TACTT are very pleased and proud to announce that as of 9th November 2026 we have launched a mentoring scheme for trainee counsellors who are trans (who either fit under binary or non-binary definitions) or who are questioning their gender. Trans trainees are under more pressure now than ever within a training environment, with the recent EHRC guidance, and NHS guidance coming out. They have to navigate the practicalities and complexities of people’s reactions to their identity (including from gender “critical” therapists), and we wanted to provide a place of sanctuary and support within that process.
This scheme is available to any person fitting those identity criteria who is currently on a course that will qualify them as a counsellor at the end. It is not open to people on a non-qualifying course, and it is not open to people from outside of the UK. The reason for this is because the demands on trainees are huge, and the demands on mentors will also be significant. Our remit as TACTT is specifically about (psycho)therapists (and counsellors) and therefore, this is where we are pointing our energy. We’d be happy to have conversations with anyone who wanted to set up a mentor scheme for different careers, or different identities, but we will not be opening for coaches, qualified individuals, or people who are not trans or gender-questioning.
If you’d like to be a mentor, you do not need to be trans. We already have multiple people on our list of mentors who are not trans. It is not a requirement to have had lived experience in order to offer support within the mentor scheme.
If you are interested in joining the scheme as a mentor OR as a mentee, please visit our mentorship page and have a read through the further information, which also provides the link to sign up to the scheme.
Please note that there is a specific email for the scheme, which is tacttmentorscheme@gmail.com. If you have queries, please contact us on that email. If you contact us on the main email someone will be able to forward your email, but responses will be delayed as a result.
