Delegate fee

£90 for the day which includes lunch and refreshments. £75 for staff or members of any of the participating organisations or for multiple bookings from the same organisation.

Book as an individual | £90

Book as an organisation | £75

About this event

This workshop is designed to explore the psychological harm experienced by men who have been circumcised, either as a baby, child or adult.

This damage is often trivialised and goes unrecognised by health care professionals, family and friends, and sometimes by the individual himself.  Research has shown that symptoms of PTSD are often present in circumcised men, sometimes lifelong.  It can present as, or trigger, a multitude of other psychological conditions, such as OCD, agoraphobia or depression.

The aim of the workshop is to enable counsellors to recognise the specific symptoms not always acknowledged by the client, and to help professionals provide an appropriate response.

Genital Autonomy has sourced speakers from NORM-UK which is the leading specialist charity in the UK dealing with this issue.  NORM-UK has an extensive archive of correspondence from damaged men but has always struggled to find counsellors who can deal appropriately with the specific harm.

The Stoke-on-Trent – based counselling charity Savana has extensive knowledge of the trauma experienced by women who have been sexually abused or undergone female circumcision.  Savana recognises that the psychological damage done is comparable in both sexes.

The two charities have been working together on this issue for a couple of years.  The experience gained from the partnership forms the basis of this training workshop which aims to increase awareness and to provide a training resource for interested psychotherapists and counsellors.

Introductory morning sessions will feature presentations by knowledgeable speakers on topics related to non-therapeutic genital surgery.

The early afternoon will have talks from men affected, telling of their personal experiences about the harm and lack of available sympathetic help.

Following this will be an open forum discussion about the issues raised and potential responses from counsellors.

There are many men who would benefit from a series of sessions with counsellors who are trained to deal with their particular damage.  Genital Autonomy is hoping to compile a register of accredited counsellors and therapists who have attended one of our training sessions and is equipped to deal with this subject.

If you would like more information about this event, please get in touch using our Contact page.