The International Federation for Therapeutic Counselling Choice (IFTCC) held a three day event over the weekend 19-21 October, in Hungary. Event speakers included Dr Quentin Van Meter (a paediatric endocrinologist who trained with the sexologist, John Money), Dr Carolyn Pela (former President of the US Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity), and Timothy Long (clinical director of Kainos Christian Therapy in Beverly Hills).
Session 1
Mike Davidson, Chairman of IFTCC, gave the opening address, introducing the theme of the conference as “The Body, Identity and Sexuality”, with a particular focus on gender identity confusion and counselling support. The event follows on from the previous annual conference in 2017 in Slovakia, entitled, “What is Love?”.
In the first session, Mike Davidson gave a brief introduction to the history of the IFTCC, stating that over the years it had grown so that it now has a presence in 21 nations across the globe. Its aim is to be a “home for the once gay, for those coming out, and for the de-transitioners because we are free to choose. We are here to support all of them, and we do so by providing continuing professional development to the counsellors, therapists, medics, lawyers, social workers, pastors and priests, parents and friends, of those being hurt by the worldwide pandemic of the sexual revolution.”
In the second half of the session, Dr Christl Vonholdt, a German former paediatrician, gave case studies of two women who previously self-identified as male, but sought help to be able to live as women in their female bodies.
Session 2
The second session began with Dr Keith Vennum, the President of the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity, which was founded four years ago, replacing the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). Dr Vennum gave a brief summary of the importance of the Alliance into researching counselling therapy for unwanted same sex attraction.
The main speaker of the second session was Timothy Long, the Clinical Director of Kainos Christian Therapy, based in Beverly Hills, California. He stated the case for reintegrative therapy and warned of the dangers of this kind of helpful, gentle therapy being banned because of the attempt to make all ‘conversion therapy’ (which he deemed a ‘catch-all term’ for all therapies good and bad) illegal. However, the goal with reintegrative therapy is to “resolve trauma, shame, and defensiveness,” he stated; it is not harmful, therefore should not be banned.
Session 3
The third session opened with Andrea Williams, CEO of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre, who presented two former clients of the Christian Legal Centre who came up against transgender ideology being forced on their children in a Christian primary school. Andrea stated: “In Great Britain, life appears normal … but it’s not normal. We are living increasingly under a totalitarian regime where the culture, the organs of culture, where the state mechanisms of culture say that unless you comply to the new cultural orthodoxy … the new normal, the way to think, then you will be punished…”. Nigel and Sally Rowe, the two former clients, went on to describe their struggle, fighting to ‘stand against’ a ‘political agenda’.
The session continued with a speech from Dr Quentin Van Meter, who spoke on the background of transgender medicine, giving particular reference to his former professor, Dr John Money, who pioneered the idea that someone’s gender could be separate from their sex. Dr Van Meter argued that the growth of transgenderism is “perverse”, as it has never been based on scientific fact; rather recommendations on transgenderism have come from political ideology.
Session 4
The final session opened with a speech from Dr Carolyn Pela, the current Assistant Dean and Head of the School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities at Arizona Christian University, and former President of the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity. She spoke on the importance of narrative therapy, that is forming narratives to inform our thinking. She argued that “what is not narrated is lost”, and because of the strength of narrative coming from the LGBT lobby, we seem to have lost the truth about gender. She said: “we need to start narrating our story, over and over, retell it, elaborate it” so that the truth is reintegrated into society.
The session ended with a brief address from ‘Martin’, from Hungary, on some practical elements of how best to counsel people who are struggling with gender and identity confusion.
Links
Visit the IFTCC website
Read more about transgender issues in The New Normal