Critical Therapy Antidote

Since the decisive infiltration of the therapy field by gender ideologues and activists over the past decade, many mental healthcare professionals have experienced threats and intimidation if they do not affirm the professed gender identity of gender dysphoric youth. We at Critical Therapy Antidote do not consider gender-affirmative therapy therapeutic at all. In fact, it violates all principles of established modalities of psychotherapy (see Chapter 7 of Cynical Therapies – Perspectives on the Antitherapeutic Nature of Critical Social Justice). This stance is also affirmed by the recent Cass Review.

Despite this hostile environment, many responsible and ethical mental healthcare professionals have been working with gender-questioning youth, applying the tried and tested principles of ethical psychotherapy. A recent research report, published on 16 April 2024, reveals just how exploratory therapists in the US and UK have thrived, even under such conditions. According to this survey of 89 therapists, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, half of the respondents experienced a hostile environment, one third experienced threats of complaints and half reported anxiety about such complaints. The mentioned hostility does not deter them from maintaining their professional integrity, as half of the respondents are using well-established strategies to attract gender-questioning clients and half of them show strong commitment to their role as exploratory therapists.

This article is encouraging – see abstract below. It can be accessed in full here.

ABSTRACT
This is a mixed methods international survey of therapists (n = 89) belonging to therapy First, an organization supporting the use of exploratory therapy, rather than gender affirmative therapy, with gender-questioning clients. the method used was an electronic questionnaire, producing a 33% response rate from members. Responses were analyzed using thematic analysis. this article reports qualitative responses relating to therapists’ experiences of anxiety in working in a hostile professional environment, and their adoption of strategies to minimize risk of allegations of conversion therapy. therapist strategies included refining existing marketing approaches to serve preferred client groups, and reliance on proven therapy models.