Our training offers a queer lens with which to view and understand the erotic elements that are undoubtedly present in our work, but remain unexamined beneath the shroud of taboo. We draw upon queer, trans, crip, decolonial and psychosocial theory as a complement, and sometimes a challenge, to psychodynamic theory that treats erotic transference as a repetition of past experiences. We hope to deepen our understanding of the ways in which erotic elements appear and are embodied in therapy. Throughout, we will consider how identities, social structures and power dynamics - inside and outside the consulting room - affect how eroticism is experienced, and how it can be spoken about or silenced.

The two-day training will include:

• How do we orient ourselves towards the erotic?

• Embodied eroticism in the consulting room; shame and silencing

• Theorising the erotic in psychotherapy

• Boundaries and erotic transference

• Child sexual abuse and erotic transference

Participants will be provided with a selection of optional readings before the training days, for those who prefer to read ahead.

At the end of the training, participants will:

• Be able to reflect on how their personal experiences of the erotic might influence how they embody and experience erotic transference in clinical practice

• Be equipped to consider how their and their clients’ identities and positionality in social power structures might influence how the erotic shows up in the consulting room

• Have a library of queer- and trans-aligned clinical texts and case studies to draw on when working with erotic transference

• Be equipped to think about personal and professional boundaries when working with erotic transference

• Be aware of possible connections between sexual trauma and erotic transference

• Have experience of discussing working with erotic transference with a cohort of supportive peers, identifying further areas that might benefit from individual supervision