|
|
|
|
TherapeuticThread
|
|
|
Our Charitable Work
|
All BTC/HTC Practitioners commit at least 25% of their time to the provision of low-cost and no-cost therapy. Any surplus generated from our mainstream work is ploughed back into our charitable services. You can help someone in your community access the support they need by contributing using the button below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This Week
|
In this week's Newsletter we are taking a bit of a deep dive into the world of influencer therapy.
|
The British Association of Psychotherapy (BACP) recently published their 2023 Mindometer report, with a whole section dedicated to statistics on just how many people are getting their mental health support through the people they follow.
|
|
We've also got the usual cultural recommendations, events, news headlines and a practitioner spotlight for Lynn Ramsson.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Therapy Influencers
|
|
A few words from Sophie Chapman
|
|
(clinical administrator and counselling student)
|
|
|
|
Therapy influencers are everywhere. By that I mean mental health professionals (usually qualified practitioners, sometimes not) taking to social media to teach you what a trauma response is, why your relationship might actually be toxic, and that you maybe, probably, definitely have ADHD. Cautiously, I follow and enjoy following many of these people.
|
With some of these therapists boasting hundreds of thousands of followers, mental health influencing is nearing an institution. And with growing popularity comes many opinions. Read through the above articles from the last few years and you’ll find that they all say different versions of the same thing: that social media mental health content is not a substitute for real therapy, but that it’s keeping mental health in the front of our minds and is more accessible for those who can’t afford formal talking therapy. So, maybe it’s not all bad?
|
The thing is, therapy in the UK can already be quite an unregulated profession. It’s partly why we have professional bodies like the BACP which require therapists to qualify and accumulate a certain number of clinical hours before they can be registered. Before I started training myself, I was surprised to learn that there’s not actually any legal restrictions around the title ‘psychotherapist’- anyone could call themselves it! Being a registered psychotherapist, however, is a different story.
|
|
Throw social media into the mix and the issue of regulation becomes even more confusing. Registered psychotherapists are among those big names on Instagram and TikTok, but the BACP’s guidelines on social media use barely touch the sides with the way many therapists are making use of it today. Their 2023 Mindometer report has a whole section on the impact of influencer therapy, noting nearly a third (29%) of therapists had seen a rise in clients who sought mental health support from social media through influencer therapists in the past year. But what that actually means for the profession is still incredibly unclear.
|
|
|
A big part of why these therapy influencers are so popular is because their content is so generalisable. One article described it quite well when they said that “therapists who show up on social media are like firefighters dumping buckets of water onto a blaze from a helicopter. They can’t provide the precision, personalization, and relationship-building that are key to success in actual one-on-one therapy”. There have been times where I’ve learned something from a therapy influencer that I thought could apply to me, and I took it into the room with my actual therapist where the real work could be done. What they say can be useful, but it’s not for everyone, and it isn’t therapy.
|
Many therapy influencers are upfront about this and provide clear disclosures at the top of their pages that advise users to take what they find useful and leave the rest. However, social media users get younger every day, and young people are turning to these accounts in large numbers where they can’t easily access or afford proper mental health support elsewhere. As Joe Martin says, “expecting ‘followers’ to take responsibility for assessing their mental health needs is a big ask when those followers are children.”
|
|
What this all means, I have no idea! Who is responsible for what in this new therapeutic landscape, and how do we ensure safe practice? Do we need to ensure safe practice in the same way we do in the room, if it’s not actually therapy? It’s hard to know where to start asking these questions, but it’s important that we do because it looks like therapy influencers aren’t going away any time soon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
  
|
Who Are We Following?
|
|
I asked our therapists who they follow and these were some of the most common
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Events Calendar
|
|
|
Brighton and Hove
|
|
Award-winning journalist and neuroscientist Clayton Page will be in conversation with Dr Charlotte Rae, discussing his new book and how the warming climate is not just affecting our planet – it is changing our minds, brains and bodies, too.
|
|
Monday 22nd April 2024, 7pm.
|
|
The Grand Central, Nightingale Room, Brighton, BN1 3PA.
|
|
Click here for more tickets!
|
|
|
Join neuroscientist Dr Megan Klabunde in this illuminating talk and examine the latest research on trauma and the body. Explore the science behind the development of new and effective treatments, and uncover how your body may be a key factor in reducing the effects of stress and trauma.
|
|
Wednesday 22nd May 2024, 7pm.
|
|
Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YD.
|
|
Click here for more information and early bird tickets!
|
|
Hastings
|
|
Hastings and St Leonards Men’s Health and Wellbeing Project invite you to this film screening in which men share conversations about their own mental health and wellbeing. This is an open invitation and free to turn up.
|
|
Central Hall , Station Road , Hastings TN34 1NG on
|
|
Click here for more information!
|
|
|
Public Health Leader Matilda Allen discusses if our NHS can continue to keep us well. She has worked in a range of local government and NHS roles pursuing her passion for health inequality and the real causes of our huge class differentials in health and life expectancy.
|
|
Saturday 4th May 2024, 4pm.
|
|
Henry Ward Hall, 45 Robertson St., Hastings, TN34 1HL.
|
|
Click here for more information and tickets!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Menopause and Mind have release their report which provides insights from their survey focusing on the experiences of individuals during the menopausal transition.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Book your Initial Consultation
Hastings Therapy Centre and Brighton Therapy Centre have vacancies for therapy throughout the week. We offer individual, relationship and group therapies.
|
We also have a number of low-cost appointments available.
|
Book your consultation now:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"I genuinely feel that I understand myself more now than ever before. I came to therapy for one perceived issue and went on quite a journey (sometimes painful) to discover more about the causes rather than the symptoms of the mental health issues I was experiencing. This has really made a big difference to my life as I am learning to pay more attention to how I actually feel."
|
|
|
|
|
Practitioner Spotlight
|
|
|
I've been asking our therapist what it is they do and why they do it, to help introduce you to them. Next up, meet Lynn.
"I'm Lynn, an integrative psychotherapist and clinical supervisor at BTC. Integrative means I draw from lots of different theories and ideas, which allows me to build on my foundation training in humanistic therapy. I work individually, with adults of all ages.
Sometimes, when asked why I do the work I do, I don't always know how to answer. There are the obvious responses: it's nice to feel useful, there's joy in helping others, etc. But I think the real answer is more complicated than the question implies.
Fortunately, for me, I find a special kind of familiarity in not knowing things, which balances out the challenges that uncertainty can bring. It's in this in-between zone that I often like to hang out. It’s a space I understand, being biracial and a bit of an ambivert; even when uncertainty plays up and feels hard, it remains the place I know best.
|
|
|
|
|
Perhaps it's the knowledge that not everyone feels the way I do that led me to do this work. Uncertainty can certainly be difficult and even very scary, especially during a wakeful night; maybe doing the work I do is just my way of offering others a hand to hold in the dark."
|
|
|
|
|
|
Follow us on Social Media
|
|
See what us and our community are discussing on our social media pages and join the conversation!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Have Your Say
|
|
Let us know if you're enjoying the newsletter, what you'd like to see in future editions, or any cultural recommendations you might have!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Meet our Practitioners
|
Browse the practitioners who offer therapeutic services from a range of modalities and specialities
|
|
|
Meet our Employed Team
|
Meet the friendly team behind BTC and HTC who will help you find the help you may need
|
|
|
Meet our Trustees
|
Meet our trustees who offer their valued experience and knowledge to support our charity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2nd Floor, 17 Havelock Road
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Charity Number: 1150032 | Company Number: 07791021
|
|
|
|
|
