The phrase decolonialisation is increasingly used in discussions around contemporary psychotherapy. Yet for many therapists its meaning and relevance to everyday practice remain unclear.
Much of psychosexual and relationship therapy has been shaped by Western frameworks that don’t always reflect the realities of diverse communities. Decolonising therapy means looking critically at those assumptions, integrating trauma-informed and culturally-aware approaches, and reflecting on how our own histories and positions influence our work. This is central to ethical, inclusive practice in today’s complex world.
This self-access class provides Psychosexual and Relationship Therapists with invaluable knowledge to help them practise in a manner that is genuinely decolonised, trauma-informed, and inclusive.
This self-access class is a recording of a live event held in December 2025.
Class Structure
- Explore what decolonising psychosexual and relationship therapy means, and how to integrate trauma-informed, culturally-informed, and inclusive practices across different therapeutic contexts.
- Reflect on how your own cultural, historical, and professional positioning shapes your approach to psychosexual and relationship therapy.
- Engage with real-world examples of transculturally informed approaches and evidence, and consider what constitutes best practice in decolonising psychosexual and relationship therapy.
Learning Outcomes:
- Develop an understanding of what decolonising psychosexual and relationship therapy means in theory and practice.
- Build knowledge of trauma-informed, culturally-informed, and inclusive approaches, and how these can be effectively integrated into therapeutic work.
- Strengthen cultural sensitivity and ethical practice, enhancing professional competence in working from a decolonised perspective.
About the Trainer
Professor (Dr) Divine Charura.
Divine is a counselling psychologist, registered and licenced as a practitioner psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council in England (UK). Divine is also a psychotherapist and Honorary Fellow of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and an adult psychotherapist.
Divine’s research interests are on the psychotraumatology and mental health in family and diverse community systems across the lifespan. He has co-authored and edited numerous books. These include Love and Therapy: In relationship [co-edited with Stephen Paul] and with Professor Colin Lago co-edited Black Identities + White therapies: Race respect and diversity, (2021). His latest books are the Handbook of Social Justice in Psychological Therapies. Power, politics, change (co-edited with Dr Laura Winter in 2023) and Trauma Demystified (2024) (Co-edited with Dr Mark McFetridge and Dr Emma Bradshaw. For Divine’s Publications please see https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/profile/2104
