All welcome
Our evening seminars are open to those interested in the Sherwood Psychotherapy Training Institute and its activities, which includes trainees across all courses, graduates, and allied professionals.
In each seminar the presenter will share their thinking about a psychotherapy topic and there will be time for discussion, questions, and the sharing of ideas.
These seminars are a great opportunity to network, connect with others, share ideas, to meet socially across all training programmes and to welcome interested people into the Institute. We anticipate seminars will be both fun and stimulating. Attendees will receive CPD certificates (for 1.5 hours) and any handouts electronically after each seminar. Drinks and nibbles are made available as well as an opportunity to meet and socilaise before the seminar start.
Doors open from 5:30pm and the seminars commence at 6:15pm and run until 7:45pm. The event will close by 8pm.
We look forward to welcoming you to our community.
Enquiries:
Cayleigh Starbuck, Courses Administrator, SPTI, coursesadmin@spti.net Tel: 0115 924 3994.
Please note: Full fees of £27 per seminar must be paid at the time of booking. Bookings must be cancelled two weeks prior to the event date for refunds otherwise participants will be liable for the full amount. Places are limited and offered on a first come, first served basis.
New range of Open Seminars for 2026-2027
Saturday 3rd October 2026– Working with Gambling addiction – Asad Fazil (POSTPONED)- Saturday 7th November 2026 – Creative self care – a reflective workshop exploring ways to support your wellbeing with origami – Tania Davis
- Saturday 5th December 2026 – The role of person-centred counselling in responding to the ecological crisis – Awa Ottiger
- Saturday 16th January 2027 – Working with Domestic Abuse – Lesley Padley
- Saturday 6th February 2027 – Working with suicide/self-harm a therapeutic approach – Deborah Blagden
- Saturday 10th April 2027 – Understanding and demystifying sex work – Carys Jones
- Saturday 15th May 2027 – The Challenge of Mad Studies to Psy Practitioners: A Critical Psychology Toolkit – Angelo Brieussel
‘Working with Gambling addiction’ with Asad Fazil. Postponed – New date TBC.
About this seminar
Asad will be joining us as an invited speaker from our neighbour service at 7 Castle Quay to share his experiences of working therapeutically with gambling addiction. Asad is a counsellor and therapist with a BSc in Counselling and a specialism in addiction from the University of Nottingham.
For information more about Al-Hurraya and their work visit: http://www.al-hurraya.org/
About Asad Fazil
MBE, CEO and Founder of Al-Hurraya.
Al-Hurraya is a service working with individuals requiring Culturally Specific Support for Substance Misuse and Addiction. Since 2014 the scope of their services increased dramatically to meet the needs of the communities they support. Al-Hurraya offers a wide range of specialist services supporting children, adults and families experiencing a variety of challenges including addiction, mental health issues, domestic abuse, radicalisation, sexual violence, honour-based abuse, crime, child-criminal exploitation, trauma and any other emerging challenges facing the communities we support.
‘Creative self care – a reflective workshop exploring ways to support your wellbeing with origami ’ with Tania Davis. Saturday 7th November 2026 .
About this seminar
In this experiential workshop I want to share the process of creating a reflective meditation based around origami, and invite you to do the same. Self care is our ethical responsibility as therapists, trainees, supervisors and facilitators – but building a creative discipline around it can be a challenge, and it requires renewal as we develop as professionals.
About Tania Davis
Tania is a UKCP Accredited psychotherapist, she graduated from SPTI in 2020 with an MSc in Person-centred and Experiential Psychotherapy. She works in private practice in Loughborough, providing therapy to adults and couples, and supervision, both academic and clinical, to other therapists. She is also a facilitator on the MSc PCE course. Origami is a central aspect of her work as a therapist, and as a researcher. Not with clients, but to support herself and give expression to her needs and theoretical understandings. Her hope is to share some of these ideas with fellow therapists and others in the caring professions, and to facilitate their own understanding of how creativity can support them in their own work.
‘The role of person-centred counselling in responding to the ecological crisis‘ with Awa Ottiger. Saturday 5th December 2026
About this seminar
This seminar explores the enduring relevance of Carl R. Rogers’ person-centred approach in the face of the pressing socio-political and ecological challenges of the twenty-first century. Moving from person-centred theory to practice, it considers how the approach offers valuable insights for cultivating more relational, compassionate, and connected ways of living and working – qualities that are urgently needed as we respond to today’s ecological crisis.
Whether in the therapy room, through the therapist’s person-centred way of being, or in encounter groups, the transformative potential of humanistic psychology extends far beyond individual change. Rooted in an understanding of human flourishing as inherently relational, the person-centred approach offers ways of nurturing both personal and collective capacities that support ecological flourishing. This seminar invites anyone with an interest in person-centred practice, sustainability, or human flourishing to explore how Rogers’ ideas may contribute to more life-enhancing and ecologically responsive ways of being in the world.
About Awa Ottiger
Awa S. Ottiger works as a facilitator on the MSc in Person-centred & Experiential Psychotherapy at the Sherwood Psychotherapy Training Institute. Until recently, Awa was an Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham, where she contributed to the Person-Centred Experiential Counselling for Depression programme and the MA in Person-Centred Experiential Counselling and Psychotherapy. Alongside her commitments to Higher Education, Awa is working as a person-centred therapist and supervisor in private practice. Since October 2025, Awa has been undertaking her PhD studies, researching the potential of encounter groups in sustainability leadership education. Her research interests explore human flourishing, relationality, ecological sensitivity, and the role of person-centred approaches in cultivating sustainable futures.
‘Working Therapeutically with Domestic Abuse Survivors‘ with Lesley Padley. Saturday 16th January 2027
About this seminar
An introductory session exploring the concepts and power dynamics of domestic abuse with an intersectional lens.
Session Learning objectives:
• Defining What domestic abuse is.
• Using the Power and Control wheel framework to help expand our understanding when working with clients.
• Challenging myths and misconceptions around domestic abuse
• Using self reflection to gain understanding about what you as the therapist are bringing into the room.
About Lesley Padley
Lesley Padley is a Therapeutic Services Manager at Nottingham Women’s Centre with over 10 years of practice and 6 years providing therapy to complex and traumatised clients. Specialising in working with survivors of domestic abuse, she has worked with female survivors and, along with her team, established the domestic abuse therapy service for Nottingham City Council’s statutory provision in 2021 to support female survivors of Domestic abuse engaging with Specialist support services and Refuges in Nottingham. Lesley is passionate about working therapeutically with Domestic Abuse survivors and is committed to helping others develop practical skills they can apply immediately to support this client group. Outside of work, she enjoys creative writing and gardening.
‘Working with suicide/self-harm a therapeutic approach‘ with Deborah Blagden. Saturday 6th February 2027.
About this seminar
An introductory session exploring working with Self Harm, Suicide and risk to others through a TA and Object Relations lens.
At the start of my career, whilst working in a high-risk dangerous offenders’ unit I was struck by how many of my clients had either committed serious harm to others or to self. Later as a trainee psychotherapist I began to wonder why do some people consider suicide and others do not? Why some people seriously harm others and some do not. And how to work with such clients beyond risk management and safety plans. There is a great deal written in the literature about risk of harm to self and others and the causes, with the vast majority of data coming from correlational studies.
About Deborah Blagden
Deborah Blagden has worked in both private practice and for the children’s charity the NSPCC and the Criminal Justice System for 28 years delivering the community sex offender programme for men and women convicted of sexual offences. This has involved working therapeutically with both perpetrators and non-abusing partners individually and in group settings. Alongside this her role has involved multi agency work in preparing risk assessment reports for the parole board, criminal and family courts. Deborah and is interested in developing theory and practice using Transactional Analysis to work with this client group.
‘Understanding and demystifying sex work‘ with Carys Jones. Saturday 10th April 2027. ONLINE.
About this seminar
Sex work, an often maligned and misunderstood profession, is under-represented in psychotherapy literature. This seminar aims to explore areas around law, misconceptions, feminist stances on sex work, and considering what you might need to know to work with sex workers in therapeutic practice in a non-judgmental and trauma-informed way. Please note: This topic will involve discussion of trauma, abuse and sex which may be difficult for attendees. Those who need space to regulate are invited to step away/out of the session as needed.
About Carys Jones
Carys is a person-centred, feminist and pluralist psychotherapist with a background working with sex workers as part of leading Nottingham’s oldest sex work support charity. Carys is a registered sex work friendly therapist on the database of National Ugly Mugs.
‘The Challenge of Mad Studies to Psy Practitioners: A Critical Psychology Toolkit‘ with Angelo Brieussel. Saturday 15th May 2027.
About this seminar
This seminar offers a reflective space to examine how power shapes intersectional experiences of distress, drawing on themes and ideas from Mad Studies and Critical Psychology to examine mainstream practices within the psy professions.
• Mad Studies is an academic and activist discipline rooted in the lived experiences, knowledge, and scholarship of service users, psychiatric survivors, and mad-identified people, challenging the medicalisation of mental distress.
• Critical Psychology is a multidisciplinary approach applying critical theory to interrogate mainstream psy disciplines, examining how social, political, and institutional power dynamics shape mental health paradigms and clinical practices.
This seminar would be of interest to trainee and qualified psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, mental health social workers, and practitioners across related psy professions.
About Angelo Brieussel
Angelo is a pluralistic psychotherapist and supervisor with over a decade of experience in private practice and other settings, including schools. He holds a BA in social anthropology, an MA in counselling and psychotherapy, and an MSc in psychology. Angelo is an associate lecturer at the Open University, in the School of Psychology and Counselling. He also teaches on the MSc Person-Centred and Experiential Psychotherapy programme at SPTI. In addition to his person-centred core training, Angelo’s therapeutic work is influenced by a wide range of traditions, such as poststructuralism, queer theory, social constructionism, intersectionality, critical psychology, mad studies, and gender, sexuality, and relationship diversity (GSRD) (amongst others). He is particularly interested in the intersection of politics, economics, and therapeutic practice. Angelo is registered with the BACP, eligible for senior accreditation.
Previous seminars (2025-2026):
| Date | Speaker | Topic |
| Saturday 4th July 2026 | Victoria Baskerville MSc, BA (Hons), PGCE, CTA, TSTA, EATA, ITAA, UKCP Psychotherapist Victoria is an Intersectional Transactional Analyst Psychotherapist based in multi diverse east London, UK. She founded TA East London Institute, bringing a lens of intersectionality, aiming to account for social, cultural and political contexts across theory and practice. She is a passionate activist for decolonising TA and psychotherapy practice. Victoria is interested in Queer theory and how Queer identities are challenging all forms of binary oppression. | Contemporary Transactional Analysis through an Intersectional lens An evening with Victoria Baskerville journeying through her newly published book ‘Contemporary Transactional Analysis through an Intersectional lens: Deconstruction and Reconstruction of Theory and Practice’. This book takes the reader on a decolonising journey from the radical roots of transactional analysis to intersectional transactional analysis on the ground, challenging social constructs and constructed truths. |
| Saturday 27th June 2026 | Carys Jones Carys is a UKCP accredited person-centred and feminist psychotherapist, currently undertaking PhD research into the topic of the menstrual cycle and psychotherapy work. She has a specialist interest in changes throughout the lifecycle, embodiment and policy and practice around equity at work. | Menstruating Therapists: An exploration on the impact of the menstrual cycle on psychotherapeutic relating’ This seminar aims to explore the impact of menstruation and the menstrual cycle on psychotherapy work and therapeutic relating. Looking at up to date knowledge from the medical field around the impact of hormonal cycles for people who menstruate, linked together with research and ideas on ‘psychotherapy relationships that work’ (Norcross & Lambert), we will invite you to consider the role of the embodied psychotherapist within the natural menstrual cycle and potential clinical implications. |
| Saturday 2nd May 2026 | Deborah Blagden Deborah Blagden has worked in both private practice and for the children’s charity the NSPCC and the Criminal Justice System for 28 years delivering the community sex offender programme for men and women convicted of sexual offences. This has involved working therapeutically with both perpetrators and non-abusing partners individually and in group settings. Alongside this her role has involved multi agency work in preparing risk assessment reports for the parole board, criminal and family courts. Deborah and is interested in developing theory and practice using Transactional Analysis to work with this client group. | ‘Demystifying Sexual offending. Working therapeutically with sexual offending behaviour’ Those that commit sexual offences are often demonised and have difficulty accessing therapy – partly as a result of their own shame as well as therapist’s reluctance to work with this client group. Therapy with those who have committed sexual offences can be both highly challenging and anxiety provoking. In this workshop I aim to demystify this client group and offer a brief introduction to this area of work and current research. |
| Saturday 28th March 2026 Online | Roy McPartland | Acceptance and commitment therapy in a hospice setting. Following on from contributing skills to a study trial published in The Lancet, it would be our pleasure to present our experience to other therapists. ACT, a psychotherapy from the CBT family, incorporates mindfulness and encourages acceptance of life’s inherent difficulties while focusing on what truly matters. The therapy aims to develop psychological flexibility through 6 core principals. The trial was implemented in the hospice setting, which also have a specialist multidisciplinary team for MND, a devastating and fatal disease. For the trial we were trained in ACT and provided with a manual and worksheets. Our sessions were recorded and reviewed to ensure adherence to protocols. We presented ACT psychoeducation over 8 sessions, tailoring it to the participants experiences and teaching them exercises. This allowed participants to observe their distress and refocus on their interests, promoting psychological flexibility and a feeling of getting some control back in their lives |
| Saturday 31st January 2026 | Deborah Blagden Deborah Blagden TSTA has worked in both private practice and for the children’s charity the NSPCC and the Criminal Justice System for 28 years as a group therapist. She has worked with issues of addiction in these arenas consistently across her career and recognises that addiction is a complex issue and that there are multiple ways of approaching those presenting with such issues in the therapeutic space. This seminar is for those who have an interest in the topic and want to find out more. | Addictions: The causes and a therapeutic approach to working with addictions This seminar introduces participants to the complex world of addictions, exploring what addiction means and the wide range of forms it can take, from substances to behaviours. We will breifly examine some of the origins of addiction—why they develop and how factors such as trauma play a significant role. The session will also provide insight into how therapists work with addiction, highlighting ethical considerations and the importance of safety when supporting individuals on their recovery journey. |
| Saturday 6th December 2025 | Julie Dearden Julie Dearden is Director of Training at SPTI and From a background in the NHS, Julie trained as an Integrative Psychotherapist she has expertise in working with early relational trauma, attachment disorders and psychopathology. Julie is a UKCP accredited Psychotherapist and Supervisor who has been practising for over 22 years. She is an experienced trainer in Integrative Psychotherapy. | Internal Landscapes We don’t just respond to the world as it is — we respond through the filter of our inner relational world. The voices of people who have shaped us — nurturing or critical, accepting or rejecting — live on inside us. They shape how we see ourselves, how we relate to others, and even how we experience therapy. In this experiential session we will explore this phenomenon across modalities through awareness of our own landscapes and journeying with others. |
| Saturday 4th October 2025 | Rosemary Langford-Bellaby Rosemary is Director of Training & Programme Leader Diploma in Clinical Supervision at SPTI and an experienced Trainer, Supervisor, and Psychotherapist trained in Integrative and Gestalt with a specialism in Trauma work. | Polyvagal Theory: Current research and critique Following Rosemary’s popular brief introduction to Polyvagal Theory (PVT) in 2020, there has been an increasing critique of the initial theory (developed by Porges and Dana) and this area of neuroscience, suggesting it oversimplifies heterogeneous emotional reactions and is untested scientifically. In this seminar Rosemary will briefly outline the debate, and begin to offer an updated understanding of contemporary Polyvagal Theory and its usefulness as a tool when working with clients therapeutically. |
Previous seminars (2024-2025):
‘The somatisation of distress and medically unexplained symptoms’ with Helen Appleton – 19th October 2024
This seminar aims to provide an informative overview of the presentations, and pre-determining factors of functional symptoms, from the perspective of my experience as a specialist psychotherapist within the Neurology Psychotherapy Service at STH Hallamshire. Making links to the relevance of this for the wider field of psychotherapy provision.
Helen Appleton is an Integrative psychotherapist and supervisor working in the field of medically unexplained symptoms or functional non-organic symptoms within the Neurology department of STH Hallamshire and in private practice. She also has a special interest in working with neurodiversity, learning and communication difficulties and with the mind/ body connection
‘Working with Couples’ with Deborah Blagden – 7th December 2024
Working with couples requires a different therapeutic approach to working one to one. This seminar will focus on a number of key concepts when working therapeutically with couples, such as the ‘Couple Mind Set’ an approach which focuses on working with the relationship rather than with the two individuals in the room, as well as a developmental model, as a tool to conceptualise the stage the relationship is at. The intention is to invite interest and excitement in this area of this therapeutic work. During the seminar there will be theoretical input, experiential exercises, and time for questions. psychotherapy provision.
Deborah Blagden is a UKCP registered Clinical Psychotherapist, Supervisor and Trainer as well as a BACP member. She holds a MSc in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy and is a Certified Transactional Analyst, undertaking her masters at the Metanoia Institute London in the mid 1990’s. Over the last 20 years she has also trained as an EMDR practitioner, Developmental Couple Therapist and completed training in Clinical Supervision. She is endorsed by the European Association of Transactional Analysts as a Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst. She has worked in a variety of therapeutic settings, including the NHS and for the last 26 years in a Forensic setting facilitating therapeutic groups. She also manages a private psychotherapy practice in Derbyshire, working with individuals, couples, and groups.
‘Working with energy, vibration, and resonance: psychotherapy in a new paradigm’ with Ruthie Smith – Saturday 1st March 2025
Energy psychotherapy methods, which clients self – apply, facilitates the regulation of stress and triggers by calming the nervous systems and bringing balance. It is empowering for clients to release the dense resonances of guilt and shame from their bodies, making way for the higher frequencies of love and peace. In this talk Ruthie explores the paradigm shift, with its transformative methods, where the task of relational therapy becomes one of clearing the dense energy of trauma to make room for more light in our bodies, thus bringing about healing and transformation.
Ruthie Smith is an author, musician and energy psychotherapist with a passionate interest in the ‘shift’ of humanity’s awakening consciousness, and in integrating energy and spirituality within psychotherapy. After training in work with subtle energy and vibrational healing, Ruthie founded The Flame Centre in London in 2009, specialising in trauma work.
‘Becoming a therapist: So I’ve graduated…what next?’ with
Anna Robinson – 29th March 2025
Stepping out of the network of a training institute or group into life post-graduation can be a place where the hopes that we held of being a therapist collide with the challenges of clinical practice, and this can sometimes be a lonely place too. Aimed at therapists who are earlier on in their therapeutic careers, this seminar will support, validate and normalise this next stage in your career with both reflective space and practical guidance. This will also offer an opportunity to come together informally with other recently qualified therapists from across modalities to network and share together.
Anna Robinson is an Integrative Psychotherapist, Supervisor and Trainer with a breadth of experience across health, social care and education. The majority of her work has been with hard to reach, marginalised and high-risk groups at individual/family and system leadership levels. Anna is passionate about the psychotherapy field and the role that therapists can have in supporting not only individual growth but also influencing wider population-level approaches to wellness. Along with private practice, Anna therefore continues to work with multi-agency and research colleagues to develop innovative responses to improving access, understanding, training and interventions that are culturally and contextually relevant to diverse communities. She is accredited with UKCP.
Working creatively with children “A journey through creativity.” with Phill Beisty – 26th April 2025
This seminar will introduce the concept of working creatively with children and going beyond just sitting and talking, but using creative media to either facilitate the conversation or to provide a way for the child or young person to express their thoughts and feelings in a nonverbal way.
Phill is an integrative practitioner who works creatively to engage children and young people in therapy. Phill’s background as a therapist includes working with vulnerable children within maintained and independent special schools and specialist units schools. Phill has a passion and strong belief that all children and young people should have the best start in life, and that they can access the appropriate therapy and safeguarding services to ensure this can happen.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help people cope with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) with Carla Smith and Roy McPartland – 10th May 2025 – POSTPONED
Please note: This Seminar has been postponed and a new date and time will be advised shortly.
Following on from contributing skills to a study trial published in The Lancet, it would be our pleasure to present our experience to other therapists. ACT, a psychotherapy from the CBT family, incorporates mindfulness and encourages acceptance of life’s inherent difficulties while focusing on what truly matters. The therapy aims to develop psychological flexibility through 6 core principals. The trial was implemented in the hospice setting, which also have a specialist multidisciplinary team for MND, a devastating and fatal disease.
For the trial we were trained in ACT and provided with a manual and worksheets. Our sessions were recorded and reviewed to ensure adherence to protocols. We presented ACT psychoeducation over 8 sessions, tailoring it to the participants experiences and teaching them exercises. This allowed participants to observe their distress and refocus on their interests, promoting psychological flexibility and a feeling of getting some control back in their lives.
We aim to share our experience with you, give you an understanding of working in a hospice setting, understanding MND, how ACT trial was implemented and the findings of the research on completion.
‘Two Chair Work’ with Deborah Blagden – 28th June 2025
Redecision therapy was developed by Robert and Mary Goulding, combining Transactional Analysis with the techniques of Gestalt therapy to provide a powerful means of personal change. Based on the premise that internal and external conflicts could be resolved through ‘enactment’: the gestalt approach was the first to apply ‘chairwork’ within one-to-one therapy contexts. Goulding and Goulding used this technique in Redecision therapy when working with stuck parts of self to help clients own the different parts of themselves and/or to help clients resolve old conflicts with their significant others in their environment when growing up.
Chairwork, also known as the “two-chair technique,” is a powerful and dynamic therapeutic intervention that is used in psychotherapy. It is an experiential and interactive approach where clients engage in a dialogue or role-play with an empty chair or chairs representing different people or aspects of themselves. This seminar will provide participants with an overview of the 2-chair approach, outlining the theoretical approach and including a demonstration of the method. Knowledge of the TA concepts is not necessary as they will be taught over the course of the seminar.
Previous seminars (2023-2024):
29th June 2024: Working with South Asian clients in psychotherapy – Rajan Rai
This workshop aims to offer clinical input by exploring various aspects of South Asian culture and how to therapeutically meet their specific needs. I will explore: South Asians and mental health, identity developmental models, common presenting issues, clinical implications for practice.
Rajan Rai (he/him) is a graduate of MSc Integrative Psychotherapy and runs his own private practice in Nottingham. A second-generation British-Indian himself, Raj’s interest lies in how South Asian clients in the UK engage with psychotherapy and issues they may typically present with. A near lack of representation of this demographic in psychotherapy literature fuels his interest. For more information, contact: raicounselling@gmail.com
4th May 2024: Outdoor Therapy: An Introduction – Sarah Devine
This workshop includes why we might offer outdoor therapy, some useful theories and some considerations for practice. I will introduce seminar participants to some of the research into the positive impacts of spending time outdoors and why we might think about taking our clients outside. I will offer some ECOTA Theory (including Protocol, Script and Frame of Reference). I will talk about my practice and some key considerations such as privacy and confidentiality. I would like to share my passion and enthusiasm for outdoor practice with the participants and some of my thinking around how moving outside can enliven our work, and our clients.
Sarah Devine is a qualified psychotherapist, trainer and supervisor with an Advanced Diploma in Counselling, and an MSc in Psychotherapy. Sarah is a Provisional Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (PTSTA) with extensive training in Outdoor Therapy and ECOTA. Sarah is a full clinical member of the UKCP and a member of UKATA.
6th April 2024: The Divided Brain? – Rosemary Langford Bellaby
We have all grown up with the knowledge that our brains are divided into two hemispheres – the left and the right. How often though might we question why? And more importantly are the commonly held answers to our question sufficient and even incorrect? In this seminar we will look at the latest research into the divided brain. After briefly summarising the theoretical understanding of the role of each of the hemispheres up to about 2012, we will move to the main contributor to the field – the work of Iain McGilchrist. We will conclude by summarising the implications for ourselves as human beings and as clinicians.
Rosemary has extensive training and experience as a counsellor, psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer and is trained in both Gestalt Psychotherapy and Integrative Psychotherapy and has completed additional elements of training in Transactional Analysis, Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Counselling. Prior to this Rosemary was a qualified Psychiatric Nurse and has more than twenty years’ experience working in the NHS, including a specialist role as a Nurse Therapist. She is accredited with the UKCP and runs a private practice working with individuals, couples and groups.
9th March 2024: Working relationally as a psychotherapist with clients with sexual compulsivity – Sezal Jones
My objective will be to enable participants to understand that from a relational human-development perspective, sexual compulsivity can be understood both as a clients’ best attempts to meet unmet developmental needs and their need to hold a sense of their own sexual autonomy as adults. Clients come with varying defences and shame is always present. All my clients will have varying levels of developmental trauma. Clients who sexually offend will often have additional sexual compulsivity difficulties. Clients who are sexually compulsive will not necessarily become sexual offenders. My objective will be to explore briefly why I think this is an important distinction.
Sezal is a UKCP registered psychotherapist who currently works part time for a national charity providing couples and individual therapy and provides an IAPT contracted service for couples where depression is an underlying factor in their relational distress. Sezal has her own private practice where her special interest is working with clients experiencing sexual compulsivity with or without the consequences of illegal activity. Sezal also works as a sessional practitioner for a children’s charity dedicated to the prevention of child sexual abuse.