Dr. Jem Tosh

Bio

Dr. Jem Tosh (they/she) is a Chartered Member and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS), a member of the Canadian Psychological Association, and a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC). They are the Founding Director of Psygentra, an organisation that specialises in the psychology of gender and trauma, and the author of several books: Perverse Psychology (Tosh, 2015), Psychology and Gender Dysphoria: Feminist and Transgender Perspectives (Tosh, 2016), and The Body and Consent in Psychology, Psychiatry, and Medicine: A Therapeutic Rape Culture (Tosh, 2020). Jem won multiple awards for their PhD research, including the Psychology of Women & Equalities Section Postgraduate Prize and their first book was shortlisted for a BPS Book Award. In 2020, Jem and their co-authors were awarded by the Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES) for their commentary critiquing 'desistance' research regarding trans youth, which was published in the International Journal of Transgender Health as well as an edited collection by Routledge.

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RESEARCH

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Jem's work draws on critical discursive psychology and intersectionality theory in genealogical analyses of historical and contemporary archival documents related to gender, sexuality, and violence. They have been a member of the Discourse Unit: Centre for Qualitative and Theoretical Research on the Reproduction and Transformation of Language, Subjectivity, and Practice since their PhD studies, where their Director of Studies was Professor Erica Burman. Jem delivered several seminars at the Discourse Unit during their PhD and was a Guest Editor for a special issue of the Annual Review of Critical Psychology on gender and sexuality. Jem is also a member of the Critical Psychology Network.

As a critical psychologist Jem examines issues around psychology, power, violence, and pathologisation. As a queer and genderfluid feminist psychologist, they analyse these concepts and structures in relation to gendered norms and heteronormativity, as well as the pathologisation of femininity, trans and queer identities, and gender nonconformity. Jem makes a point of including survivors of abuse of many genders in their work (i.e. cisgender and transgender men and women, nonbinary, and intersex folks), as well as analysing the intersections of multiple forms of oppression such as gender, race, class, and disability. 

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TEACHING

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Jem is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and has taught at several universities in the UK and Canada. They have also completed postgraduate training on teaching in higher education with a specific focus on feminist pedagogy. During their time as a Lecturer at the University of Chester, UK they were the department lead on undergraduate teaching of qualitative methods, a member of the research ethics committee, and the department Diversity Representative. Jem teaches on the the topics of gender, sexuality, violence, and research methods to undergraduate and postgraduate students, and has led teaching on discourse analysis at multiple academic institutions. Jem is currently producing academic and professional online courses for the Psygentra Education and Training Centre with a focus on therapeutic approaches to sexual abuse, critical psychology, and qualitative methodologies.

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COUNSELLING

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Jem also provides therapy, specialising in experiences of violence, abuse, and r*pe. They use a non-pathologising, anti-oppressive, and affirming approach that is trauma-centred. Jem draws on a range of therapeutic modalities and perspectives, including feminist therapy and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, Observed and Experiential Integration (OEI), and Lifespan Integration Therapy. They are a Member of EMDR Canada and EMDRIA.

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Jem is a survivor of sexual violence and has written about some of their experiences of abuse and how they have impacted on their career in psychology in a chapter entitled, 'Sexual Abuse and Surviving with(in) Psychology', published in an edited collection on counselling, psychotherapy, and the #metoo movement.

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* Please note that while many of Jem's publications list a longer version of their name, they now go by Jem Tosh. This is the version that should be used when describing, citing, or referencing their work.