UPDATE: EVENT CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS
For More Information and to Register Click Here:
(Please also direct any enquires to workshop organisers via this link)
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:
Facilitated by James Bennett-Levy and Tobyn Bell
Research over the past 15 years has shown that one of the best ways for therapists to learn and refine their therapy skills is through self-practice and self-reflection (SP/SR) (Bennett-Levy et al., 2015; Gale & Schröder, 2014). This workshop offers participants the opportunity to learn, practice and experience compassion-focused therapy (CFT) from the ‘inside out’: practicing the therapy interventions on themselves and reflecting on the experience.
The workshop is facilitated by two of the co-authors of the 2018 book: Experiencing Compassion-Focused Therapy from the Inside Out: A Self-Practice/Self-Reflection Workbook for Therapists. It is focused on self-experiential learning and participants will be asked to focus on their choice of therapist or personal issues. These issues will be explored via CFT formulation and interventions, guided by the workshop facilitators, and reflected on individually, in pairs and as a group.
The workshop is suitable for therapists from any theoretical background. It will include interactive teaching, practical exercises, structured written reflections and group discussions. It will be assumed that participants have some prior knowledge or experience of CFT, either through attending the presenters’ one-day workshop the day before, or through other CFT workshops or reading or using CFT in clinical work.
In this workshop participants will:
Formulate their own experiences using a CFT framework
Undertake key CFT interventions to develop compassion for self and others
Use their own experiences of CFT exercises to gain insight into the process and nature of CFT therapy
Work with personal blocks to compassion
Use compassion to work with conflicts of emotion and motivation
Engage in structured reflection to link personal learning to professional practice
Gain experience of the SP/SR format to support future development
Anticipated outcomes are:
Greater compassion, empathy and insight into the client’s experience
A deeper, more nuanced understanding of CFT conceptual and technical skills by experiencing from the inside out
Enhanced interpersonal and reflective skills
Better integration of the CFT conceptual and technical skills with the interpersonal
A greater appreciation of the role of compassion in therapeutic effectiveness
Two other things to note. Firstly, the SP/SR workshop has a slower, more reflective pace than typical didactically-focused workshops. It is a space purposely designed to connect the ‘personal self’ with the ‘therapist self’ through reflective writing and group reflections. Secondly, it is a training workshop, not personal therapy. While enhanced self-care may be a valuable by-product, the primary purpose of SP/SR is enhanced skill development.
Price:
$595 Early bird (by May 31; $645 after May 31)
Packaged together with 1-day workshop (Aug 10-12): $845 (see separate event listing - ‘The Underpinnings of CFT’).
5 Day Lighthouse Week Special (Aug 10-14): $1175* Early Bird; $1415 after May 31st
Workshop prices are inclusive of morning and afternoon tea. We have found workshop participants like to have lunch in Byron cafes, so lunch not included.
* If you can, we particularly suggest you consider the 5-day Lighthouse Week:
– It provides deeper immersion and learning of the practices
– We develop a strong sense of community
– And you get to enjoy Byron at a delightful time of year
About the Presenters:
Professor James Bennett-Levy
James Bennett-Levy is Professor of Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing at the University of Sydney’s University Centre for Rural Health in Lismore. Over the past 20 years, he has developed and researched a self-experiential approach to therapist training known as self-practice/self-reflection (SP/SR). He is Series Editor for Guilford Press’ SP/SR series which includes recent co-authored books: Experiencing Compassion Focused Therapy from the Inside Out: A Self-practice/Self-reflection Workbook for Therapists and Experiencing CBT from the Inside Out: A Self-Practice/Self-Reflection Workbook for Therapists. Previous co-authored books include the Oxford Guide to Imagery in Cognitive Therapy (2011), and the Oxford Guide to Behavioural Experiments in Cognitive Therapy (2004)
Tobyn Bell
Tobyn Bell is a psychotherapist specialising in Compassion-Focused Therapy in the UK. He is part of the training executive for the Compassionate Mind Foundation and is the co-author of the book: Experiencing Compassion Focused Therapy from the Inside Out: A Self-practice/Self-reflection Workbook for Therapists (Kolts, Bell, Bennett-Levy & Irons, 2018). Tobyn has published research on imagery, compassion and supervision, and delivers national and international training on compassion focused therapy, CBT, imagery and supervision. He is trainer, supervisor and program-lead at the Greater Manchester West CBT Training Centre (NHS, UK), and also a trained mindfulness teacher and registered nurse.