During this workshop we’ll explore what makes for a sustainable therapeutic practice.

In our work as therapists – counsellors, arts therapists, psychotherapists, psychologists – our exposures to the vulnerability and suffering of others are high.

It’s natural and inevitable we’re affected by the work we do. It’s also necessary, because our effectiveness depends on it.

Attunement, empathy, and insight – the features of effective therapy - are all dependent on our capacity to be affected by the presence and experience of another person. But we can often reach a point in our work where we feel more impacted than feels good to us. The cumulative effect of our exposures to the suffering of others and to the complexity, ambiguity, and slow-going nature of much therapy, can leave us feeling like it’s all a bit much.

Add to the mix the particular challenges of the environments and the society we work in, and it’s no surprise that we might feel overwhelmed at times and/or wonder whether we’re approaching burnout.

So, two central questions will guide our inquiry in this workshop:

How do we care for ourselves so that we experience and embody our capacity to be affected as an asset rather than a liability?

How do we care for ourselves so that our practice feels sustainable & worthwhile?

Workshop participants can expect to walk away from the day with practical suggestions for advancing the practice of real, effective self-care in their therapeutic practice.

This workshop follows on from Real Self-Care for Therapists I earlier in the year. You don’t need to have attended that workshop to attend this one and benefit fully from it. If you did attend the first workshop, you’ll find that this second one builds on and adds to the ideas discussed in the first.

When: Friday, 18 October 2024
Where: Avebury House, Christchurch
Facilitator: Philippa Ranby
Facilitation fee: $190

Workshops are formats of integral learning about particular aspects of spirituality and contemplative practice and how these are lived in daily life. Workshops include teaching periods, spiritual practices, creative and body-based inquiries, and group discussions. There are opportunities for personal reflection and interpersonal exchange, the shared wisdom of the group being key in developing insight and understanding.

I’m committed to supporting people in their engagement in spiritual practice and want my offerings to be accessible to people. If the cost of this offering is a barrier to your participation please contact me to express your interest and request a reduced fee.