Specialized Gestalt Workshop: Working with Groups and Being in Groups – Graham Colbourne
The specialized workshop is dedicated to:
- Certified Gestalt psychotherapists and trainers
- Certified psychotherapists and trainers of Schools of Psychotherapy of other modalities
Part of Freud’s approach to mental health was to treat clients’ neuroses so that they would fit into society and become more acceptable: thus turning neurosis into the most ordinary anguish!
Part of Perls “approach was to treat clients” neuroses so that they would have more free choices in life, whether those choices were accepted by others or not! Some Gestalt trends tended toward the rugged individualism of “meeting my needs,” rather than seeking mutual and social ethical responsibility. On the other hand, also within the Gestalt tradition there was a strong commitment to working with groups, collaborative experimentation, education and radical political action to fight oppression. Reich, too, experimented with embodied oppression and the potential for freedom. The group relations tradition, beginning in the 1950s and before, accumulated a great deal of experience with dynamics and possibilities in groups and intergroup processes.
Specialized Gestalt Workshop: Working with and being in groups – current global context:
The current spirit of the times is polarized groups, communities and nations, and the beliefs and narratives (sometimes very toxic) used to destructively unite against the hated Other. There is a momentous and urgent need to find a collective answer and understanding of how fear, destructiveness and hostility affect our bodies, relationships, communities around the world, and the need to build healthy, creative, productive and strong groups and communities.
I invite you to come together for three days of working with our direct experiences of being together and discovering our collective potential. I know from autopsy and other people’s practice that peak and spiritually evolving experiences (both wonderful and inspiring, as well as frustrating and painful) are possible in groups. Being committed to belonging involves finding a way to tolerate and appreciate the whole range of experiences, and then bringing understanding, respect and deeper meaning to them.
I have been involved in working with a wide variety of groups and communities since 1977. You may find this workshop particularly useful if you want to grow in the area of working with groups, or if you want to focus your energy on belonging to satisfying and healthy communities.
Specialized Gestalt Workshop: Working with and being in groups – Graham Colbourne:
Graham is an experienced psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer at the Gestalt Psychotherapy Training Institute (GPTI). He completed studies in the subject of clinical supervision at the Sherwood Psychotherapy Training Institute, as well as Studies in Gestalt Psychotherapy and Postgraduate Studies in Youth and Community Work. As a therapist, Graham Colbourne is affiliated with UKCP. He is a trainer of supervisors in England and Scotland and supervises trainees and accredited therapists of various strands in individual and group sessions. He provides individual and group therapy, as well as short- and long-term couples psychotherapy.