Therapist ousted after raising concerns over child gender treatment

Dr Christian Buckland, former chairman of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), says he was forced out of his leadership role after expressing safeguarding concerns about the treatment of gender-questioning children.

He claims he received death threats and other abuse from both inside and outside the organisation.

He had raised objections after children with gender dysphoria were included in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) banning so-called conversion therapy.

Dr Buckland argued that the MoU risked preventing therapists from exploring the root causes of a child’s gender distress, potentially leading to harmful or premature interventions.

“The UKCP office and I received vile and threatening communications for trying to ensure children’s safety was prioritised,” Dr Buckland said.

According to Dr Buckland, the backlash against him was intense. He says he was sent a handwritten note reading “rest in peace”, abusive emails, and was subject to threatening phone calls. One sign marked “RIP” was reportedly delivered to his home.

He believes this campaign of intimidation ultimately led to his removal from the UKCP.

“I felt abused by people both inside and outside of the UKCP,” he said.

He also claimed he was blocked from raising governance concerns and from speaking publicly about the threats he received.

Dr Buckland warned that professional bodies have become overly influenced by activist ideologies, stating: “I fear that it is currently almost impossible for parents to know if their child will see a psychotherapist... who will put their child’s individual needs first over personal and ideological beliefs.”

The controversy centres on the UKCP’s initial support of a ban on conversion therapy, which was later withdrawn.

The organisation cited “the complexities around how it applied to work with children” as its reason for stepping back.

A spokesman added, “Our position is clear: conversion practices are harmful and must never be used, regardless of a client’s age.”

Dr Buckland said his decision was motivated by a desire to protect children from irreversible decisions. “When it comes to child safety, I believe there is no excuse for remaining silent", he said.

UKCP said it takes all reports of harassment seriously and is reviewing its internal decision-making processes, while developing updated gender-related guidance.