Book Launch: Talking about non-recent child sexual abuse: survivor, clinician and researcher perspectives

The Freud Museum London is pleased to host this evening event to mark the publication of ‘Talking about non-recent child sexual abuse: survivor, clinician and researcher perspectives’.

Judith Herman emphasizes that without an organized political movement, society’s natural response to atrocities is denial, silence and disavowal. The origins of this book are linked to the discoveries of the atrocities inflicted by Jimmy Savile which came to public attention in 2011. Police operations, Media reviews and NHS inquiries followed and subsequently the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual abuse was the definitive state response, set up in 2014. Many of the book contributors had been working in this area within various fields for a long time but these events prompted Danny Taggart and Jo Stubley to create a small group, subsequently named the Network for Change: NRCSA. This is an ethical and political stance, holding a belief that this is not a subject that can or should be confined to the clinical arena, but has legal, welfare and profound social implications. The book brings together the different voices of the network, as well as other collaborators. It has a number of contributors who bring a psychoanalytic focus and this feels particularly important in relation to the history of psychoanalysis and Freud’s relinquishment of the so-called seduction theory.

The event will have four of the chapter contributors on a panel, each bringing their own perspective on this topic, with encouragement for an open and authentic dialogue with the audience. The panel presenters are Danny Taggart, Sara Scott, Louise Allnutt and Michael May and the event will be chaired by Jo Stubley.

Speakers:

Louise Allnutt is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist who leads the psychotherapy team at Great Ormond Street Hospital. She has worked in trauma focused services throughout her career, including family court assessment services and inpatient and outpatient services in hospitals. Louise is particularly committed to supporting staff at the frontline to ensure hope and recovery can be sustained in the most challenging circumstances. This has included developing reflective practice groups in hospitals, specialist services for children and families impacted by CSA, and safeguarding teams. Louise also enjoys teaching psychoanalytic thinking to child psychotherapy trainees in all training schools here and abroad and has taught trauma specific courses for many different professional groups throughout her career.

Michael May works through consultancy, strategic planning and training to equip organisations with skills and insight to better understand experiences of minoritised stakeholders. A former leader in the voluntary and public sectors, he brings a history of management, leadership, psychological training and lived experience to help others better understand and solve issues of Inclusion.

Sara Scott is a BCP registered psychotherapist at the Fitzrovia Group Analytic Practice working with individuals, couples and groups. She manages the Non-Recent Child Sexual Abuse Team as part of the Trauma Service at the Tavistock Clinic. Sara’s first training was at Goldsmiths College where she trained as an Art Therapist. She trained at the Institute of Group Analysis and is a Training Group Analyst. She trained as an Individual Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist at the Tavistock Clinic as well as taking courses in organisational consultancy there. She supervises both groups and individual work.

Joanne Stubley is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust. She is the lead clinician of the Tavistock Trauma Service, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and a psychoanalyst who has also been trained in trauma-specific modalities of care. Dr Stubley was Co-Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Expert Reference Group on non-recent child sexual abuse, a position statement on NRCSA was published by this group in August 2026. She is an honorary lecturer at University College London and has written widely on trauma, teaching nationally and internationally. She is co-editor of “Complex Trauma: the Tavistock Model” with Linda Young, published in 2022, which was nominated for a Gravida Award.

Daniel Taggart is a reader in clinical psychology at the University of Essex, and a chartered psychologist. Danny worked at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse from 2019-2022 where he was the principal psychologist and clinical lead for the Truth Project. Danny has worked as an advisor to the Northern Irish Historical Institutional Abuse Redress Board, the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry and Redress Scheme, the Jersey Care Inquiry Citizens Panel and the Mother and Baby, Magdalene Laundry and Workhouse Truth Recovery process in Northern Ireland. His current research is focused on survivor participation in non- recent institutional abuse inquiries, the ways that childhood trauma impacts engagement with public services, and what value survivor testimony has in both facilitating recovery from trauma and creating change in institutional practices.

Tickets:

Solidarity Ticket – £26.94

Standard Ticket – £16.40

A limited number of bursary tickets (£11.13) are available for those under financial hardship. Please email perry@freud.org.uk to apply for a bursary.

Freud Museum Members and Patrons receive 20% off the standard ticket price on all events, courses, conferences and On Demand programming.

The purpose of this event is to raise funds for the Freud Museum London, which receives no regular Government income. We are grateful to you for supporting our independent museum as generously as possible.

The event will be held on the first floor of the Museum during regular opening hours. Unfortunately the Freud Museum does not have step-free access at this time. Advance booking is highly recommended as capacity is limited.