Therapy has never been a neutral activity. It is shaped by political forces, professional hierarchies, economic pressures, and the competing claims of different therapeutic schools. This workshop with Jay Beichman invites you to step beyond the familiar debates about technique and explore the deeper political terrain that shapes what therapy is, who defines it, and who gets to practise it.

Drawing from Pluralism in Counselling and Psychotherapy, we will examine the long-standing “therapy wars” that pit the medical model against relational approaches. These conflicts influence everything from research funding to training curricula and national audits. Together we will look at how standardised frameworks, such as SCoPEd, may reinforce hierarchies that privilege particular models while narrowing the space for creative, relational, and pluralistic practice.

The session will explore how power operates both on a large scale through regulation and professionalisation, and on a smaller scale in the therapy room, shaping client choice, voice, and agency. We will consider the political implications of claiming certainty in a profession built on human complexity, and why pluralism offers an alternative stance grounded in dialogue, diversity, and humility.

This workshop will also turn toward the future. We will discuss the rise of Artificial Intelligence, digital platforms, and the “uberisation” of mental health care. What happens to the profession when therapy risks becoming automated, commodified, or stripped of its relational heart? How can therapists respond in ways that protect both professional integrity and client wellbeing?

Finally, we will connect these political questions to wider issues of social justice and intersectionality, examining how race, gender, class, and structural disadvantage shape therapeutic access and experience. Participants will be invited to reflect on how pluralism can support a more democratic, inclusive, and socially aware profession.

By the end of the workshop, you will have a clearer understanding of the political forces shaping contemporary therapy, why pluralism matters, and how practitioners can navigate a future marked by both threat and possibility. This event offers a timely and thought-provoking opportunity to engage with the real-world struggles that continue to shape the therapy professions.

Description supplied by the event organiser.