Processwork and critical psychotherapy

Should psychiatrists, psychotherapists and counsellors start thinking critically - and act upon - how much we’re caught up with individualism, pathologizing language of medicine and clinical psychology as instruments of the status quo? Does the focus on the individual only create suffering and overshadows collective agency? What sort of political agency do both counsellors and clients have?

Should the training of therapists/counsellors include political economy, sociology, philosophy, anthropology and the arts? Should the training also develop skills to observe and deconstruct ideologies, including one’s own? Should we be more aware of how we are engaging politically with issues around mental health? How can we create various therapeutic, safe, confidential spaces and practices? How to bring the insights and the empowerment from the intimate therapeutic spaces to the outside and to society?

In this workshop, we will address the mentioned questions as well as have a presentation of the Worldwork method (group work on social and political issues) and Rank dynamics theory (power positions in relationships/groups/society) which are crucial parts of Processwork. Processwork (Process-oriented psychology) is a facilitation model and theory, developed in the 1970s, applied in a range of contexts including individual work (psychotherapy) as well as working with groups, organisations and communities. As it focuses on the present process/dynamics of an individual/group, along with developing awareness around it and finding its potential for change, processwork can be practiced in various modalities: verbally (unfolding the structure, causes, purpose and meaning in a specific process, in relationships, challenges, conflicts and creativity); nonverbally (bodywork, movement, nonverbal states, art); working on the psychological, social, political and systemic levels; community dialogue and open forums. Together, we will share our experiences of power and powerlessness, and discuss the potential of various psycho-social approaches to system change.

The workshop will be held by Morana Trenta.

Please register under morana@morana.pw