31 May 2022
Open Letter to Liz Truss About The Proposed Ban on So-Called "Conversion Therapy"

Dear Elizabeth Truss MP,

We are writing to you as a group of over 50 registered therapists and trainee therapists who are in support of a full ban on so-called “conversion therapy” practices.

As therapists, we already have an ethical obligation not to practice so-called “conversion therapy”, but we are aware that these harmful practices do take place. In the 2018 National LGBT Survey, 7% of respondents had been subjected to or offered conversion practices. Amongst trans respondents, the figure was higher at 13%.

We are very concerned to see that the government has abandoned their commitment to a ban that includes all LGBTQIA+ people, which leaves trans and non-binary people still vulnerable to these abusive practices.

Likewise, as therapists we also see first hand the incredible life-saving impact of ethical and inclusive therapeutic support for LGBTQIA+ people. This support is not consistently found in health care services in the UK, often forcing this community to seek specialist LGBTQ+ services which may not be locally available, leaving vulnerable people without the help they need (1).

You have already acknowledged that conversion practices do not work and are harmful, and therefore we believe it is essential to implement a full legislative ban as detailed in the briefing by the Ban Conversion Therapy coalition (2) which is available on their website.

According to the government’s response to the recent petition (signed by over 145,000 people), the reason given for the exclusion of gender identity from the current ban is that “those who experience gender dysphoria may seek talking therapy [and] it is vital that legitimate support is not inadvertently impacted.” We believe it is for precisely this reason that a full ban is needed: “legitimate” support can of course include explorative therapy, and clinical standards will not be impacted by a ban. The Memorandum of understanding [MoU] (Version 2) on conversion therapy in the UK (3) sets out that ending converstion therapy "is not intended to deny, discourage or exclude those with uncertain feelings around sexuality or gender identity from seeking qualified and appropriate help." The MoU has been signed by over 25 health, counselling and psychotherapy organisations and we also support it. Coercive and unethical practices must be stopped in order to protect all of our community.

We understand that there will be a Westminster Hall debate on Monday 13 June and we hope you will lend your support to a ban that ensures no one is left at risk of abuse.

We would be glad to discuss this further with you and appreciate your support.

Yours sincerely,

Therapists Against Conversion Therapy and Transphobia (TACTT)

(1) Bachman, C. L., & Gooch, B. (2018) LGBT in Britain: Health Report. Stonewall. Available at stonewall.org.uk/system/files/lgbt_in_britain_heal...

(2) Briefing: PROTECTING TRANS VICTIMS OF GENDER IDENTITY CONVERSION PRACTICES. Available at banconversiontherapy.com/s/BCT-briefing_22-April-2...

(3) Memorandum of Understanding on ConversionTherapy in the UK Version 2 – Update March 2022. Available at bacp.co.uk/media/14985/memorandum-of-understanding...

Update 04 June 2022

Update 4 June 2022

Dear colleagues,

Thanks so much for signing this letter - we're thrilled with the response so far. On Monday we'll send a copy to Liz Truss, as well as sending a link to the "live" letter.

Here are a few points:

  • Please continue to share the link to the letter with other therapists in your own network, or via social media. The more signatures, the greater the impact!

  • We've had a small number of signatures marked "anonymous", which unfortunately we'll need to remove before sending. If that's you, thanks for your support: we hope you'll consider re-signing with your name if you feel safe to do so.

  • We've also had a small number of signatures from people who are not therapists, or not based in the UK. When we send these to Liz Truss, we'll list these separately as "supporters" of the letter. Thanks for your support, too.

If you would like to take further action against "conversion therapy", please consider individually writing to your own MP here: https://www.banconversiontherapy.com/.

You can also follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/T_ACTT

Thanks for your support! Best wishes,

Therapists Against Conversion Therapy and Transphobia (TACTT)

1,559
signatures
1,356 verified
  1. Karen Pollock, Counsellor, Counselling in Northumberland, Stocksfield
  2. William Smith, Therapist, Self-employed
  3. Andrew Rivers, Student/trainee Counsellor, Liverpool
  4. Erene Hadjiioannou, Integrative Psychotherapist, Therapy Leeds, Leeds
  5. Hannah Mackenzie, Student psychotherapist, The Minster Centre, London
  6. Daniel Winstanley, Therapist, London
  7. LJ Potter, Lecturer and psychotherapist, Staffordshire University, Stafford
  8. Dr Debbie Wood, Clinical psychologist, Outreach Cumbria / NHS, Carlisle
  9. LV Penman, Trainee psychotherapist, London
  10. Daniel Jones, Trainee Psychotherapist, London
  11. Jessica Wynn, Trainee counselllor, Leeds
  12. Dr Nikolaos Souvlakis, Psychologist/psychoanalyst, London
  13. Rachael Peacock, Person-centred Psychotherapist, London
  14. Lucy Watt, Counsellor and Counselling Lecturer, London
  15. Christine Jayne Finch, Counsellor, Therapies for Life / Xyla Digital Therapies, South Cumbria
  16. Ruth Moir, Trainee psychotherapist, London
  17. Fleur Farish-Edwards, Lecturer and Counsellor, Lancashire
  18. Shae Harmon, Trainee Therapist, London
  19. Katrina Beath, Lecturer and BACP Accredited Counsellor, Metanoia Institute / KLB Therapy, London
  20. Charley Venables-Bland, Psychotherapist, Leicestershire
...
1,316 more
verified signatures
  1. Jose Veiga, Counselling Coordinator, London Friend, London
  2. Angelika Tobias-Freitag, Student Counsellor, London Friend, London
  3. Denisa Ion, Trainee Counsellor, London Friend, London
  4. Seamus Corcoran, Lecturer, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent
  5. Jay Sharpe, Student Counsellor, London Friend, London
  6. Jane Clements, Psychodynamic Psychotherapist/Counsellor, Northampton
  7. Steph Bayley, Counsellor, Biggleswade
  8. John Bennett, Psychotherapist/Counselling Psychologist, Doncaster
  9. Jasprit Kaur, Psychotherapist/Counsellor, Rutland House Counselling and Psychotherapy Ltd, Leicester
  10. Alison Bradford, Counsellor, Alison’s Quest Counselling, Southend-on-sea
  11. Annette Tery, Psychotherapist, Leicestershire
  12. Tom Hurlock-Norton, Therapist, Carers Trust SE Wales, MAESTEG
  13. mamood ahmad, therapist, bracknell
  14. Rebecca Grist, Trainee Person Centred Experiential Counsellor, East Sussex
  15. Annika Cox, Art therapist, St Raphael’s Hospice, London
  16. Lauren Turner, Psychotherapist, Lauren Turner Therapy, Seville
  17. Jane Dean, Psychotherapist, CounselUK, Derby
  18. James Schindler-Ord, Psychotherapist, Torbay
  19. Adrian Ward, Counsellor, Leicester
  20. Claire Addison, Psychotherapist, University of Cambridge
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