension of UK Accredited Register by PSA The belief of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) that it is the quality mark for high standards in psychotherapy has taken a battering this week. Far from being the acme for quality in … Continue reading

Posted in Professional Standards Authority, PSA, Regulation of UK Psychotherapy, UKCP, United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Is this Little Pink Pill the Female Viagra?

What would Frances Kelsey have made of the new libido pill for women, Addyi (generic name: flibanserin), recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)? Kelsey, who died last month aged 101, became one of the most respected … Continue reading

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The Naked Selfie: Citizen Porn or Self Exploitation?

It’s a good bet that most of us over the age of 50 have never sent a sexy picture of ourselves to a lover or partner. However, given current trends, we sexting virgins are set to become a smaller section … Continue reading

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Grope Gate Therapist Case Makes the Papers – But Does it Really Help the Regulation Debate?

It is rare that a psychotherapist finds themselves on the receiving end of national press coverage for professional misconduct. However, that is exactly what happened to John Clapham, a therapist operating in Exeter in South West England. Clapham and his … Continue reading

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Tim Lott’s Guide to Family and Couples Therapy

Writing in his regular family column in last Saturday’s Guardian, novelist Tim Lott identified two of the most important elements of couples therapy: unpicking our own self-sustaining illusions and allowing our partners the potential to change 1. Lott’s column is always worth … Continue reading

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J.G.Ballard: the High Prophet of Contemporary Porn

“We live inside an enormous novel”, wrote J.G. Ballard in the introduction to Crash, his 1973 novel about how sex and technology might interact to create a new pornographic reality. Ballard looked at the 1970s world of mass merchandising, advertising, … Continue reading

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Counselling Organisation Carries On Despite Serious Misconduct Findings – another reason we need tougher UK regulation

It is hard to imagine any profession allowing a member found guilty of serious professional misconduct to just carry on working. Yet this is just what happens under the current regulatory regime for counselling and psychotherapy in the UK. Counsellor … Continue reading

Posted in Abuse in Therapy, Regulation of UK Psychotherapy, Relationship Counselling, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Banning Gay Conversion Therapy is a Poor Reason for Regulating the UK Therapy Sector

Statutory regulation of psychotherapy and counselling is back on the political agenda, now reincarnated as a means to ban treatments which claim to be able to change a person’s same sex preference, often referred to as “gay conversion” or “reparative … Continue reading

Posted in Gay and Bisexual, gay conversion therapy, LGBT rights, Regulation of UK Psychotherapy, reparative therapy | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment