I HAD A DREAM!

I had a dream since university when I began my professional studies in psychology. That dream was about becoming a therapist and undertaking postgraduate studies in London. I did it! In 1998 I had the opportunity to go to London and start what was at that time, my first postgraduate course, not realising that it was a foundation course in the fundamentals of psychotherapy and counselling. Just two evenings a week, and the rest was, at least for me, a self-study process. I think I read every single article, chapter and book they recommended us at the School of Psychotherapy and Counselling, at Regent’s College. 

One afternoon, I went to Regent’s College library just for a look. I enjoyed looking for books and counting every penny and (if I was lucky) pound that I had in my pocket, to purchase an interesting book. Whilst I saw searching, I saw the rainbow flag on the cover of a book. I won’t lie to you,  my heart rate accelerated. I was very nervous, with the guy at the cash desk. I thought, “Oh God, is he looking at me? How can I take this book up there and pay for it?” I took a deep breath, took the book and shaking, walked directly to the guy. I hadn’t even read the title, the only thing that I saw was “Pink Therapy”. Afterwards, I saw the rest: “Working with gay, lesbian and bisexual clients”. When I gave this guy the book, I had to use my credit card – my father’s Colombian card, and I asked him. “Do you have credit card?” he looked at me and said with a smile, “Yes I do have a credit card.” He gently understood, that what I meant was if I could pay with my Credit Card. I bought it! And I devoured it. And sadly, I lost it on a double-decker bus. I bought it again. 

Somewhere in the book was Dominic’s e-mail. I wasn’t that brave, how I could possibly think to write to “Dr Davies?” I was brave, and one year after I left England; back in Colombia I sent him an e-mail introducing myself and telling him about my job as a clinician in Bogotá. 

Years past, and in 2009 he invited me to participate in a Pink Therapy conference in London. I was in my first year of my PhD in Colombia and my research was about the meaning of the sexual prejudice in gay, lesbians and bisexuals. Two years after that in 2011, I took the summer school course at the Pink Therapy. 

Since then in 2012, I founded Pink Consultores in Bogotá – Colombia. Applying all I have learned throughout the years, hand by hand with Dominic Davies. Pink Consultores was an inspired by the Pink Therapy, it is on one hand a recognition of what I have developed as a therapist since I bought that first book, (I have the other two books as well, by the way) and, on the other hand, it is my way to contribute to Colombia. I don’t see myself as a saviour, I just realised, that I could develop a similar institution in Colombia, focused on gender, sexual and relationship diversity in South America.

It has been quite a challenge to understand the Colombian political conflict, the war, trauma, and the LGBT+ victims, and at the same time developing a way to be an openly gay therapist with an organisation looking for the health of people in terms of their gender, sexual and relationship diversity. 

I’ve started, with two colleagues in Santiago (Chile) an international research network mainly, Latin-American, to study and research psychotherapy and GSRD. We hopefully are going to be together in London, this year in July for the start of the Foundation Certificate programme.  

I still think that I have a lot more to learn from Pink Therapy is giving to us as therapists. I want to share experiences with therapists from all over the world; I want us to learn from each other.

The Summer School was a life-changing experience, it was what I needed to start that dream that I had in the 90’. Good for you and for Dominic, the clinical associates and us! You are definitely changing this world. At least, mine changed.

Miguel Rueda Sáenz, PhD