Committed to making the subject of addiction and trauma within the LGBTQ community something that people are comfortable discussing openly in a forward-thinking and progressive environment, Resort 12 are delighted to be partnering with iCAAD to host ‘Healing Trauma in the LGBTQ+ community’.
Located in mountainous and peaceful Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, Resort 12 is an LGBTQ dedicated destination rehab facility and part of The Cabin Addiction Services Group, a globally recognised addiction treatment provider with a collection of inpatient and outpatient treatment centres around the world.
It is understood that members of the LGBTQ community are up to three times as likely as other people to suffer from addiction- and trauma-related issues. And while there are elements within all addiction- and trauma-related treatment that share much in the way of common ground, no matter someone’s gender, sexual preference, age or cultural background, there are also nuances within the treatment of LGBTQ specific issues that can benefit greatly from a more tailored approach, both individually and in groups.
It is also important for some integration with mainstream treatment, as clients learn to manage real-world situations and adapt to various challenges in new ways without substances. The safety of clients is paramount, both emotional and psychological safety as well as physical safety.
Having space from which to explore individual identity and reframe this as a recovering addict within the LGBTQ community provides unique challenges for treatment providers and clinicians. Understanding and identification enable this exploration to take place both within the LGBTQ unit as well as within the wider recovery community.
So why is it important for LGBTQ people to be able to access treatment designed for their specific needs?
Resort 12’s Principal Counsellor, Stu Fenton has a lot of experience working with gay men and is dedicated to helping individuals achieve their goals in regard to alcohol and drug addiction, self-esteem issues, life skills, grief and loss. His desire to work in this field comes from his own personal experiences with addiction, body image issues and family conflict. Fenton comments ‘LGBTQ clients are simply wired differently when it comes to addiction and trauma. To recover, their specific issues need to be addressed and their culture needs to be understood by empathetic and knowledgeable professionals.’
Fiona Markham Chief Clinical Officer of The Cabin Group adds: ‘We know from our work with many LGBTQ clients over the years that issues many of them share relate to a deep sense of isolation, of not belonging. This can be traced back to many different things, for example growing up in a homophobic environment, the internalised homophobia that can result from that, the process of coming out, confusion around sexual and gender identity, and the inappropriate identities society pressures LGBTQ individuals to fit into.’
Beck Gee-Cohen who specialises in LGBTQ addiction, recovery and trauma will lead the London workshop. Gee-Cohen, from the US and currently resides in LA, is a trans man and recovering addict of 12 years. He has written articles and papers directly addressing the need for training staff on LGBTQ communities and has spoken extensively in the US at various conferences regarding LGBTQ communities.
Alongside Gee-Cohen will be UK’s Adela Campbell, a psychodrama therapist. These two professionals will be working together to deliver deep insight and expertise on both experiential models and specialist resources in trauma therapy when working with gender complex clients and exploring addiction and relationship issues.
‘Healing and Trauma in the LGBTQ Community’ will be held on Saturday 25th November from 9:30am–5.30pm at The Royal Garden Hotel, 2-24 Kensington High Street, W8 4PT. The programme will combine presentations, experiential and collaborative work, where the focus will be on peering beneath the umbrella of the ‘LGBTQ label’, looking instead at specific traumas and complexities, specifically for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer communities as individual subcultures. This unique workshop will be a safe space where all stigma is left at the door and relational trauma issues can be explored. For more information click here.
