The Institute of Family Therapy and Relate 2nd Joint Conference, 28th and 29th October 2010.
Challenging Dominant Discourses in Sexuality
This second joint conference between Relate and the Institute of Family Therapy provided a wonderful opportunity for practitioners to grapple with some important and challenging ideas about sexuality in our society and in our practice rooms.
Despite the significance of the topic the conference attracted small numbers which may in part be due to the changes in funding of continuous professional development events, although the speakers had other ideas, which were to do with the topic and practitioners’ reluctance to consider such issues. Whatever the reason, we had an intimate gathering of about 30 participants for both days.
Following an initial short welcome from Barbara McKay, Director of the Institute of Family Therapy, and Peter Bell from Relate, the conference was opened by Dominic Davies, the Director of Pink Therapy, who gave us an overview of the development of discourses around sexuality, highlighting the heteronormative perspective that has shaped and conintues to shape our society. Dominic helped us to consider the possible consequences of holding this dominant view which then appears in some form in the therapy room.
Next up was Catherine Butler, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Systemic Psychotherapist from St Bartholomew’s Hospital. Catherine carried on with the theme of the heteronormative frame and considered the real effects of prejudice in the therapy room. She introduced social constructionist ideas to invite participants to remove the restrictions of what we see as ‘normal’ so that more meaningful stories can be co-constructed with clients.
The first day concluded with both presenters offering workshops which extended the themes of their keynotes.
Friday opened with Damian McCann, Consultant Family and Systemic Psychotherapist working in a CAMHS context. Damian offered a broader view of theplace that sex and sexuality take within the family. He explored the challenges that families face around difference when one member ‘comes out’. He considered the effects on the rest of the system and invited participants to wonder about managing such events in the therapy room.
The final speaker was Desa Markovic, Systemic Therapist, Trainer and Supervisor. Desa shared her work as a sexual therapist and the recent developments that she has made in integrating sexual therapy and systemic therapy to create a new framework for opening up conversations about sex with clients. She demonstrated the newly created Model for Systemic Sex Therapy which gave a framework for practitioners to use in the therapy room.
The afternoon saw Damian and Desa provide workshops to offer particpants the opportunity to engage with practice in relation to the themes of the morning.
Peter Bell from Relate closed the conference congratulating the speakers on their wonderful and engaging presentations and workshops which created a context for lively and useful debate.
The notion of the joint conference between two major institutions such as the Institute of Family Therapy and Relate was intended to be one way in which collaboration could be more visible. We continue to be committed to this principle of further collaboration and plan to host other joint conferences. However, in this most uncertain financial climate we have agreed that we will make this a bi-annual event and so we look forward to 2012 for the next venture.
Barbara McKay of the Institute of Family Therapy and Nick Turner of the Relate Institute would welcome ideas for future events in order tha the topics continue to respond to practice challenges.
Many thanks to all those participants who made this second joint conference such a success.
Barbara McKay
Director, Institute of Family Therapy
November, 2010