Racism, stigma and fear: Barriers in accessing mental health. Live Webinar on Oct 25th.
In honour of Black History Month, Keeping Well NCL and Nafsiyat presents their next live webinar, for all staff across the North Central London ICS.
Join us for this interactive webinar where we will discuss the existence of multicultural Britain over the centuries and how it lay hidden and barely visible before our modern age, due to injustices and racism towards communities deemed ‘foreign’ and / or ‘other.’ This webinar will be presented by Baffour Ababio, intercultural psychotherapist at Nafsiyat Intercultural Therapy Centre.
He will detail the impact these injustices had on the mental health care of Britain’s black and ethnic minority communities, including the assumption that non-Europeans would not benefit from talking therapy. There will also be reflections on how progress is being compromised by the persistence of racism, and a discussion on how these challenges might be overcome.
Baffour will also share how Nafsiyat have challenged these assumptions and how they’ve worked through the barriers of fear and stigma to incorporate a wealth of cultural affirming practices into their unique model to inspire therapy provision and engagement across cultural and ‘racial’ borders. This webinar will take place over Zoom and all NHS and social care staff within NCL are welcome to attend.
Click here to book your tickets!
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Interculturality within the Supervisory Relationship – Zoom training – 24th Oct
Nafsiyat will again run its successful one-day workshop for supervisors and supervisees, to explore interculturality within the supervisory relationship. It will be held online via Zoom on Sunday 24th October 2021 and tickets are available now through Eventbrite.
There have been many books, workshops and training program on psychotherapy and counselling across cultural and ‘racial’ borders since the publication of ‘intercultural therapy’ in the early 1990’s. However, its integration and application to the supervisory relationship is still at an early stage. Has supervision been slow in recognising, understanding, valuing diversity in race, culture and ethnicity? The integration of racial, cultural and diversity related issues in clinical supervision, is an essential component of clinical and teaching competence which has important implications for the provision of services to “minorities” and more broadly to better addressing the full realm of clients’ intrapsychic and interpersonal worlds.
The workshop will draw on Jafar Kareem’s widely cited definition of intercultural therapy with a very minor but significant revision in its relevance to the supervision relationship. Jafar’s definition as applied to supervision referenced below:
“A Form of dynamic psychotherapy (supervison) that takes into account the whole being of the patient (supervisor and supervisee) – not only the individual concepts and constructs as presented to the therapist (and supervisor), but also the patient’s (and supervisee’s and supervisor’s) communal life experience in the world – both past and present. The very fact of being from another culture involves both conscious and unconscious assumptions, both in the patient and the therapist (supervisor). I believe that for the successful outcome of therapy (and supervison) it is essential to address these conscious and unconscious assumptions from the beginning”.
The workshop will look at the experience of supervision from both angles; as a supervisee and as a supervisor. The group work will discuss and reflect on what a culturally competent supervision might look like. We know that any therapeutic work to be of benefit to both practitioner and client requires a good enough reflective space, provided through supervision to facilitate the process. It will do this through:
>> An exploration of some comments made by supervisees on the difficulty of raising issues of difference in their supervision with their supervisors.
>> A Look at embedded community stories, and how these tales might in the clinical setting enable dynamics of avoidance and collusion. Could supervision facilitate a working through?
>> An examination of concepts of oppression, domination and privilege at play in the supervision space.
>> Might external issues be very present in both spaces (therapy and supervision) and avoided or not recognised?
>> Shame, anger, silence and its manifestations (physiologically or otherwise).
There will be an opportunity for participants to work on some of their own material from their practice and experience as supervisors and supervisees.
To find out more or to get your tickets, click here
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Cultural Competence Training via Zoom – Nov 20th
Delivered by Caroline Adewole and Sega Habtom.
The workshop will draw on clinical examples and work as well as the intercultural experience to put forward the processes involved in working at the juncture of the client’s inner and outer experiences. The evocation of shame and avoidance in the dyadic or group encounter of intersecting differences and sameness will also be explored. “Any clinical encounter that does not take into account the client’s whole life experience and does not consider their race, culture, gender or social values, can only fragment that person.” (Jafar Kareem, co-founder of Nafsiyat Intercultural Therapy Centre). In the workshop Jafar’s quote will be applied to societal/individual assumptions with regards to racism and sexism. There will be an opportunity for participants to work on some of their own material from their practice.
Through case material and film attendees will dynamically work through concepts/themes and questions such as:
>> Institutional racism/domination/oppression. Participants will explore how clients from minority communities deploy strategies to cope with their varying levels of internal and external experiences of persecution.
>> This workshop aims to enhance participants’ self-awareness, empathic knowledge and understanding of other cultures and conceptualisation of identity formation. Attendees in exploring their own processes, whether from dominant or minority groups will be more attuned to the impact of their therapeutic engagements with their clients.
>> It will touch on the extent to which therapy/mental health organisations facilitate or inhibit the capacity of its practitioners to critically engage in conversations around cultural competency.
>> The workshop will allow for the exploration of how cultural competency can be applied in supervision. It will therefore look at the experience of supervision from both angles; as a supervisee and as a supervisor. The group work will discuss and reflect on what a culturally competent supervision might look like. We know that any therapeutic work to be of benefit to both practitioner and client requires a good enough thinking space, provided through supervision to facilitate the process.
>> Cultural competent work operates within the context of the external realities of the historic as well the present. Participants will look at the penetration of political shifts in the UK such as Brexit into the clinical engagements of practitioners. This conversation can be framed as the frontiers of culturally competent thinking.
To find out more or to get your tickets, click here
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Sponsor Nafsiyat in the Hackney Half marathon
Nafsiyat will be taking part in the Hackney Half marathon on Sunday September 26th.
The team running includes Managing Director, Adam Weatherhead, who says: “It’s been a tough time for many, but the pandemic has exposed and widened inequalities, which makes the work of Nafsiyat even more important right now. If you make a donation, it will enable Nafsiyat to support more people for whom mainstream mental health services don’t adequately provide. And, you will inspire me to run faster!”
Click here to visit our Virgin Money Giving page and make a donation.
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Nafsiyat is recruiting Counsellors and a Supervisor
We are looking for self-employed bilingual/multilingual counsellors in the following languages Cantonese, Dari, Farsi, Filipino, French, Pashto, Polish, Turkish to join our intercultural clinical team.
Please see the full details here: Bilingual Counsellor – Job Description
We are also looking for an experienced clinical supervisor to undertake fortnightly group supervision for our volunteer / trainee and qualified therapists. You will need to be a qualified experienced psychodynamic counsellor accredited with BACP, or psychodynamic/psychoanalytic psychotherapists registered with the UKCP, and have 3-5 years post qualification experience.
Please see the full details here: Clinical Supervisor – Job Description
HOW TO APPLY
Please submit a CV and cover letter (no more than 2 pages) detailing your suitability for this position according to the person specification, stating when and where skills and experience were gained.
Email: recruitment@nafsiyat.org.uk
Deadline: 10am Tuesday September 2nd.
Seeking Group Therapy Trainee
We are looking for a group therapy trainee, who will participate in facilitating psycho education, therapy, or reflective groups.
We encourage applications from:
> Bilingual trainees
> Psychodynamic or Analytic oriented trainees
> Lived experience of being a refugee is desirable
We are a friendly and experienced team and supervision will be provided by an experienced group analyst. To apply, please submit a CV with a cover letter to: admin@nafsiyat.org.uk
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Baffour Ababio, Clinical Lead
We are pleased to share the news that, following a one-year secondment, Baffour Ababio has been appointed as the Clinical Lead of Nafsiyat.
Baffour Ababio is a psychoanalytic intercultural psychotherapist and clinical supervisor in private practice and at Nafsiyat Intercultural Therapy Centre. Baffour completed his training at University College London and the Guild of Psychotherapists and is a member of UKCP and BAPPS (British Association for Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Supervision). Alongside his clinical role Baffour developed a career in managing mental health services integrating a community based response to support recovery from with generic valium a broad range of mental health problems.
Baffour also co-edited the book ‘Intercultural Therapy – Challenges, Insights and Developments’ which was published by Routledge in 2019, and is currently working on another.
He is an asset to our organisation and will ensure that even more people have access to the culturally accessible therapeutic support they need.
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New Chair of Trustees, Jane Cook
We are pleased to announce that Nafsiyat’s new Chair of Trustees is Jane Cook. Jane has been a Nafsiyat Trustee since 2015 and has previously served as Chair.
Jane is a Registered General Nurse and Public Health Specialist (Health Visitor) who works at a strategic level focusing on transformational change that aims to meet the needs of individuals, families and communities. Jane has worked with excluded groups for the past 36 years and promotes person centred and holistic care that is equitable.
“The work of Nafsiyat is more crucial than ever before as society deals with the inequalities and grief that have been exposed by COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter. Through intercultural therapy, Nafsiyat is able to support individuals and organisations to address their grief, and medicalbreeze.com through training can support organisations who want to address race equality.”
“I am proud, as Chair, to be working with such committed and experienced staff and trustees. It’s exciting times for Nafsiyat as we move to influence change within communities and organisations that will address inequity.”
Nafsiyat’s Trustee Board would like to thank previous Chair, Dr. William Obomanu, for his contributions to Nafsiyat during his time as a Trustee.
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BAMEStream Bereavement Support
This is a FREE Bereavement Support Service that we are providing as a member of the BAMEStream alliance.
Who we will support
Anyone aged 18 and over who identifies as Black, Asian or any other Minoritised Ethnicity who has been affected by the death of a loved one due to Covid-19, and is registered with a GP in England.
What we will provide
Nafsiyat will provide FREE culturally competent brief emotional online support to anyone from a Black, Asian or other Minority Ethnic background experiencing bereavement and loss due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
THIS WILL CONSIST OF THREE INDIVIDUAL ONLINE OR TELEPHONE BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT SESSIONS
The pandemic has had a devastating impact on our communities and has been felt in painfully unique ways by the Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic Communities.
>> Of not being able to say goodbye.
>> The impact of suppressing longstanding distinct bereavement rituals within these communities.
>> The Isolation, loneliness and the anger felt at the structural inequities implicated in the Covid deaths.
>> Of not being able to celebrate the deceased person’s life and the impact of this on daily functioning.
The FREE online bereavement support sessions at Nafsiyat will provide a space designed to enable reflection and to consider support options. The three sessions of brief emotional online support will provide:
>> A space to be heard, listened to and to access information that can help you understand what you’re going through.
>> Suggest and discuss some practical steps to help manage your day to day living tasks.
>> Support you to engage with appropriate emotional and practical support networks.
>> All Nafsiyat practitioners work in a culturally competent way and have been enhanced DBS checked.
Making a referral
The easiest way to get help from the service is to make a referral online https://www.dentavacation.com/generic-ativan/. This will open a secure web page where you can enter your details. Nafsiyat Intercultural Therapy Centre will then make contact you within a few days of receiving your referral.
We also have a downloadable referral form that can be completed and sent to us via email (details are provided on the form). If you are unable to complete the referral by email, this can be made over the phone instead.
Download health professional form
Telephone referral
020 7263 6947
Subscribe to our Newsletter
We’re very happy to announce our brand new Newsletter has just gone live on MailChimp. Here you’ll be able to read the very latest about our news, events, fundraising and everything Nafsiyat. You can also subscribe to our newsletter. Why not take a moment and click the link.
https://mailchi.mp/2fe053d6f5c0/nafsiyat-newsletter
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