gestaltpolska.org.pl

Dear Colleagues

We encourage you to cooperate and prepare training courses that can be presented here.
Details of each proposition will be discussed individually.

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Training course: Professional psychological help for LGBTQ*/GSM** people

* LGBTQ is a society of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexuals, Trans- (transsexual, transgender, transvestite) people uncertain of their sexuality and/or people who identify themselves as queer
** GSM (Gender & Sexual Minority) are the people who belong to groups of sexual and/or gender minorities

Description of a workshop: LGBTQ people are a substantial part of every society. If you are a psychological help professional – you might have already worked with a LGBT person; if you didn't, you can be sure that it is going to happen. Some day you will be contacted by a married man fallen in love with his male co-worker, or a woman experiencing problems in relation with her girlfriend, or someone trying to „get rid” of her/his homosexuality, or a cross-dresser intolerated by her/his partner... Those instances could be further multiplied. Such contact can prove to be difficult for a professional helper (eg. a psychotherapist, a psychologist). Common doubts are: Can I handle this? Am I skilled and educated enough to be helpful? This workshop aims at giving you a reliable body of knowledge about sexuality (sexual orientation, biological sex) and gender – and at mastering skills that can support you in your actual and future work with LGBTQ people.

Participants:


We invite specialists whose work is oriented towards psychological help – psychotherapists, psychologists working in schools and health prevention institutions, pedagogues, social workers, helpline workers, etc.

Program:
- sex and gender (definitions, origins)
- psychosexual orientation (definitions, origins, critical analysis of the term)
- status of transgenderism, transsexualism, transvestitism and non-heterosexual psychosexual orientations in DSM and ICD classifications
- sexuality and gender according to queer theory
- everyday life of LGBTQ in society (work, family relations, close relationships, parenthood)
- homo-/bisexuality and transsexuality in various psychotherapeutic systems
- analysis of validity of interventions aiming at changing one's orientation from homo- to heterosexual (conversive interventions) versus interventions aiming at „strengthening heterosexual potential” in homosexual patients (reparative interventions); the second group of interventions assume that the goal is not necessarily a change of psychosexual orientation
- specific psychological problems of LGBTQ persons
- a model of psychological help for LGBTQ persons, based on acceptance and respect for their way of experiencing their sexuality and gender (an affirmative model);
- Factors in building a therapeutic relation with LGBTQ persons
- Ethical issues connected with therapeutic work with LGBTQ persons

Basic information:


- Organizer: Program pomocy psychologicznej i rozwoju osobistego dla osób LGBTQ „Tęczówka” oraz Polsko-Amerykańskie Centrum Psychoterapii TOTUM
- Trainer: Daniel Bąk
- Date: 18-19.02.2012
- Place: Polsko-Amerykańskie Centrum Psychoterapii TOTUM, ul. Służewska 2 lok. 23 (Metro Politechnika), 00-569 Warszawa;
- Price: 390 PLN
- Length: 18 hours
- How to apply: via email – dbak@gestalt.waw.pl


Trainer:


Daniel Bąk – psychologist, psychotherapist and biologist with doctor's degree in medicine. He has been working with LGBTQ persons (mostly homo- and bisexuals) for six years – he started as a sexual health educator, then undertook psychological and therapeutic work (assessment, individual psychotherapy, group therapy, couple therapy). He collaborates with NGOs that support LGBTQ persons. He also has created and is realizing his own help and support program („Tęczówka”) for LGBTQ persons. He had received training in psychological help for LGBTQ persons in Poland and Great Britain.


More information about this training can be found on organizers' webistes:

Program pomocy psychologicznej i rozwoju osobistego dla osób LGBTQ „Tęczówka”
www.psychoterapia-lgbt.pl


Polsko-Amerykańskie Centrum Psychoterapii TOTUM
www.totum.waw.pl