Decolonising Therapeutic Practice
The course now begins on 30 May in North London.
Five Saturdays, in person, with three online self-reflection groups.
We look at how therapy is shaped in the UK, particularly in relation to histories of colonialism and enslavement, and what that means for practice.
Open to people who are new to counselling, and those who may already in the field.
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, with a focus on Global Majority participation.
Teaching days – in person (led by Jasminder Bahia)
10:00am – 5:00pm:
Saturday 30 May 2026
Saturday 13 June 2026
Saturday 27 June 2026
Saturday 11 July 2026
Saturday 18 July 2026
Self-reflection groups – online (led by Dennis L. Carney)
11:00am – 1:00pm:
Saturday 6 June 2026
Saturday 20 June 2026
Saturday 4 July 2026
For more information visit our website or click on the link in bio
Text-based post with a green gradient background displaying “Decolonising Therapeutic Practice,” “In-person course,” and “New start date: 30 May,” with BAATN logo in the corner.
#BAATN #Decolonize #therapy #globalmajority
Our next Decolonising Therapeutic Practice course begins on Saturday 30 May. Applications are open.
This is an in person course from BAATN (The Black, African and Asian Therapy Network), rooted in over 20 years of work around therapy, race and culture.
We look at how therapy is practised in the UK in relation to histories of colonialism and enslavement, and what this means in the therapy room.
There is space for teaching, discussion and reflective practice, looking at how this shows up in the therapy room and how we begin to decolonise our work.
For those new to counselling, and for therapists who want to deepen their practice in this area.
Open to all. We particularly welcome people from the Global Majority, and also welcome allies and those engaging with this work.
📍 North London
🗓 Starts Saturday 30 May 2026
Saturday in person:
30 May, 13 June, 27 June, 11 July, 18 July (10am to 5pm)
Saturday morning online reflection groups:
6 June, 20 June, 4 July (11am to 1pm)
Apply via link in bio
#decolonisingtherapy #baatn #counsellingtraining #mentalhealthuk #globalmajority
Image Description:
Instagram post for BAATN course “Decolonising Therapeutic Practice” with dates, structure and audience, on a green background with a speaker image.
What actually happens on the Decolonising Therapeutic Practice course?
We come together in community.
We listen to what’s spoken - and what isn’t easily said.
We begin to explore how histories of colonialism and racism continue to shape therapy today.
And we create space for reflection, connection, and rest.
This isn’t an add-on.
It’s a foundational rethinking of how we practise.
If you’ve been wanting to deepen your work in a way that is relational, embodied and culturally aware, this course offers a space to do that alongside others.
This is an in-person course held over five Saturdays from May to July in North London.
It is open to:
– those new to counselling and psychotherapy
– therapists and trainees
– anyone interested in developing therapeutic skills and thinking more deeply about decolonising practice
You don’t need to be a qualified therapist to apply. We welcome practitioners, those in training, and allies who want to engage with this work.
Join us
📍 North London
🗓 Begins 30 May 2026
Please feel free to share with your community and others who might want to engage with this work.
🔗 Link in bio to find out more and apply
Alt text:
A short reel from BAATN showing moments from an in-person Decolonising Therapeutic Practice course. Facilitators and participants sit together in a group, listening, speaking, and engaging in discussion. The space feels warm and reflective, focused on community, relationship, and exploring how race, identity and power shape therapeutic practice.
#Decolonize #BAATN #therapy #Counselling #GlobalMajority
Mental Health Awareness Week
Mental health is not just individual. It's shaped by community, culture, safety, belonging and the spaces where we feel able to be heard.
At BAATN, we recognise the importance of culturally aware therapeutic spaces and collective support for Black, African, Asian and Caribbean communities, SWANA communities, East and South East Asian communities, and Global Majority people affected by racism.
This year’s theme is Action, and sometimes action can look like conversation, rest, boundaries, therapy, community, or reaching out for support.
Image from the BAATN Conference 2025.
#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #BAATN #MentalHealth #Community #BlackMentalHealth
Image description: Three people sitting together in conversation at the BAATN Conference 2025. The atmosphere feels warm, engaged and community-focused. White text over the image reads “Mental Health Awareness Week” alongside the BAATN logo.
Sabina Khan shares a childhood memory of growing up under apartheid in South Africa - where segregation shaped even the smallest moments of joy, belonging, and safety.
In this powerful oral history, Sabina reflects on race, exclusion, and the experience of being policed as a brown child simply for entering a public paddling pool.
These testimonies matter. They remind us that racism is lived in the body, remembered through place, and carried across generations.
Thank you to @queer.global for preserving and sharing stories that might otherwise be forgotten.
🔗 Watch the full story via the link in their bio.
#Repost #BAATN #Queer #mentalhealth #globalmajority
Repost from @queer.global
Views expressed are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of (BAATN or)Queer Global. This content forms part of an oral history project documenting marginalised community experiences.
Dear Friends
The good people at @baatn_network are currently promoting their next well received and important in-person Decolonising Therapeutic Practice course beginning on Saturday, 30 May 2026.
You can also find more information about the course here: .uk/introductory-certificate-in-counselling-skills-for-antiracist-therapeutic-practice/
May at BAATN. Spaces to gather, reflect, challenge, and learn in community.
As we move into May, we continue to hold conversations that matter, about identity, power, therapeutic practice, and the importance of working in ways that are culturally aware, embodied, and accountable.
This month includes a range of community gatherings and practitioner spaces, alongside two training opportunities exploring therapeutic work through culturally grounded and decolonising perspectives.
On 15 & 16 May, A Black Empathic Approach to Therapeutic Practice explores Black-centred empathic frameworks and culturally meaningful approaches to healing and therapeutic practice.
Later in the month, we’ll also be welcoming a new cohort onto our Decolonising Therapeutic Practice course beginning on 30 May. This in-person course (running over 5 Saturdays) offers space to reflect more deeply on how racism, colonial histories, culture, identity, and lived experience continue to shape therapeutic work today. Through dialogue, experiential learning, and community, participants are invited to rethink practice in more relational and socially conscious ways.
Upcoming events:
– Student Gathering (9 May)
– Men’s Gathering (in-person, 9 May)
– East & South East Asian Gathering (15 May)
– A Black Empathic Approach to Therapeutic Practice (15 & 16 May)
– Mosaic Group for Multi-Heritage Diversity (16 May)
– Bilingual Practitioner Gatherings (16 May)
– Kuli Dhal Puri Diaspora Gathering (23 May)
– Women Practitioners Gathering (23 May)
– South Asian Gathering (23 May)
– Calabash: Women of African Heritage Gathering (29 May)
– Decolonising Therapeutic Practice Course (in-person 5 Saturdays, begins 30 May to July)
– Reading Group (30 May)
Details are on our website or link in bio
#Baatn #Decolonise #AntiRacism #Community #Healing
Yvonne John on the realities of egg freezing, IVF, and the grief that often goes unnamed.
This clip is just a moment from a wider conversation on BBC Radio 1Xtra.
Yvonne has shared more of her reflections in the comments below.
🎧 Listen to the full conversation via @bbcsounds
Catch the clip on @bbc1xtra via @y.vonnej
Yvonne was a speaker at BAATN’s online conference last year. Members can access her full presentation in the archive.
#eggfreezing #ivf #therapy #globalmajority #mentalhealth
Exploring how racism lives in therapeutic spaces, and how we meet it in practice.
This two-part online training introduces a Black Empathic approach to therapy, developed by Dr Isha McKenzie-Mavinga. It offers a framework for understanding, exploring, and working with the impact of racism in therapy, supervision, and training.
Led by Moriam Grillo and Sharon Hastings, the workshop creates space to:
– work with the emotional and relational impact of racism
– understand power, privilege, and internalised oppression
– develop more grounded, compassionate anti-racist practice
📍 Online (Zoom)
🗓 Friday 15 May, 5–8pm
🗓 Saturday 16 May, 9.30am–5pm
Open to therapists, trainees, supervisors, and those working in helping professions.
Full attendance across both days is required.
🔗 Find out more and book via BAATN website
#BAATN #AntiRacist #BlackEmpathicApproach #Decolonize
Moments from the in-person 2026 conference ... conversation, connection, community
If you’re thinking of joining us, dates for the diary:
Next Online Conference:
24 October 2026
Next In person conference: 17–18 April 2027
Save the dates
#BAATN
Today is Stephen Lawrence Day @sldayfdn
We remember Stephen Lawrence and honour his life.
It’s a day for reflection, and also a reminder that the impact of racism is ongoing, in systems, in communities, and in people’s emotional and psychological lives.
At BAATN, we recognise the importance of spaces where these experiences can be spoken about and held with care.
We also want to acknowledge the work of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, who continue to support and empower young people across the UK.
For more information and resources, visit their website - link in bio.
#StephenLawrenceDay #BAATN #AntiRacism #MentalHealth #Decolonize
We’re still taking in the depth, beauty, love, connection and community from this weekend.
There ain’t no conference like a BAATN conference.
From Anne-The Therapist, Dr Manrutt Wongkaew, Param Singh Sahni and Charles Brown, to the spaces held across the weekend, so much honesty, challenge and loving care.
Please share your highlights and what you’re taking with you in the comments. More photos to follow.
With gratitude to Eugene Ellis, Karen Minikin, Jayakara, the conference committee, all the speakers and hosts, and to Leah and Dilys for helping BAATN hold it all together. And also to Judy for the Karoke .
And to every one of you who showed up ♥️ what gets created in a Global Majority space like this is something else. The trust, the openness, the way people meet each other… we can feel it.
#baatn #baatnconference2026 #globalmajority #decolonize #therapists
