by Karen Stewart

Canberra is the National Capital of Australia. The surrounding regional areas are expansive, and our group includes regional New South Wales (NSW) as well as the State of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

NSW, Australia Regional News

Nicola Hoskins-Murphy is starting a supervision group in Orange, NSW for local mental health clinicians who are interested in learning to practice psychodynamically. This is in many ways quite different to mainstream approaches to mental health, certainly in Central West NSW. The small group is drawn from different disciplines and though we will all have come from very different paradigms I’m hoping we can build a shared language to explore the deep potential for transformation which exists in the intersubjective place of aliveness between therapist and client.

CRSPC Conference – February 2023

Nurturing the Tendrils of Health: Working with the Forward Edge in Clients, Self and Community
Presenters are preparing and growing slightly nervous, or is it excitement? As the summer approaches, it is drawing nearer to the time for the CRSPC 2023 conference – to be held on 25 – 26 February 2023 in Deakin, ACT, Australia. The conference will feature clinical case studies, guest speakers, and panel discussions as well as many opportunities to network with colleagues interested in or currently working in the Intersubjective Self Psychology framework. The conference attracts continuing education points from both PACFA and the ACA. Registration begins on 1 November and the earlybird discount is available until 15 December 2022.
Contact Sandra Lauffenburger on info@selfnmotion.com.au for questions or more information.

CRSPC Training News

The final of this year’s 4 weekend workshops on Somatic Self Psychology is being held Sunday 6th November. Olivia Wilson and Sandra Lauffenburger have been guiding a group through Self Psych principles, and Somatic experiences within the Self Psych framework.
So far we have had 3 training weekends where our focus on the shared experience of Embodied Empathic Attunement has woven a rich web of understanding and connection between each other as learning therapists, where our understandings can deepen, no matter how experienced we might be.
Our exploration of Embodied Empathic Attunement anchored and languaged in felt-sense experience and contained within the guiding and holding ideas of Self Psychology and Intersubjectivity theory have powerfully exemplified, within our group, how finding a home for our experience in the welcoming, present and resonating mind, heart and body of another is a necessary condition for human health and flourishing.

We are continuing to explore Developmental process in this final 2022 workshop.

The CRSPC Narcissism and Self Psychology study group began last month. They are still deciding on a name – ‘Narc Squad’, or ‘Narcs Anon’, … any other suggestions welcome.

Monthly Meetings have been held most months of this year. We have had a small group of between 2 and 5 catch up, talk shop (clinical work) and get to know each other and how we practice a bit better. It has been lovely, lively and has made this community feel a little more connected and cohesive. If you haven’t come along yet, make a plan to do so soon.

The CRSPC group is small, but passionate about how they work and continue to learn and grow. We now have an email list that you can subscribe to for communications with the community. To join this list, please send a blank email to: crspc-join@canberraregionselfpsychology.org.

For further information, email kkstewart42@gmail.com who may either respond directly or forward your query onto the right person to respond.

Karen Stewart

After 10 years in the Out of Home Care (OOHC) and education sectors, Karen began her clinical career in the community mental health sector in 2015 and in private practice in 2017. Karen has worked with people of all abilities who have experienced trauma and mental ill health, with offenders in the justice system, people in crisis due to family violence, and as an individual and couples therapist at Relationships Australia (RACR). Karen draws from a number of theoretical frameworks, including self psychology, somatic and feminist approaches, and uses systemic, experiential and emotion-focused approaches when working with adult intimate relationships.