MEDIA RELEASE

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Adrienne Williams, Founder & Web Producer
Bi Social Network
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Bi Social Network mental health initiatives kicks off with online support staff Psychologist Ronete Cohen

July 22, 2011—Bi Social Network moves into ground-breaking initiatives to help the bisexual community and its allies understand mental health education and how it affects every facets and demographic of youth, the elderly, race, class and gender—just to name a few. Psychologist, Ronete Cohen believes in our message to educate the public about bisexual life; along with supporting gay, lesbian and transgender members of our community.

“Bi Life with Ronete Cohen”

Ronete (Pronounced Ron-neat) will join us in two ways—first; she will take questions and answers (Q&A) which members will send via her email. The goal is when you help one person most likely you will help the population of the bisexual community with the same issues. It doesn’t matter where you are, our international network will support all types of questions regarding, sexuality, homelessness, self-worth issues, peer and family acceptance, just to name a few of the many topics that will be tackled—and all support will be held in the strictest of confidence under her practice via our web portal.

Secondly, Cohen will be a featured columnist called Bi Life with Ronete Cohen, where she’ll engage with our members by writing monthly thought provoking articles that will be current to the lives of our community, which will challenge us, celebrate us, support us and nurture our needs.

Ronete Cohen MA is an experienced psychologist with a BA and MA in Psychology from Leiden University in the Netherlands. Her further training includes: a 3-year theoretical and clinical course in Intensive Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (IE-DP) with Ferruccio Osimo MD, Psychiatrist (former President of the International Experiential Dynamic Therapy Association); and Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (STDP)/Affect Phobia Therapy (APT) training with Kristin Osborn MA, Psychotherapist (Associate and Researcher at the Short-Term Psychotherapy Research Program, Harvard Medical School). She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the Dutch Institute of Psychologists (NIP), and the Dutch Association of Child and Youth Psychotherapists (VKJP).

In the Netherlands and in London, Ronete Cohen works with children, adolescents and adults of diverse nationalities, cultural backgrounds, beliefs, sexual orientations and gender identities.  Her expertise includes: giftedness; eating disorders; affirmative bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender psychotherapy; and helping those raised in narcissistic families who often end up in abusive relationships and/or resort to self-damaging behaviours. Her practice, The Rainbow Couch, also offers low-threshold tolerant and affirmative online psychotherapy for members of the bisexual, lesbian, gay, and transgender community who would otherwise not have access to such therapy.

Ronete was Diva magazine’s (a UK lesbian/bisexual glossy) advice columnist from 2005 to 2009. She has been Zij aan Zij magazine’s (a Dutch lesbian/bisexual glossy) advice columnist since 2006. She is an active opponent of reparative treatment and has written various articles on the subject, helping (often behind the scenes) lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists in different countries who are trying to fight it. She has also written a chapter (Using Intensive Experiential-Dynamic Psychotherapy to Treat an Underachieving Gifted Adolescent) for a book, Theory and Practice of Experiential Dynamic Therapy (edited by Ferruccio Osimo and Mark Stein), which will be published in London by Karnac in 2012.

To contact Ronete Cohen MA, please email her at ronete.cohen@bisocialnetwork,com to submit questions for our upcoming featured column called Bi Life with Ronete Cohen or visit her website at www.rainbowcouch.com to learn more about her practice.

To contact Bi Social Network about our growing programs, please visit our contact page to learn more on sponsorship, advertising, membership and our other programs, such as Bi Talk Radio, BSN TV, events and more.

Bi Social Network is extremely excited as we move forward with mental health education initiatives, as a needed community services in our network of education, entertainment and connecting our lives to one another.

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About Bi Social Network:

Bi Social Network is the first interactive bisexual Network dealing with entertainment, sexuality, social events and community. We are particularly focusing on bisexual men, women, teens and social issues surrounding the biphobia and bi-erasure myths of bisexuality in the gay, lesbian and straight communities. Topics will cover areas of social media, entertainment (pop culture), events and community, while regarding our sexuality in an informative educational and enriching way.

We want to be the hub of bisexual events across the nation in the form of workshops, networking events and social entertainment.

entertainment. sexuality. sociability. community. is Bi Social Network.

About ‘I am Visible’ Campaign:

The ‘I am Visible’ campaign goal is to make a difference in the lives of the bisexual community. We are a part of the gay, lesbian, transgender, and straight communities, we also know that there has been a high level of intolerance of late—particularly in our gay and lesbian communities in print, Web, entertainment, politics, and social media. We are here to tell our stories.

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