Feminism and Talking Therapies

A photograph of the author, Hattie Ocal

Growing up in Turkey in the 1960s with more than a few ethics and dogmas imposed on women; and as a young woman at the time, I constantly felt repressed and stifled. I had been trying to figure out why… During the ebbs and flows in my struggle to find a way through, I concluded that I was born and brought up in the wrong place. It was a matter of ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’, as I was surrounded by a deeply misogynist and patriarchal culture.

Reflections on Black feminism, womanism and therapy

Psychotherapist and researcher Claudia Coussins (she/her) reflects on her relationship to Black feminism, womanism and therapy and on the FTN’s upcoming course which she is curating and facilitating, starting on May 6th 2025. The more I immerse myself in Black feminist and womanist literature and ideas, the more I become aware of its absence in … Read more

The value of knowing our queer history

To celebrate Pride Month, we are reposting LV Penman’s reflection on the value of knowing our queer histories. Their original post can be found here. As it’s currently LGBT+ History Month, I want to reflect on the value of knowing our queer history. I believe that knowing more about our history as queer people can … Read more

TACTT’s final response to the UKCP

This final response to the UKCP was posted on TACTT’s website on January 24th 2024. Reposted with permission. On 2nd November 2023, UKCP published “guidance regarding gender critical views” for their members. We were very concerned by this guidance and wrote an open letter detailing our concerns which has been signed by over 1,000 therapists, trainees … Read more

A Brief Introduction to Consciousness-Raising Groups

This brief introduction to consciousness-raising is an edited extract from Rebecca Esho Greenslade’s forthcoming article “Truth-Speaking And Consciousness-Raising: Parrhesia And Feminist Psychotherapy”. The first requirement for raising class consciousness is honesty, in private and in public, with ourselves and other women. – Red Stockings Manifesto The development of consciousness-raising groups within the women’s liberation movement … Read more

Open letter to UKCP about their guidance regarding so-called ‘gender-critical’ views

On 13th November 2023, Therapists Against Conversion Therapy and Transphobia (TACTT) sent an open letter to the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) in response to the UKCP’s recent statement on gender critical views. With permissison, the FTN is reposting the full letter below as it appears on TACTT’s website – please read, sign and share. … Read more

Gender is a Verb

A response to the Society of Existential Analysis (SEA) conference 2022 after leading a trans-supportive forum Trans people have been dehumanized, reduced to a talking point or conceptual problem: an ‘issue’ to be discussed and debated endlessly. It turns out that when the media want to talk about trans issues, it means they want to … Read more