Business Category
Business Excerpt
Valuing & prioritising people who have been marginalised or oppressed, including polycules & D/s kinship ties. Providing the polycultural, anti-oppressive, & non-pathologising support you need.
Business Description
I am a Polycultural Psychotherapist who is passionate about Anti-Oppressive Clinical Practice. My pronouns are he/him. I hold a PhD in Psychology from the University of Surrey in England and a Master of Counselling from Monash University. I have supervised practice experience in Systemic Relationship & Family Therapy, and completed the Gilead Downs Family Therapy Centre's Advanced Clinical Training Program in Family Therapy. I am a Full Clinical Member of the Psychotherapy & Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA), Full Clinical Member of the Australian Association of Family Therapy (AAFT), and a Full Clinical Member of the Australian College of Relationship Counsellors (ACRC). I am recognised as a Certified Family Trauma Professional (CFTP) and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP-II). The International Association of Trauma Professionals describes the CCTP Level II in complex trauma and related conditions as a credential "that demonstrates knowledge of the ability to assess, use effective treatment approaches, and address the therapeutic challenges of treating complex trauma (alternatively described as CPTSD or Complex PTSD) and dissociative" conditions.
I have over 15 years of international experience in providing affirming, respectful, and culturally safe support to people of all ages one-on-one, with partners (including triads and quads), and with families from diverse cultures and faiths/beliefs. I also have experience and training in group therapy, including group facilitation in paediatric palliative care. I am internationally recognised for my work in the fields of trans studies and cisgenderism studies. I received the American Psychological Association's Transgender Research Award for an original and significant research contribution about young people. My widely cited research findings have been credited as the key influence that initiated changes to the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) language policy.
I provide respectful & knowledgeable care one to one or more people, including partners, polycules, families, & community groups, related to:
- Asexual & aromantic experiences
- Asylum, migrant, &/or refugee experience
- Autistic people, polyennic people (polyennic is a non-pathologising term instead of "ADHD"), and other neurodivergent folks
- BDSM/kink, including full time D/s kinships
- Bereavement, death, & dying
- Bi/queer/pan identity, exclusion, & invisibility
- Chronic pain, complex health conditions, & long-term illness
- Conservative faith/belief traditions & strict religious observance
- Disability-related needs and experiences
- Furries and fursonas
- Homelessness, poverty, & experience of rough sleeping/having 'no fixed address'
- Intersex embodiment
- Otherkin/Therian selves & experiences
- Polyamorous and multi-partnered people and polycules
- Plural people and systems
- Sadness, loss, & grief
- Sex work experiences
- Spiritual & metaphysical experiences (including African Caribbean belief systems)
- Substance addiction, recovery,lapse/relapse prevention, & post-re/lapse recovery
- Non-binary and binary trans experiences or identities
- Complex trauma
(Classification system of friendly, aware, and knowledgeable based on definitions provided by the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom).
My relationship & Family Therapy work values & prioritises people with:
- Mixed Autistic/allistic (non-Autistic) partner relationships
- BDSM/kink relationships, including 24/7 D/s agreements
- Mixed mono/polyamorous partners
- Polyamorous polycules &/or multi-partnered relationships
- Traditional religious observances &/or strict religious/faith communities
- Intersex, trans, &/or ace spectrum/same-gender/LGBQ/pan loved ones & kin
My Approach:
Respectful psychotherapy means we discuss your therapeutic options and agree on how we work together. I am trained in a variety of therapeutic methods, including systemic and cross-cultural approaches. I am committed to Applied Anti-Oppressive Clinical Practice, beyond merely being 'affirming'. I strive to be non-pathologising, polycultural, person-directed, and based in social justice principles. You can find out what these ways of working mean to me and more about my training and how I work here: http://ansarapsychotherapy.com
Country
Australia
State
Victoria