John speaks to Phil about his new book ‘The Sexual Abuse of Boys and Men, Creating an Approach for Neglected Victims’.
Male victims of sexual abuse remain hidden, ignored, dismissed, misunderstood, ridiculed and above all else, neglected. Boys and men are less likely to be identified as victims, less likely to recognise they have been abused, less likely to disclose and less likely to engage with services. This book addresses the many issues and disadvantages uniquely and disproportionately facing male victims, and will explore how environmental factors (nurture) and biological factors (nature) play a part. The book will also explore how to adapt practice making it more male-friendly, and it will provide examples of how to use therapeutic approaches with male victims whilst utilising, rather than demonising, elements of masculinity.
Learning Objectives:
- A Participants will hopefully experience a different perspective when it comes to tackling the sexual abuse of boys and men
- Participants will hopefully have a greater understanding of the barriers and adversities disproportionately and in some cases uniquely facing male victims.
- Participants will hopefully experience an interpretation of masculinity that is different from the current narrative that tends to demonise masculinity
Who is this appropriate for?
- Service managers, practitioners, therapists and other front line workers supporting/working with male victims of abuse
How may this impact your practice?
- Participants will hopefully be open to exploring how they can adapt their practice to make it more male-friendly and accessible to male victims whilst also feeling more able to tackle gender biased practiced affecting male victims
Course Content
Presenter
Phil is a senior accredited counsellor and psychotherapist specialising in working with boys and men who have experienced recent and/or historic sexual abuse. Since 2004 Phil has worked therapeutically with males affected by rape, sexual abuse, sexual violence and sexual exploitation. Phil experienced sexual exploitation as a child, and rape as a young adult. He is an experienced public speaker and has trained thousands of professionals across the country on male sexual abuse/exploitation addressing how masculinity can play a part and help boys and men deal with abuse. Between 2009 and 2018 Phil was the Project Coordinator of a male only child sexual exploitation (CSE) service. Here, Phil was instrumental in the development of nationally recognised male CSE resources and in the support provided to a sexually exploited boy highlighted in Jack CSE serious case review. Phil also managed the national male CSE development project ‘Excellence for Boys’ which saw male referrals to 20 CSE services increase from 91 to 249. Phil has appeared on TV and in the media on numerous occasions highlighting the abuse of boys and men, and has contributed to various research and publications addressing male CSE. Phil is also a qualified supervisor and supervises trainee and qualified practitioners working with vulnerable children and adults. Phil is passionate about ensuring boys and men at risk of, or who have experienced abuse are appropriately identified and supported in a way that promotes gender equality and combats misandry and gender biased practice, ensuring services are appropriately accessible to and inclusive of males. Phil released his first book addressing the sexual abuse of boys and men in 2023. Further details can be found at the website.
