Our Annual Spring Conference this year is looking at how identities are not singular, but instead multiple and overlapping.
Intersectionality explores the interconnected nature of social categorisations such as race, gender, faith and disability/health as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of privilege and disadvantage. The term was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 although the dynamics she described, of course, predate this. The majority of the conference will comprise a series of panels which will explore some of the implicit and explicit intersectional issues inside and outside of the therapy room.   .

The conference will look at how both as therapists, and as individuals who ourselves have intersectional identities we navigate the world, and our client relationships. The vital importance of understanding the context within which clients and therapists present, not as a single issue but as complex, multifaceted human beings is woven throughout the day.

We are excited to have Olukemi Amala as our keynote speaker. Olukemi has been a psychotherapist in private practice for over 18 years. She says that “Being a black, queer, disabled wheelchair using feminist”, offers her a view from multiple othered social positions which informs her personal and professional practices. and as you can see from the programme below we will be looking in depth at intersections of race, faith, disability, and gender.

This year we have partnered with OnlineEvents who have agreed to undertake the event administration and who will video the event for their extensive CPD library.  You can book your tickets here for what we hope will be a challenging and ground breaking day..  We are using our usual venue – Resources for London, which is very close to Holloway Road Tube and is fully accessible.

The conference is open to counsellors and psychotherapists, clinical sexologists and psychosexual therapists, counselling and clinical psychologists, and those trained in somatic sexological bodywork and sex coaches.

Programme 
09.00       Registration
09.30       Welcome and Announcements – Dominic Davies CEO Pink Therapy
10.00       Keynote: Intersectionality: Olukemi Amala
10.30       Q&A/Discussion
10.45       Coffee
11:15       Panel: Intersections of Faith 
                Kathy Spooner Chair Association of Christian Counsellors
                Khakan Qureshi  Birmingham South Asians LGBT
                Joel Korn              Judaism
12.15      Panel: Intersections of Disability and Health/Wellness
                Rich Knight                
                Lou Futcher
                Liz Day
13.15       Lunch
14.15       Panel: Intersections of Race & Ethnicity
                Zayna Ratty
                Sabah Choudrey
                Joel Simpson
15.15       Break
15:45       Panel: Intersections of Gender            
                MJ Barker                
                Ellis Johnson
                Leah Davidson
16.45       Conference Closing – and feedback 
17.00       End

Click here to book your tickets for the conference, via Eventbrite. There is an early bird discount until 31 January, when the tickets will rise from £120 to £140.

For those not familiar with Intersectional approaches, here is a great cartoon!