To the  2016 American Group Psychotherapy Association’s Annual Meeting, this time in NYC. Over the 6 days, there were nearly 1100 registrants so plenty of people to meet and a huge programme to choose from.

I was struck by the conversations about what achieving equality meant. The word ‘privilege’ was used a lot: in Britain our first association might be ‘class’ but in America it seems to be ‘race’. Behind both is the belief that ‘privilege’ is an unearned advantage, bestowing on the privileged a power over the less privileged. With the power can come prejudice. Whereas as one delegate put it: “I cannot be racist because I am a black woman”.

Another area of inequality that is receiving more attention is the prejudice against transgender people. As in the UK, gender fluidity is becoming more recognised and discussed, following US  high-profile transitions such as Caitlyn Jenner and Lilly Wachowski (who prior to her transition created the Matrix trilogy with her sister Lana Wachowski). Caitlyn Jenner announced she was transgender in 2015: that year she was the second most searched person on Google.

So the pace of change in both societies is rapid. At the conference, one new aspect for me was to be invited not only to identify yourself by name but also to state which pronoun you would prefer to use: she/her/hers; he/him/his or they/them/theirs. It worked wonders for creating inclusivity for those who prefer not to be gender-identified or who wish to choose their gender identification.

I am very excited to be working with AgeUKCamden in setting up a new 10-week group specifically for people who are 55+ and shortly to leave work or who have recently left work.

The purpose of the group is to provide a supportive space in which members can discuss their reflections, hopes and concerns about leaving work or retiring.

I believe the  emotional effects of the transition from working life to retirement/non-working are under-explored. Retirement is often looked forward to eagerly. It can be a time of new plans, a sense of freedom after years of work.

However it is not always our choice to retire. Even if it was, there may be worries about loss of status, loss of friendship and company, being left with loads of time on one’s hands.

I hope the new group will provide a chance for members to talk about both their hopes and concerns about this major life transition.

My ambition for 2016 is to make ‘leaving work/entering retirement’ a major focus of my group work. Write to me if you would like to know more about my plans.