Blog

In 2017, a group of white therapists came together to explore ‘whiteness’. The group soon gained the interest of people from many different backgrounds. In the penultimate part of her series on exploring colour dynamics, Sonya Welch-Moring describes how her pioneering SHADES Circles are taking forward the task of creating space for ‘uncomfortable and difficult conversations’.

When and how should we raise the alarm when we have concerns about a child’s welfare? In her second occasional blog about safeguarding children in therapeutic settings, independent social worker Gretchen Precey discusses ways in which children may disclose, the difference between acting quickly and acting thoughtfully – and the vital importance of a child feeling believed and received.

What role does acknowledging difference play in the establishment of a safe therapeutic space? In the third part of her series, systemic therapist and Ancestral Constellations practitioner Sonya Welch-Moring addresses therapist discomfort around discussing colour dynamics, and explains how ‘diaspora dollies’ can help start essential conversations.

Top clinicians and thought leaders, including Bessel van der Kolk, Janina Fisher, Dan Siegel, Julia Samuel and David Weaver, are coming together for PESI UK’s three-day Mental Health Awareness Summit this May – and it’s all completely free.

Harlow’s monkeys taught us the impossibility of choosing between food and love. In her third blog about her Kitchen Therapy practice, Charlotte Hastings explains how she seeks to recombine the two by cooking with clients – an approach that originated in her work with addiction, and is rooted in ‘the shared sustenance of connection’.

One of the legacies of slavery and colonialism is a reluctance to openly discuss colour dynamics, leaving damaging inequalities to resonate down the generations. In the second part of her series, systemic therapist and Ancestral Constellations practitioner Sonya Welch-Moring describes her use of ‘diaspora dollies’ to draw out the stories around skin colour that can whisper through family systems.

Most therapists appreciate that mindfulness can be a great mental health resource. But how many of us find time to get round to it ourselves? As we mark Stress Awareness Month this April, Margaret Landale, a specialist in stress-related and psychosomatic disorders, shares her own struggle to make just 15 minutes a day for mindfulness – and the benefits when she does.

How can we safely uncover and explore colour dynamics – in our client work, our personal lives, and as a profession? Sonya Welch-Moring is a systemic therapist and Ancestral Constellations practitioner who has been developing a creative embodied approach for individual and group work. In this new five-part series, she explains how SHADES of Life can help all therapists to talk about colour, power and inequality… and to take action.

This month, PESI UK invites you to connect with Dr Pat Ogden, Dr Stephen Porges, Professor Jeremy Holmes and other key voices in trauma and attachment. Taking place from April 15-16, this special two-day conference will consider the needs of some of our most vulnerable clients in this time of global stress.