Open letter from 87 psychotherapists and psychologists in the UK to:The UK government

Open letter from 87 psychotherapists and psychologists in the UK to:

The UK government

UKCP, BACP, BPC, BABCP, BPS, Anna Freud Centre and EMDR Association, Institute of Psychoanalysis

During the recent waves of demonstrations across Iran which started following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22 years old woman over the Hijab rules, the Islamic Republic in Iran has started arresting thousands of women and men across Iran. The regime has also started to attack schools; arrest young students in their schools, streets, and even their homes; and send young students to prison. Some have been tortured and killed. According to Amnesty International at least 23 children have been killed by security forces in the recent protests.

The Islamic Republic’s Education Minister in Iran, Yousef Nouri, has announced that these young students are sent to a forced “reforming” program before being released from prison and allowed to return to their homes and schools. What is labelled as a “reforming” program is nothing but psychological torture on a large scale perpetrated on these young students. This psychological torture is highly traumatic and likely to have significant short-term and long-term psychological impacts.

Background information:

The demonstrations in Iran continue. The demonstrators, taking their lead from women, have continued to fundamentally challenge the Islamic Republic with its misogynistic, theocratic, oppressive and dictatorial iron fist, which has governed through imprisonment, torture and executions for 43 years. The Islamic Republic’s guards have a proven track record of utmost brutality and violent attacks on demonstrators, including children. Arresting and sending young students to a “reforming” program, as a condition of release, is a part of a wider violent and brutal crackdown of demonstrators across Iran.

We the undersigned:

• Urge the UK government to take immediate action and use its power to pressure the government in Iran. The UK government should demand that this “reforming” program, by the regime in Iran, be stopped and all detained students be released immediately and unconditionally.

• Urge UKCP, BACP, BPC, BABCP, BPS and other counselling and psychotherapy organisations to endorse the above demand.

1. Susie Orbach: psychotherapist, psychoanalyst, writer, and social critic
2. Tirril Harris: psychotherapist-UKCP
3. Paul M Terry: psychotherapist, author
4. Andrew Samuels: psychotherapist, writer, former chair of UK Council for Psychotherapy
5. David Morgan: consultant psychotherapist, psychoanalyst
6. Gaynor Maxwell-Scott: psychotherapist, group analyst-BAPPS, BPC, UKCP
7. Mick Cooper: professor of Counselling psychology, author, trainer-UKCP
8. Ruth Calland: Jungian Analyst, Ex-Chair of the British Jungian Analytic Association
9. Zara Heber Percy: Jungian Analytical Psychotherapist-UKCP
10. Ruth Williams: UKCP BCP Jungian Psychoanalyst, psychotherapist, supervisor and author
11. Suzi Sparham: group analyst psychotherapist-BAPPS, UKCP
12. Jane Rosoman: psychotherapist-UKCP
13. Holly Cassidy: psychotherapist-BACP, UKCP
14. Gemma Maconie: counsellor-BACP
15. John W Adams: counsellor-BACP
16. Holly Cassidy: psychotherapist-BACP
17. Lynne Holmes: counsellor and psychotherapist-UKCP
18. Dr. Gottfried M. Heuer: Jungian psychoanalyst, Neo-Reichian body-psychotherapist
19. George Taxidis: Jungian analyst and lecturer
20. Barry Orr: clinical psychologist
21. Brett Grellier: clinical psychologist
22. Chia Barsen: psychotherapist-UKCP
23. Dr Karen Adler: psychotherapist-UKCP
24. Charlotte Sills: psychotherapist-UKCP
25. Janice Acquah: psychotherapist-UKCP, BACP
26. Sian Fletcher: counsellor, psychotherapist-BACP
27. Susan Davies: CBT psychotherapist-BABCP, EMDR association
28. Ian Mc Cabe: chartered psychologist, Jungian analyst
29. Mike Toller: psychotherapist-BACP
30. Dr Hannah Rogers: clinical psychologist, CBT therapist, EMDR therapist -BABCP
31. Fiona Aitman: psychotherapist-BACP
32. Ceri Lush: psychotherapist
33. Jan Harvie-Clark: psychoanalyst-BPA, BPC
34. Rosalind Simpson: psychosexual psychotherapist and supervisor-UKCP, BACP, COSRT
35. Dobrochna Zajas: CBT and EMDR therapist-BABCP
36. Janina Joffe: psychotherapist-BACP, BPC
37. Sandra Hilton: counsellor- BACP
38. Jennifer Heymann: psychotherapist and counsellor-BACP
39. Denise Ramos: clinical psychologist, analyst
40. Dr Tess Browne: clinical psychologist, EMDR practitioner
41. Carole Sweeney-Mingo: counsellor-BACP
42. Saba S: psychotherapist
43. Rosemin Shariff: counsellor-BACP
44. Anthony Naylor: counsellor-BACP, COSRT
45. Floriana Bua: psychotherapist and counselling psychologist-BACP, BPC
46. Sara Correia: clinical psychologist
47. Danuta Orlowska: Clinical Psychologist
48. Dr Jessica Muir: highly specialist clinical psychologist for staff support-Women’s Services
49. Carolyn Emanuel: counsellor-BACP
50. Claudia Camhi: CBT and family and systemic psychotherapist-UKCP
51. Marek Sarnecki: psychotherapist-BACP
52. Indira Caroline Graham: psychotherapist-BACP
53. Nixon Stewart: psychotherapist
54. Nicholas Oliver: psychotherapist
55. Yulia Herzog: psychotherapist-BACP
56. Jane Clark: psychotherapist-BACP
57. Dulcie Muir:  counsellor
58. Suzi Harvey: psychotherapist-BPC
59. Charlotte MacKean: psychotherapist-BPC, BACP
60. Antonella Bonetti: counsellor-BPC, BACP
61. Christine Des Clayes: psychodynamic counsellor-UKCP, BACP
62. Tuula Rasen: psychoanalytic psychotherapist-BPC, BACP
63. Tom Warnecke: psychotherapist-UKCP
64. Victoria Todd: psychotherapist-BACP
65. Ann Heyno: psychotherapist and Lecturer
66. Geeta Gajwani: psychotherapist- BACP, BPC, APP, APPCIOS
67. Susie McLinden: psychotherapist-BACP, BPC
68. Jacqueline Glynn: psychotherapist-BACP, BPC 
69. Mark Anderson: psychodynamic psychotherapist-BACP
70. Rita Odumosu: psychodynamic counsellor-BACP
71. Victoria Gath: psychodynamic psychotherapist-BACP
72. Shole Salehi a.k.a. Shiva Mahbobi: psychotherapist, EMDR practitioner-BACP, UKCP
73. Dr Claudio Pestana: Consultant Psychologist-BPS, BABCP
74. Dr Andrew Beck: consultant clinical psychologist, former president of BABCP
75. Saeed Khalilirad: CBT therapist, psychotherapist- BACP, BABCP, UKCP

• 12 other psychotherapists have signed the letter which is sent to the UK government and the psychological organisations, but they do not wish their names to be published in the media.

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