ABOUT PINK THERAPY
We are the UK’s largest independent therapy organisation working with gender and sexual diversity clients. Through our Directory of Pink Therapists (on this website), we are a conduit between LGBTQIA+ clients seeking therapy and qualified and experienced therapists in private practice who adopt a sexuality and gender affirmative stance to their work. All the therapists listed on this site are self-employed and set their own fees, work hours, etc.
We have pioneered the term Gender, Sex and Relationship Diversity (GSRD) Therapy.
What does GSRD mean?
Pink Therapy has expanded our therapeutic and training services beyond the more traditional lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender LGBT as we found there were many other marginalised groups with an equal or greater need for good mental health support. We also didn’t find it helpful to be adding more letters into the acronym or alphabet soup as some refer to it, as this too, was limiting and exclusionary, despite it getting as complicated as LGBTTQQIAAP (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally, pansexual) or even QUILTBAG (queer and questioning, unsure, intersex, lesbian, transgender and two-spirit, bisexual, asexual and aromantic, and gay and genderqueer). So for many years now, we have been using the phrase Gender, Sex and Relationship Diversity (GSRD).
Our descriptions below are our current understanding of marginalised identities, consensual relationships and practices, and not meant to be exclusive.
- With Gender, we include people on the gender spectrum who might identify as trans, agender, bi-gender, crossdressers, genderqueer, gender fluid, and non-binary and First Nations/Indigenous genders excluded by colonising categories.
- We are using two different understandings of the word Sex: Sex as in sexuality, sexual orientation/identities: lesbian, gay, bi- and pan-sexual and those on the asexual spectrum, celibate and those engaged in BDSM/Kink and Fetish.
- Sex is also being used to mean: biological sex including intersex and people born with sex characteristics (including genitals, gonads and chromosome patterns) that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies).
- In Relationship Diversities: we include people on the aromantic (aro) spectrum, people involved in BDSM/Kink power exchange relationships, sex work relationships, people in multi-partnered relationships (swingers, non-monogamous, polyamorous people, etc.) as well as those in ‘monogamish’ forms of partnership.
- These categories have gone through various iterations since Pink Therapy began over 21 years ago. They will probably continue to change as our understanding of the biopsychosocial approach to gender/sex and relationships develops. Now is an exciting and dynamic time working at the forefront of mental health for marginalised people.
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Pink Therapy was set up in 1999 by Dominic Davies, who remains the CEO. Dominic has been internationally recognised as one of 50 Gender and Sexual Health Revolutionaries.
We also have a team of highly experienced Clinical Associates appointed because of their significant contribution to the field, and an accreditation scheme to help clients choose therapists who have undertaken further training in GSRD Therapy.
If you can’t find a therapist in your area, it could mean they’ve not heard of our directory yet, or they may list themselves in other online directories. We’d encourage you to work with someone who has undertaken additional training as most courses do not include working with LGBTQIA+ clients very much. It might be wiser to work online with someone well-trained and experienced rather than in person with a local therapist who has had little specific training.
We are committed to raising the standard of therapy available to our communities and run an online, international Diploma and Advanced Diploma programme for therapists who want to specialise in this area. We also offer shorter, self-study courses for therapists wishing to brush up their knowledge in certain areas. Check out our Training website for more on all of this pinktherapy.org.