Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice (QACP)
A Resource Book for Mental Health Practitioners in India
Ketki Ranade, Shruti Chakravarty, Pooja Nair, Gauri Shringarpure
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The Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice (QACP) Resource Book is for mental health practitioners (MHPs), social workers, stakeholders within mental health and those working on gender and sexuality. This is a pathbreaking text that is truly the first of its kind to be published as a textbook for Psy disciplines - which have historically colluded to pathologise and medicalise queer-trans identities.
The book provides a balance of information, perspective, skill and an eclectic set of pedagogic tools to engage with the content that is drawn from the lived experiences of queer-trans realities. This can help MHPs understand and respond in affirmative ways to the challenges faced by those marginalised on account of their gender and sexuality.
The QACP Resource Book highlights an anti-oppressive framework to challenge all systems that are unequal, thereby 'queering' mental health and contributing to social justice.
The Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice (QACP) course
The Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice (QACP) course was launched in January 2019, aimed at building capacity of mental health practitioners and allied professionals (counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, medical professionals) to respond to the specific needs and challenges of the LGBTQI+ community. It is a 6-day course run by MHI to orient and reorient mental health practitioners to an anti-oppressive therapeutic practice. The QACP faculty at the course are all queer mental health practitioners themselves.
For more information, please visit here.
List of Queer-affirmative Mental Health Professionals, peer supporters and organisations
Click here to access LGBTQI- affirmative mental health support across India and a few locations in Asia.Building Allyship: The Mental Health Community and LGBTQI+ Rights (click to read/ download the report)
This report published by Mariwala Health Initiative showcases the queer affirmative mental health work undertaken by MHPs Vidya Dinakaran and Shanmathi Senthil Kumar during the Madras High Court Judgment of June 7th 2021, on LGBTQI+ matters. Vidya and Shanmathi are both part of the MHI-QACP cohort. We have incorporated their experiences in this report as a guiding tool for MHPs who want to build allyship and promote LGBTQI+ rights.
Mental health practitioners and participants of MHI's Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice (QACP) cohort have produced a massive body of resources to understand more about queer affirmative mental health and other issues important for the LGBTQI++ community.
AnnouncementYou're urged to scroll through these rich nuggets of information and insights to learn more about queer lives, issues and mental health.
PRIDE MONTH
Globally Pride Month is a solemn reminder of the Stonewall riots that took place on June 28, 1969 in Manhattan, United States, that is said to have sparked the queer rights movement in the US. Pride Month is witness to a variety of events and activities planned at various levels across the world. MHI's QACP cohort of mental health practitioners have been active in the past month participating in important talks, podcasts, and writing engaging articles. You can find more about this below. Feel free to read and share widely in your networks.
NOTHING TO CURE
Despite the reading down of Sec 377 in September 2018, a range of unethical mental practices continue against LGBTQI++ people. These serve to perpetuate shame, discrimination and trauma on queer-trans people. This has to stop. The community has been raising its voice against conversion treatment for decades but this time the mental health community also joined in. MHPs from the QACP cohort launched a public petition urging MHPs and MH organizations to publicly reject practices such as conversion therapy to commemorate IDAHOBIT 2020. Over 1500+ signed the petition and several MH organizations and associations have published public statements against conversion therapy and other anti queer-trans practices. You can read more about this advocacy initiative below.
THERAPY & PEER SUPPORT
The LGBTQIA+ community faces unique stressors and challenges from living in a queernegative society. To address these formal, professional counselling services that are queer affirmative will be useful. Reach out to a mental health practitioner who is certified by QACP.
Access to peer support groups and queer-friendly collectives are very important for LGBTQIA+ persons seeking support. Please find here links to such spaces that have been providing a range of support services to the LGBTQI++ community. Some of these have partnered with MHI on our Peer Support Practice trainings.
