Expressive Therapies Training Rooms, Redcliffe QLD
9am - 4:30pm
Morning & afternoon tea provided
BYO Lunch
Trainers: Mark Pearson & Helen Wilson
Professional & Personal Development
In this highly experiential weekend workshop, you will learn multiple approaches to developing mindfulness and expressing self-awareness through creative arts activities. Mindfulness is defined as "paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally" (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). For most of us, our surrounding culture in our developmental years trains us to be externally focused, and to re-visit or regret the past and worry about the future.
There are many ways to step into the present: in this workshop we explore somatic focusing, gentle movement, emotional awareness, observation of automatic thought processes, as well as ways to use the senses to arrive in the moment.
Practice with the activities, observing and sharing internal experiences, and integrating through visual art, claywork, and use of miniatures, provides confidence for both our personal quest and support of others. Mindfulness practice has been shown to lead to increases in wellbeing and therapeutic presence when we are supporting others.
TBA
Introducing Somatic-focused Expressive Therapies
IThe wisdom of the body has been neglected in the evolution of cognitive and behaviourally focused therapy. Focussing on the body, its sensations, feelings and energies enables clients to enhance their therapeutic gains, achieve clearer cognition and establish a more rewarding relationship to the life of their emotions.
This experiential two-day training will introduce a range of creative arts-based therapy skills, including: the use of sensory art, body focus techniques, using movement through bioenergetics for self-awareness and stress release, effective relaxation techniques for those who may struggle to be still and quiet. In this training you will learn to guide clients to use somatic signals to: support self-understanding, combat excessive self-criticism, enhance emotional regulation and improve self-care.
While some therapeutic approaches stress the need to recognise and repair cognitive dysfunction, in ET it is equally critical to pay attention to somatic experience and understand the importance of psycho-physiological connections. Rather than aiming for relief of, or diversion from presenting symptomology, ET increases the ways a counsellor can draw the client's attention to the body's messages.
Counselling and Intuitions
Information, as well as openings to greater knowledge, can come in strange and sometimes illogical ways. The more open we are to 'surprises' in our work, the more enjoyment can come from it. Cozolino (2010) argues that "What we call intuition is likely the result of rapid and unconscious processing." Was Cozolino right? Let's explore this thing called intuition and how it works in counselling settings!
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This workshop offers experiential opportunities to explore Sandplay Therapy and self-compassion in supervision. The research and practice experience of Kristin Neff (2003), Christopher Germer (2009) and Tim Desmond (2015) will inform our exploration of Sandplay Therapy in this supervisory workshop for counsellors, social workers, psychologists, guidance officers, and professionals working in counselling-related fields.
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Expressive Therapies with Young Clients
This workshop offers experiential opportunities to explore professional refreshment and renewal using Sandplay Therapy and Symbol Work. Our day will be to 'travel' through the existential quest for generating hope and optimism. The research and experience of hope as psychological strength will inform our exploration of the professional Self in this workshop.
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