Continuing Professional Development

with Claire Asherson Bartram

Gestalt is a German word meaning ‘whole’ in the sense of the whole being a sum of its parts. In Gestalt therapy this means the whole person, mind body and spirit. Among its many roots are Gestalt Psychology (different from therapy), Field theory, Existentialism, Body psychotherapy, Phenomenology, Psychodrama, Buber’s I-and-thou and Zen Buddhism.

In this workshop Claire will briefly introduce key aspects of Gestalt theory with experiential explorations to illustrate. The afternoon will be taken up with a Gestalt group experience. You will gain an overview of Gestalt theory of Gestalt in practice, and hopefully some personal awareness.

Claire Asherson Bartram is a senior psychotherapist and supervisor, in private practice with individuals, couples and groups in private practice. Claire qualified as a Gestalt Therapist in 1991 and has been working in the field since then. She spent several years, from 2012 teaching Humanistic Theory and Counselling skills, and supervising at the Minster Centre, and now is a member of the research team.

Book your place on this informative, experiential workshop now.

with Cordelia Zafiropulo

Embark on a transformative journey with this six-week Neuro-Sensory Voice Work (NSVW) series. It is designed for those seeking to deepen their connection to body and voice, enhance emotional resilience, and use sound as a tool for healing. Starting with foundational principles, you’ll build awareness of bodily sensations and learn how sound can ground and orient you.

NSVW is a trauma-informed modality, grounded in an understanding of Polyvagal Theory, which includes the more primitive and complex hierarchical responses of the nervous system. We apply this theory to voice work as a crucial component that ensures a gentle, accessible method for healing and self-expression.

For those who find breathwork challenging, voice can become a bridge to self-regulation, helping participants explore emotions, release tension, and access their core vitality. The trauma-informed nature of this work ensures a safe and paced approach, making it ideal for personal growth or professional integration.

Join the full six-week course, or take individual sessions.

Places on this CPD series are limited. Book yours now!

with Kate Codrington

Menopause is a hot topic and many of your midlife clients will likely be affected by hormonal shifts for a decade or more. Join author Kate Codrington for this positive re-framing of menopause as a rite of passage opening the way for spiritual, personal and creative growth.

This course covers:
-The basics of menopause physiology, what to expect, when and for whom.
-Myth busting the patriarchal narrative
-A seasonal model showing psychological growth
-Embodied practice for all ages and genders to experience the transition
-The most common issues your clients will bring
-Time for sharing, questions and processing
-Resources for further exploration

Packed with insight, humour and take-aways for you to use in your practice, the intention is to enable you to confidently support, reassure and help clients find growth and trust in their transition.

Book your place on this event now!

Victim-survivors are often looked down on, and frequently mislabelled as passive, weak and complicit. As a result, your clients may suffer from being abused and also give themselves a hard time, often believing they themselves are to blame.

It is time to discard these negative misconceptions.

Martine’s book shows that, despite the pain of abuse, people do resist, and resistance takes many forms. It debunks undeserved blame and challenges the idea that a victim’s responses are unhealthy. Responsibility is firmly placed on the abusers, their tactics are exposed, and readers relearn how to be kinder and more compassionate to themselves and others.

Join Martine to learn more about her book. Together, let’s challenge and discard the notion that any victim-survivor is a doormat. In truth, they are resisters.

with Anne Marie Keary and Kimcha Rajkumar

Our bodies are shaped by our experience, and it is how we come to know ourselves, and the world. The practise of Body Psychotherapy offers a route to support us in opening by addressing our embodiment directly. The therapeutic relationship is an embodied relational communication and the more we learn to make more use of our felt experience, the deeper our therapeutic contact can be.

This certificate course is suitable for counsellors who want to gain understanding of how to incorporate working with the body in their therapy practise. It is also suitable to Minster graduates who want to consolidate and expand their learning after completing the 2nd year Body and Psychotherapy module. It is open to practicing psychotherapists, counsellors and finalist students from the Minster Centre, and other institutions.

After a successful first year, this well-received course is returning for 2025/2026. Places are limited and applications are now open. Find out more here.

Join Dr Elya Steinberg’s workshop to explore how brain-computer interfaces (EEG neurofeedback) can support changes in the fear-driven brain and enhance executive functions in the context of psychotherapy for individuals with developmental trauma disorder. Many of the case studies involve individuals of Israeli, second-, third- and fourth-generation Holocaust survivors. Elya’s specific area of expertise is trauma, particularly transgenerational and generational trauma.

Participants will learn about the basics of how developmental trauma impacts brain structures, neurofeedback, its impact on trauma-affected neuronal pathways, and the integration of neurofeedback with various psychotherapeutic approaches.

The workshop will include case presentations demonstrating how EEG neurofeedback has helped people with developmental trauma disorder, as well as opportunities for demonstration and personal experience. Tailored for clinicians, this workshop aims to provide practical insights into the application of neuroscientific findings within clinical settings, focusing on improving executive functioning, emotional regulation, and bodily-based aspects affected by trauma.

This fascinating workshop is limited to 15 places – book your place now.

Grief is unavoidable, yet many of us live as though it won’t happen, avoiding talking about it, making an intolerable situation even more painful.

If, as psychotherapists, we find grief hard to discuss, how can we help our grieving clients open up about one of the most tumultuous and life changing events they may ever experience?

Facilitated by psychotherapist, writer and podcaster Sasha Bates, this workshop covers:

• Physical and creative exercises to compassionately explore your losses and approach your own feelings around this sensitive subject.
• How grief – our own and that of our clients – can be borne, within and outside therapy, and discuss resourcing, in the widest possible sense.
• Grounding our experience within the context of several grief theories; examining their usefulness, or otherwise, in helping us navigate the ways we attempt to bear the unbearable, and give voice to the unverbalizable.

Book your place on Languages of Loss now.

We’re currently developing our programme of CPD events for 2024. Check back here for the latest announcements, or follow us on social media.

An introduction to using the arts as projective method and using the art image as ‘the third’ in the supervision space – with Roshmi Lovatt.

Participants will have the opportunity to use different creative techniques, including small world objects, drawing/art, movement, drama and puppets.

The afternoon will consist of a group Supervision of Supervision drawing upon and integrating the morning’s learning.

Please note that this workshop is open to qualified professionals only.

We are proud to announce that Minster tutor Cecilia Jarvis’ book How to Succeed in Your Counselling and Psychotherapy Training has been published by Open University Press.

Come and join her at this free event for a friendly and informal Q&A, a chance to buy a copy of her book, and to enjoy some cake. This event is particularly relevant for those at the beginning stages of their study.

How to Succeed in Your Counselling and Psychotherapy Training is an accessible and friendly guide for new trainee counsellors and psychotherapists. It outlines the difficulties that a new trainee may encounter and provides guidance on the main aspects of the training journey, both in the classroom and in a clinical placement.

This will be an excellent opportunity for trainees to seek advice and network with your peers, so please book early to avoid disappointment. We look forward to seeing you there!