New Voices (New Spaces)

STAA Conference

16th of November 2024

Dundee

 
 

Apex City Quay Side
Dundee
DD1 3JP

9:00-5:00

Tickets will go on sale from the 19th of October 2024. Click here to buy your tickets

Schedule of the day will be posted here on the 19th of October with link to purchase tickets.

The 2024 Keynote Speaker.

The STAA committee have invited Rebecca Elston to deliver this years keynote. Rebecca is a new voice within the TA community- recently being published in the 2023 special issue; Ecological Transactional Analysis (Eco-TA) of the TAJ:- "Making New Meaning With Eco-TA: Using the Aggregate Script Helix to Explore the Contribution of Place to Script Development." Transactional Analysis Journal, 53(1), 80–92.

Rebecca (she/her) is a Certified Transactional Analyst who works with an intersectional and ecological lens. As a member of the Eco TA movement since its inception in 2019, Rebecca has been working to share these practices and perspectives, delivering training certificates and at conferences, and has written an article about how relationship with place, as well as with people and culture, influences script development. Her supervision training is in intersectional supervision, and she is an active contributor to the TA neurodiversity network as a neurodivergent individual. Her interest is in working with people as unique individuals within systems (and ecosystems). She lives in Nottingham, is a psychotherapist, keen though not always successful gardener, sister to three brothers and guardian to two cats.

Workshops

Morning Workshops

The line of mutuality, where self and other meet

Rebecca Elston (she/her)

All fields of TA – intermediate

The Art Gallery

How do we identify the boundary between self and other? When are we imposing too much or hoping for the other to do more than we are willing to do?

Some call it games, script, the drama triangle...

How do we determine who or what 'other' is?

We will explore the space between and meeting point of self and other in this workshop. Though discussion, presentation and experiential activity we can consider the perception of other from a human and more-than-human perspective and develop thinking on the line of mutuality. Hopefully we can venture outdoors with this in mind should the weather allow!

I am a CTA (P) UKCP registered psychotherapist based in Nottinghamshire working in person indoors and outdoors and online. My areas of interest are

ecology and intersectionality and my work is grounded in principals relating to these elements. I also provide ecological and neuroaffirmative supervision and

training and hope to enter into a contract as a PTSTA early in 2025.

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Adult and “Adult” – helping clients resist unhealthy ideas about
being a grown up

Matthew Elton

Counselling, Psychotherapy, Education. Foundation Year through to TSTA

Melbourne

Some of our clients operate with a demanding conception of what a healthy and “together” adult human should be like. When they fail to live up to this idealised conception of adulthood, as is inevitable, they feel distress and shame.

When such clients start to bounce back from shame and despair, instead of jettisoning the idealised conception of adulthood, they lean into it. They want to get “more focused”, “more rational”, “more serious” about solving their problems. But the new attempts will, soon enough, be undermined by the grip of a conception of adulthood that leaves little room for disappointment, uncertainty, overwhelm, and acceptance of the limitations of personal power. Using case studies, we’ll look at practical ways of working with these clients such as introducing tools that help to name, notice, and satirise the toxic influence of the idealised conception of adulthood. And we’ll explore how therapist and client can work together to subvert old and idealised conceptions of adulthood and explore preferred alternatives.

Matthew Elton is a therapist and supervisor based in Edinburgh and has been in private practice since 2005 . He works with a wide range of clients and has a special interest in writers and artists. His formative training was in Transactional Analysis and he has since developed a strong interest in Narrative Therapy. Matthew regularly runs workshops for counsellors and therapists in Scotland, across the UK, and online.

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The Hunger-O-Meter: A new TA approach to understanding and resolving binge eating

Ruxandra Blidaru

All fields of TA, all levels of training.

Vancouver

Introducing the Hunger-O-Meter, a new TA tool aimed to help identify unmet psychological hungers and their link to binge eating. Identifying whether our psychological hungers are satisfied presently (or historically as part of regression work) can offer a sturdy diagnostic basis for further exploration into binge

eating behaviour, and its source and manifestation.

Ruxandra is in her third year of study at Physis Scotland. Her main areas of interest within psychotherapy and TA are neurodiversity and intersectionality,

disordered eating, and trauma. She lives in Edinburgh and insists that she moved to Scotland for the weather


Afternoon Workshops

‘I Don’t Think I Am Academic Enough: Find Your Academic Voice’

Nea Clark and Fiona Firman

Psychotherapy Filed

The Art Gallery

‘Are you a finding it difficult expressing yourself in writing?’

‘Perhaps you struggle reading and processing academic articles and doubt your academic ability?’

‘Are you a practitioner, bursting with creativity, and doubting your ability to express yourself through academic writing, teaching and workshops?’

If any of the above questions resonate with you, and you would like to break through your self-limiting beliefs and discover the academic within, please come and join us. We will explore together different learning styles, different types of energies, and how people naturally express themselves. We will also discuss how neurodiversity can hinder our academic confidence. We will invite you to begin your own journey of building your professional worth, allowing yourself to shine in your own unique individual way.

Nea is a PTSTA-Psychotherapist, author, Supervisor and NLP practitioner. She supports Neurodivergent trainees in Physis Scotland. She is practising in Leeds, United Kingdom, where holding supervision groups face to face/online, webinars and seminars on a regular basis. And specialising in Neurodiversity, mainly clients and supervisees with ADHD and Dyslexia. Nea developed a complete therapeutic treatment plan and training program for working with ADHD clients; her book is being published in June 2024. Travel into the ADHD Mind: How to work with ADHD clients.

Fiona is a UKCP registered psychotherapist, supervisor, and an accredited COSCA Diploma trainer. She practices in Edinburgh and also online. Fiona is a Director of Training at Physis Scotland and is one of the Core Tutors for Foundation Year.

Fiona has extensive experience in working with adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. She also has a special interest in working with clients who have a Borderline process, &/or a formal diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder.

Fiona identifies as Neurodivergent and has considerable experience working with many clients, supervisees and trainees who identify as Neurodivergent.

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Leadership and the three intelligences – What has TA got to offer?

Sandra Wilson

All fields of TA, all levels of training.

Melbourne

New age leaders need to leverage the power of AI to do what it does best to release them to focus on the human and emotional aspects of effective leadership. It’s time for to become emotionally, socially and relationally intelligent. In this workshop we will look at how TA can support leaders’ development on a journey to gentle leadership in an aggressive world.

Sandra has 35 years’ experience in working with individuals, teams and organisations to bring about transformational change. Sandra describes herself as an enthusiastic researcher of human behaviour and defines her offer as “helping people get out of their own way”.

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Voicing Sex and Sexuality in the Therapeutic Space

Lohani Noor

I bring a blend of TA and non TA modalities, a pluralistic approach.

No minimum level required, just an openness to exploration

Vancouver

The integration of sex and sexuality into therapeutic practice is essential for holistic healing and client empowerment. This workshop aims to explore howntherapists can create an open, supportive environment where discussions of sex and sexuality can flourish. By identifying barriers and misconceptions, we can enhance our therapeutic effectiveness and adopt healthier narratives around these vital aspects of human experience.

Consent to Participate: This session will involve discussions about sensitive sexual material, which may include explicit language, descriptions of sexual activities, and exploration of diverse sexual identities and practices. By participating in this group, you are giving your consent to engage in these discussions.

Confidentiality: What is shared here should remain within the group. Please respect each other’s privacy and refrain from sharing personal information outside of this setting.

Trigger Warning:

Please be aware that the content discussed may be triggering for some individuals. Topics may include, but are not limited to, sexual dysfunction, consent, trauma, and diverse sexual practices. If at any point you feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed, you are encouraged to take a break, step out, or discuss your feelings with the group.

Voluntary Participation:

Your participation is entirely voluntary. If you feel that you cannot engage with the material being presented, you are welcome to excuse yourself from the discussion at any time.

Thank you for your understanding and commitment to creating a safe and respectful environment for all participants.

Lohani is the Founder and Director of The Institute for Relational and Sexual Therapies (ThIRST). Her first training was The Diploma in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy. She then went on to complete a MSc in Psychosexual Therapies. She is accredited with the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT) and UKCP Registered.

Lohani is an active volunteer, running a fortnightly group for adults who experienced the care system as children. Author of audible classic ‘12 steps to sexual connection’


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