Key details
Date| Saturday 30 August 2024, 9.30am–4.30pm
Duration| 1 day
Venue| Elie, Gestalt Centre Training Campus, 27 Royal Parade Parkville
Fee | $280 (includes GST)
Facilitator | Gina Denholm
About this event
Does the idea of working with physical conditions in the therapy room fill you with dread? Do you avoid engaging directly with your client’s fibromyalgia, back pain, migraine or fatigue, believing that you can only address the emotional suffering they produce?
Many psychotherapists are reluctant to address their clients’ physical symptoms or diagnoses, believing them to be beyond the scope of our practice. Yet persistent physical health conditions without clear long-term outcomes are on the rise. If we aspire to working with the whole person in therapy, we need to be ready to engage robustly with physical suffering – and take seriously our role in potential recovery.
What you can expect
This workshop introduces a new paradigm for working with chronic pain and illness, advocating for therapists’ role in helping clients recover from, not just live with, distressing physical symptoms. Through the lenses of modern pain science and Gestalt therapy, participants will explore the meaning of pain, understand why recovery is possible, and experiment with techniques to engage with physical symptoms in the therapeutic process.
Who should attend
This workshop is ideal for:
Psychotherapists and counsellors seeking to expand their scope of practice by addressing physical symptoms in therapy.
Healthcare professionals interested in incorporating psychological approaches to chronic pain and physical health conditions.
Body-focused practitioners such as physiotherapists or somatic therapists, looking to integrate emotional and psychological perspectives into their work.
Students and trainees wishing to develop a holistic understanding of working with the mind-body connection.
Anyone working with clients experiencing chronic pain or persistent physical health challenges hoping to foster recovery and resilience.