North Wales Border – Glyndwr University, Wrexham

THE POWER OF BEING HUMAN

It is possible that this may be the last time we offer a seminar together. Perhaps then it is especially appropriate that we intend to interweave the personal and the professional. Our overarching theme for the day is the power of being human in counselling and psychotherapy. We will spend much of the day addressing this theme through the six issues and questions mentioned below. In each case we will both present our experiences but we also want to dialogue together and with those present. The last part of the day will be given over to an open forum where those present will raise the issues and questions for our dialogue. Participants are encouraged to think in advance of questions to bring to that forum.

ISSUES AND QUESTIONS

1. We will start by each giving some examples from our experience of the power of being human in counselling and therapy. This should set a strong personal atmosphere and may help us all to get closer in touch with our sense of existence as relational human beings.

2. We will briefly review some of the concepts that  we and other colleagues have developed in our efforts to document and interrogate the centrality of being human in counselling and psychotherapy; for example, intimacy, tenderness, relational depth, personal resonance, existential touchstones, etc.

3. We will disclose how the power of being human has been personally grounded in each of us. Brian’s work has been grounded in his Christian faith and Dave’s in his coherent atheism. This part of the day might be particularly interesting to others as we explore how close these apparent opposites can be in their effect.

4. Using our humanness in therapy doesn’t just happen – it needs work. In this part of the day we will focus on the kind of personal developmental challenges we face in our efforts to maintain our consistent offer of humanness. Sometimes the person-centred therapist is characterised as “just letting it happen”, in an ill-disciplined, laissez-faire fashion that lacks such sophistication and depth that training is hardly necessary. Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed the demands on the relationally oriented person-centred therapist are so taxing that one therapist interested in converting from another discipline was heard to say (in the gents loo): “It all makes sense, but it’s not for me – it’s too much like hard work!”

5. There are threats to being human in counselling and therapy. In a world where incongruence dominates and where even many in the helping services collude to keep their own humanness separate from their clients, it is hard work to resist these norms and offer a consistent presence for our clients. Indeed, offering a human presence, although that tends to be highly valued by clients, may be vilified by colleagues. The most generous way to look at this phenomenon is in terms of the institutionalisation of helpers and helping agencies. The current state of institutionalisation of the therapy profession will be reviewed with particular reference to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). This section will include useful information on recent developments in regard to litigation against counsellors and psychotherapists and the unhelpful part being played in that by BACP.   

6. Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of being human in counselling and psychotherapy?  It will be interesting to see how diverse we all are in our future perspectives.

OPEN FORUM (as described earlier)

That’s our thinking on the day to this point, some six months earlier. Almost certainly we will revise our thinking before October 30, but we thought that it was useful to give prospective participants as much information as we could at this time. We will bring along some of our books for discounted sale – here’s a chance to get both authors’ signatures!

Dave Mearns                                      

Brian Thorne

April 2010

Cost £90.00/ concessions including students and volunteers £75.00.

Delegates can make a £30 non-refundable deposit to secure their place with full payment due 8 weeks before the event.

Unfortunately we cannot offer a reduction for group bookings for this event.

Please bring your own lunch. Tea and coffee will be provided.