Uprooted
Working with Refugees and other Involuntarily Dislocated People
Recorded Friday 28 January 2022
With Professor Renos K. Papadopoulos
CPD Credits: 3.5 hours
Drawing upon years of experience in the consulting room, humanitarian field work, international projects and academic research, Renos Papadopoulos will present refreshing perspectives in relation to work with those who have faced severe adversity due to various forms of involuntary dislocation.
READ MORE...These include not only refugees but also those who have been marginalised in society as well as those who experience more relational and internal forms of loss of home.This therapeutic work he proposes, demands a new and radical approach with in-depth examination of epistemological traps that commonly skew conceptualisations of this type of work. The concept of trauma has been beneficial in throwing light on the suffering of many people. However, it has also contributed to the unprecedented proliferation of theories, methods, and techniques, leaving the practitioner uneasy as to where to turn for solid answers.
This workshop will revisit the basics of working with those who have been involuntarily dislocated by offering a sound and innovative epistemological framework. Renos will address how to support the processing of overwhelming experiences without pathologizing or minimising the negative consequences. The emphasis in this particular work is how to ‘be therapeutic’ as opposed to offering a traditional therapeutic approach. Renos’ work focuses on the integration of experience and moving towards adversity-activated development.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits for 3.5 hours are available as part of the course fee. You will need to fill out an evaluation form and pass a multiple choice questionnaire related to the content in order to receive your certificate.
Access to the Talks On Demand runs for 365 days from the date of purchase.
FULL PROGRAMME
The Need for Sound Epistemological Foundations
How do our presuppositions lead to the conceptualisations that inform our therapeutic work? How much are we aware of these, and how can we increase that awareness? In this session, participants will learn about the ‘epistemological cycle’ and how to develop appropriate ‘epistemological agility’ to improve therapeutic effectiveness. This involves stepping outside of the usual frame that defines therapy and exploring how one can be therapeutic without following traditional psychotherapy techniques.
Q&A
Processing Experiences of Severe Forms of Adversity
Here we will examine the implications of being confronted by realities that are overwhelming, and the constitutive elements of experience when we are exposed to severe forms of adversity. What are the typical reactions that they evoke in us, and what are the effects of such reactions? How are our abilities to process appropriately affected when exposed to overwhelming experiences? In this session, participants will learn how to address the perplexing complexities of overwhelming phenomena, how to discern the importance of the dimension of time, and how to use it therapeutically.
Q&A
The ‘Adversity Grid’
Over the years, Renos has developed the ‘Adversity Grid’, a framework that conceptualises the wide range of adversity responses, which has been used widely in many forms of therapeutic work, such as rapid assessments in humanitarian crises, in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as in other contexts. In this session, using all the learning above, participants will gain practical knowledge about the nature and benefits of this framework, enabling them to discern the complexity of effects that the adversity has on their clients, and by communicating this to their beneficiaries in a therapeutic way, via the ‘Synergic Therapeutic Complexity’ approach which Renos has developed.
Discussion