Centre for Cross-Cultural Studies at IFT

October 15th: Moving between cultures: the experience of looked after and adopted children

Children who are no longer able to live with their birth parents and are placed in the care system may have to move family and culture many times. Each foster family is from a different culture; whilst the placing social worker has been diligent in trying to find a family with a similar ethnic and cultural background to the child, the rhythm of every day life is different in every family and children struggle to make sense of the rules, both overt and covert that organise the life of the families with whom they live. For children who are adopted, either within the UK or from overseas, the sense of being "different" can be overpowering. This workshop aims to draw on the experience of participants to think about the issues that arise for children in these circumstances.

Sara Barratt is the team leader of the Fostering, Adoption and Kinship Care Team at the Tavistock Clinic. She will talk about her clinical experience of working with children and carers who are struggling to form a ‘family’ that fits for them and use participants' experience to consider the themes that arise from this work and how we should attend to them to provide a more secure environment for these children.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO BOOK A PLACE PLEASE EMAIL [email protected]

Visit http://cccs.typepad.co.uk/ OR CALL 020 7391 9150

Early Evening Events

Very topically and picking up on the recent debate in Context we look forward to welcoming you at the next Early Evening Event on May 21^st when Shila Rashid will present

'The Audacity of hope': What does Barack Obama's experience tell us about the Politics of Race?  

 

Please inform your colleagues and contact [email protected] to book a place.

Book Club

Next meeting: Thursday 30^th April at 6.15pm.  We are pleased to welcome Steven Walker, author of ‘Culturally Competent Therapy; working with children and young people’ to this meeting to join us to discuss his book.

 

Working with Refugees Systemically: Trauma, Resilience and Adversity-Activated Development

Professor Renos Papadopoulos PhD is a renowned and distinguished writer, trainer, consultant and researcher.  He will draw upon his rich and wide experience of working with asylum seekers and refugees to present this vibrant and stimulating workshop.   A refreshed and expanded perspective that can acknowledge both the impact of traumatised experiences and the realities of resilience and adversity- activated development will be presented to inform our theory and practice. This workshop will demonstrate how ideas developed in this context can be widely applicable to a broad range of professional contexts and will be useful to all those working with individuals, couples, children and families.

 Renos Papadopoulos is the Director of the Centre for Trauma, Asylum and Refugees, a member of the Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the Tavistock Clinic, Jungian analyst in private practice and a consultant to the United Nations.  He has published widely in this field.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO BOOK A PLACE PLEASE

CONTACT [email protected] or call 

0207 3919150

Visit: http://cccs.typepad.co.uk

 

 

Early Evening Events: Taking Risks in Working Cross Culturally

Barry Mason, Consultant Systemic Psychotherapist, The Institute of Family Therapy and in private practice

This presentation could also be entitled: 'The Personal and the Professional: Constructing Bridges Across Difference’

In this seminar, I will talk about the development of my own personal belief system and look at how I work with people with very different beliefs - not least in relation to gender, religion and culture. I have become particularly interested how, in wishing to connect therapeutically across difference, I don't necessarily disqualify some of my own personal ways of seeing. An example of this approach is an article I recently wrote for Context (August, 2008) - 'The Bridging Card'- in respect of greeting women who do not shake hands with men because of their religious beliefs.

I will also show some video of my working with a British Indian man who described himself as essentially a Buddhist, but with Christian influences. He knew that I did not believe in God.

There will be plenty of time for discussion and debate. 

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO BOOK A PLACE PLEASE EMAIL [email protected]

OR CALL 020 7391 9150

 

Developing Cultural Competence in Looked After Children and Adoption Contexts

This training will be of value to those working with foster carers, in residential care, in LAC teams, adoption agencies, CAMHS, social care and other safeguarding settings. It aims to build on participants existing skills and to enhance understanding, awareness, sensitivity and responsiveness in working cross culturally in this important area of practice.

This course provides:

• an introduction to a systemic theoretical framework and practice skills to augment ways of working and to enable participants to view their work from different and useful perspectives.
• It will address current, relevant issues, dilemmas and service direction in the looked after and adoption field e.g. Care matters: Time for Change (2006).
• Address anxiety and risk-taking in working cross culturally.

The programme will focus on relevant themes e.g. the system around the child; expectations of therapeutic help; trauma and transitions; living in multiple contexts; child focused practice; multiple meanings of ‘family’; working with attachment, loss & resilience; conflict resolution; stigma & discrimination and the personal, professional, emotional impact of the work.  There will be a mix of lectures, skills workshops, seminars and opportunities for case consultation.

 Trainers: Dr Enid Colmer, Dr Sharon Bond, Sumita Dutta plus contributions from specialists in the field both from within the Institute and from other organisations.       

4 Days: 14-15^th May AND 4-5^th June

 

 Places will be limited so please book early to secure your place

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO BOOK A PLACE PLEASE

CONTACT [email protected] or call 

0207 3919150

 

Download Microsoft Word - DCC-flyer 1

Strictly Couples: different perspectives on race, culture and diversity

Gwen Daniel,Consultant Family and Systemic Psychotherapist at The Tavistock Clinic and in private practice

Dr Rabia Malik,Co-ordinator of the Marlborough Cultural Therapy Centre and Senior Family Therapist

Damian McCann,Consultant Family and Couple Systemic Psychotherapist, Barnet CAMHS and in private practice.

• Gywn will present different systemic frameworks for working with couples and explore forms of diversity. She will pay particular attention to questions of gender and power in couple relationships and discuss ways for therapists to access their own creativity when working with diversity and difference.
• Damian will consider challenges facing couples in current society and link this to thinking about minorities within minorities, including sexual minority issues in couple relationships from different cultures.
• Rabia will present some ideas on working with second generation Pakistani couples; negotiating the terrain of changing cultural and religious values and expectations, identities and gender relationships.

These three presenters will choreograph their different steps to working with couples into this vibrant day of benefit to all therapists, counsellors & practitioners.

For more information download the conference programme.

Download Conference programme

For more information and to book a place please visit our website www.ift.org.uk or contact the training department 0207 3919150

Early Evening Events

The centre is arranging early evening events approximately bi-monthly throughout 2009. They will feature talks by distingusihed presenters on relevant topics and be a forum for sharing information and interests to keep abreast with developments in the field. We aim to create an inclusive community that can share ideas, interests, conversation and learning. Come and join us. You will be very welcome. The first 3 are:

1. February 19th: Fathers and sons: working with Caribbean families

Lennox Thomas, Consultant Psychotherapist, Child and Family Therapist in Independent Practice and at The Refugee Centre

2. April 2nd: Taking Risks in working cross culturally

Barry Mason, Consultant Systemic Psychotherapist, The Institute of Family Therapy and in private practice.

3. May 21st: 'The Audacity to hope': What does Barack Obama's experience tell us about the Politics of Race?

Shila Rashid, Senior Systemic Psychotherapist, NELMHT CAMHS.

To be held on Thursday evenings 5:30-7:30pm at The Institute of Family Therapy at a cost of £15 each.

To book a place please complete an application form. Download APPLICATION FORM

Book Club Meetings

Book Club meetings are on Thursdays from 6.15pm to 7.30pm at IFT on:  

February 5^th     We are delighted that Charlotte Burck joined this meeting to discuss her book with the group. See attached. Download Multilingual living (2)

Thursday 19^th March We will discuss – Steven Walker (2005), Culturally Competent Therapy: Working with Children and Young People, Palgrave, Macmillan: London

New members are very welcome.  Please email Becky Curtis to add your name to the list of members. ([email protected])

"Whiteness in Clinical Practice"

Friday, 28th November 2008

What meanings do we hold about whiteness?

Do we take account of whiteness/shades of whiteness or not in

our clinical work, supervision and teaching?

We are delighted to welcome our two main speakers and workshop presenters who will draw upon their clinical practice, writing and research to present different aspects of this much neglected topic.

Claire Dempster, Lead Family Therapist, South London & Maudsley NHS Trust: The White Leviathan.

Philip Messent, Head of Family Therapy, East London NHS Foundation Trust: Working with White Working-Class Families in the East End - Same or Different?

There will be range of Workshops on Whiteness from white and BME (black and minority ethnic) presenters.

For more information, refer to the conference program.

Download conference_programme.doc

Time: 10am - 4.30pm

Venue: Institute of Family Therapy, 24-32 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HX

Cost: £110

To book a place please visit IFT's website www.ift.org.uk or contact the Training Department 0207 391 9150.