Gay Men’s Groups:
I have run gay men’s groups at Spectrum therapy centre in North London since I began working there as a therapist in 1992 and the group I currently lead there, ‘COMING HOME’, is now the longest running gay men’s therapy & support group in the world! It is a ‘closed membership’ group for ten men who want to work together for an extended time, and meets every month for a whole Saturday as well as once a year for a weekend residential.
Membership ranges in age from early twenties to mid sixties and is drawn from a wide range of experience and background and has included men in marriages seeking to ‘come out’ with support. Most members have had some experience of therapy or group work before joining.
I have found that a group of this kind is an invaluable resource in the lives of those living with all the issues that men from minority sexualities deal with in mainstream society and the subcultures to which they may relate. The support, warmth, challenge, companionship and understanding available here is incredible. There is a particular benefit for gay men in sustaining longer term, non sexualised relationships of such an intimate kind.
I have written a chapter called “We Are Family’ describing in detail the work of this group in Volume 3 of Neal & Davies’s ‘Pink Therapy.’A copy of this article is available on request.
NOTE: UNFORTUNATELY THIS GROUP WILL CLOSE IN MARCH 2013 & CAN NO LONGER ACCEPT MEMBERS. HOWEVER, I AM CONSIDERING RUNNING ONE DAY & WEEKEND WORKSHOPS FOR GAY/BI MEN IN THE FUTURE: IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THESE, PLEASE CONTACT ME SOON.