The Society was formed in 1998 in order to provide a forum to bring together trainees and practitioners (counsellors, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, psychologists and interested others) from different approaches to discuss common issues of practice.
The Society sponsors lectures and seminars on all aspects of psychotherapy. They take place at 7pm on Fridays, approximately once a month, in NSPC premises in South Hampstead (the full programme can be viewed by clicking on the relevant link on the right).
The next event on Tuesday the 19th. June at 7pm will be a lecture by Dr. Meg Barker. Meg is a senior lecturer in psychology at the Open University and a qualified therapist working at the Lesbian and Gay Foundation. Meg’s research and therapy work focuses on relationships and sexuality, including: the publication of edited books on non-monogamy and BDSM, co-editing the journal Psychology & Sexuality, running the BiUK group which recently produced The Bisexuality Report, co-organising the Critical Sexology seminar series, a key role in the work of the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapy, and collaborating on the recent British Psychology Society report on working with sexual and gender minorities and co-authoring a related book for practitioners working across genders and sexualities. Meg’s book on the issues covered in this talk, Rewriting the Rules, will be out in August (Routledge), with further books for therapists on mindfulness and on sexuality and gender (Sage), due out in 2013.
Meg writes this about her talk: “Societal shifts, particularly the increased recognition of same-sex relationships and moves towards gender equality, have greatly altered the ways in which people understand and experience romantic relationships. Whilst best-selling self-help books continue to preach models of monogamy and of the need to make sense of the ‘opposite sex’, many people are exploring alternative ways of relating. Distinctions between sexual and emotional closeness and questions over where lines of exclusivity should be drawn have become of key significance, with debates played out daily in the mass media and the relationship-therapy room. Openly non-monogamous forms of relationship have been hailed, by some, as potentially feminist, socialist and/or radical ways of relating. However, others have argued that such relationships are apolitical, reproducing and reinforcing various axes of oppression rather than challenging them.
This presentation suggests that people frequently respond to uncertainty around relationships in one of two ways: By grasping hold of existing ‘rules’ about how to manage relationships, or by developing – and grasping equally tightly onto – new ‘rules’. The talk will summarise research illustrating such processes, considering the impact on people and their relationships. It will weave together existential, mindful and social constructionist theories to consider an alternative approach which involves embracing uncertainty and holding the tension between aloneness and belonging. Implications of this for the therapy room will be discussed.”
There is a small entry fee of £10 for non-members. For a limited period, Society members have free entry. Annual membership of SoP costs £10.
All meetings take place in the lecture room at the Decca Building, 254-256 Belsize Road, London NW6 4BT. A local map and transport details are available here.
The full programme for the year or an application for membership can be downloaded by clicking on the link to the right of this page.
Our constitution is also available to download: Constitution of the Society of Psychotherapy