But equally, from a more political or sociological position I’ve often found when systemic change is mentioned, I become instinctively interested in the movements that challenge or seek to empower what might be described as “disadvantaged groups”. Jacqui Dillon is an activist, author, and speaker, and has lectured and published worldwide on trauma, abuse, hearing voices, psychosis, dissociation, and healing.

She represents the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) on the steering committee for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Prescribed Drug Dependence, is part of the `Mad in the UK' team and is a founding member of `United for Integrity in Mental Health' (UIMH). All are justifiably impassioned and subversive; yet reasoned, full of wisdom, common sense and rigorous analysis, informed by the latest evidence on trauma and attachment. As a survivor of a narcissistic family, I know that the system gains power through the “divide and conquer”-method. Wasn’t sexuality like being gay, lesbian, or bisexual considered a mental disease to be controlled or cured until recent history too (if it still isn’t)?It examines the question of who decides what is normal and why do we perhaps judge and reduce people who are so often going through an authentic, understandable, emotional struggle with trauma? I imagine that professionally this must be like walking a tightrope high in the air with slippers on for therapists (and for the client), but it can be done. But the current promotional pitch of raising awareness often feels like it just reinforces a greater attachment to the label for me. And for every new personal story, there becomes a greater strength in number, and that increased collective weight encourages a belief that the ideology can start to penetrate.

Since then, they have delivered events in towns and cities across the UK, bringing together activists, survivors and professionals to debate psychiatric diagnosis. Jo campaigns for a paradigm shift away from the bio medical model narrative of mental distress toward a more appropriate trauma informed response. I didn’t have an answer for this patient because, like them, I was doing what the system told me to do. explicitly communicates, there is not a single person that can be fully understood or uniquely experienced within a single word, diagnosis, or label.

Joining me on our admin team are activist and blogger Nicky Hayward, clinical psychologist and author Gary Sidley, counselor Teri Tivey, lived experience educator Joanne Newman and social worker Lanie Pianta. In other words, way too many therapists are way too quick to fall in line and defer to the authority of the medicator instead of challenging thought content and issues surrounding the diagnosis; this is a huge mistake and clear detriment to the persons in the system. assembles a group of cutting-edge contributors to shine a light on some of the most contested issues of modern psychiatric practice.