Embodying Power and Difference in the Clinical Relationship

Embodying Power and Difference in the Clinical Relationship

Recorded Friday 11 September 2020

A one-day exploration led by Carmen Joanne Ablack and Dr Rae Johnson - chaired by Eugene Ellis

CPD Credits: 4 hours

In today’s increasingly complex and polarised social world, many psychotherapists are being called, pulled or pushed into addressing issues of social justice. This is evident in our work with clients, in our relationships with colleagues, and in our own lives.

For those without a background in activism or anti-oppression work, it can be challenging to know where to begin, how to recognize our privilege, unpack our own history of oppression, and to navigate cultural misattunements with clients with honesty and grace.

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SPEAKERS

Carmen Joanne Ablack,

FULL PROGRAMME

Carmen Joanne Ablack
What are we responsible for? How do we know this?
In sharing her current explorations and ideas in a “radical mode” in relation to diversity, Carmen will examine how intersectionality and responsibilities are involved in embodied relating. She will consider what “holding to account” might look like, both within and beyond the therapy room. Diversity and intersectional dynamics are understood as core to embodied relating: a differentiated understanding of what, when, why and how we utilise deconstructive and reconstructive processes as on-going self-reflection and practice development are central to that work. Carmen will be drawing on experiences of therapy work, supervision, organisational and professional consultancy, national and international dialogues.

Discussion and Q&A

Dr Rae Johnson
The Silent Dance of Power in Psychotherapy
In this talk, Rae will argue that it is important to understand how the body is implicated in oppressive social dynamics, as well as how it serves as an essential resource in cultivating our and our clients’ capacities for resistance, resilience, and accountability. This presentation will offer psychotherapists and mental health professionals an overview of current research into the embodied experience of oppression, and how those findings map onto strategies for clinical practice and professional development.

Discussion and Q&A

Workshop 1:
Carmen Joanne Ablack
Embodied Relating – a deconstructive and reconstructive process
Diversity and intersectional dynamics are understood as core to embodied relating, and practicing deconstructive and reconstructive embodied relating is central to our work as therapists and to the profession as a whole. This workshop will be an experiential supervision in which participants are asked to actively engage in the processes of the group despite not being physically with each other.

Discussion and Q&A

Workshop 1: Carmen Joanne Ablack (cont.)

Discussion and Q&A

Workshop 2:
Dr Rae Johnson
Embodying Power and Difference in the Clinical Relationship
This workshop will focus on how social power dynamics can play out in the context of body-to-body interactions, with special emphasis on how the ongoing dance of nonverbal communication between therapist and client can support or impair trust, rapport, and empathy. Using an intersectional approach, we will explore how kinaesthetic empathy, embodied microaggressions, asymmetrical nonverbal interactions, and implicit body norms can shape our relationships with clients.

Discussion and Q&A

Workshop 2: Dr Rae Johnson (cont.)

All panel Discussion and Q&A

End

FEES

Includes: 1 year’s access, test and CPD Certificate of Attendance, subtitles and transcript

INDIVIDUAL

£60 (or £48 Confer member)

GROUP RATE

£50pp in groups of over 10 (please apply to accounts@confer.uk.com)

CPD

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits for 4 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. You can submit this test up to a maximum of 5 times.

SCHEDULE

00:01:56
Carmen Joanne Ablack
What are we responsible for? How do we know this?

00:33:02
Discussion and Q&A

01:00:21
Dr Rae Johnson
The Silent Dance of Power in Psychotherapy

01:34:06
Discussion and Q&A

01:48:30
Workshop 1:
Carmen Joanne Ablack
Embodied Relating – a deconstructive and reconstructive process

02:18:23
Discussion and Q&A

02:31:21
Workshop 1: Carmen Joanne Ablack (cont.)

02:40:46
Discussion and Q&A

02:45:18
Workshop 2:
Dr Rae Johnson

03:09:11
Discussion and Q&A

03:16:05
Workshop 2: Dr Rae Johnson (cont.)

03:45:54
All panel Discussion and Q&A

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By attending this workshop virtually, participants will be able to:
  • Reflect on diversity and intersectionality in clinical practice
  • Identify ways that oppression can be implicitly signalled
  • Describe the role of the body in expressing and healing oppression