Open Seminar Series

This workshop includes why we might offer outdoor therapy, some useful theories and some considerations for practice. I will introduce seminar participants to some of the research into the positive impacts of spending time outdoors and why we might think about taking our clients outside. I will offer some ECOTA Theory (including Protocol, Script and Frame of Reference). I will talk about my practice and some key considerations such as privacy and confidentiality. I would like to share my passion and enthusiasm for outdoor practice with the participants and some of my thinking around how moving outside can enliven our work, and our clients.

Sarah Devine is a qualified psychotherapist, trainer and supervisor with an Advanced Diploma in Counselling, and an MSc in Psychotherapy. Sarah is a Provisional Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (PTSTA) with extensive training in Outdoor Therapy and ECOTA. Sarah is a full clinical member of the UKCP and a member of UKATA.

This workshop aims to offer clinical input by exploring various aspects of South Asian culture and how to therapeutically meet their specific needs. I will explore: South Asians and mental health, identity developmental models, common presenting issues, clinical implications for practice.

Rajan Rai (he/him) is a graduate of MSc Integrative Psychotherapy and runs his own private practice in Nottingham. A second-generation British-Indian himself, Raj’s interest lies in how South Asian clients in the UK engage with psychotherapy and issues they may typically present with. A near lack of representation of this demographic in psychotherapy literature fuels his interest. For more information, contact: raicounselling@gmail.com

My objective will be to enable participants to understand that from a relational human-development perspective, sexual compulsivity can be understood both as a clients’ best attempts to meet unmet developmental needs and their need to hold a sense of their own sexual autonomy as adults. Clients come with varying defences and shame is always present. All my clients will have varying levels of developmental trauma. Clients who sexually offend will often have additional sexual compulsivity difficulties. Clients who are sexually compulsive will not necessarily become sexual offenders. My objective will be to explore briefly why I think this is an important distinction.

Sezal is a UKCP registered psychotherapist who currently works part time for a national charity providing couples and individual therapy and provides an IAPT contracted service for couples where depression is an underlying factor in their relational distress. Sezal has her own private practice where her special interest is working with clients experiencing sexual compulsivity with or without the consequences of illegal activity.  Sezal also works as a sessional practitioner for a children’s charity dedicated to the prevention of child sexual abuse.

We have all grown up with the knowledge that our brains are divided into two hemispheres – the left and the right. How often though might we question why? And more importantly are the commonly held answers to our question sufficient and even incorrect? In this seminar we will look at the latest research into the divided brain. After briefly summarising the theoretical understanding of the role of each of the hemispheres up to about 2012, we will move to the main contributor to the field – the work of Iain McGilchrist. We will conclude by summarising the implications for ourselves as human beings and as clinicians.

Rosemary has extensive training and experience as a counsellor, psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer and is trained in both Gestalt Psychotherapy and Integrative Psychotherapy and has completed additional elements of training in Transactional Analysis, Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Counselling. Prior to this Rosemary was a qualified Psychiatric Nurse and has more than twenty years’ experience working in the NHS, including a specialist role as a Nurse Therapist. She is accredited with the UKCP and runs a private practice working with individuals, couples and groups.