Workshops, Facilitation and Teaching

I have experience running workshops for small and large groups, applying a therapeutic approach for personal, commercial, educational and creative purposes.

I’m a staff member at CCPE, facilitating and teaching small and large groups. Outside of the therapy world, I’ve been a faculty member for Columbia University’s postgraduate publishing program since 2016, teaching graduate students about the publishing world in a hands-on way. I’ve also worked with the University of Limerick’s Creative Writing department as a guest lecturer for their MA in Creative Writing and co-facilitating on their residential Winter Writing School retreat.

Workshops

CREATIVITY AND THE SELF: a two-day experiential therapeutic workshop exploring the link between knowing ourselves (‘within’) and our creative endeavours (‘out there’). For a maximum of six participants.

Creativity is the expression of the soul, or true self, through the imagination. This expression can be healing for both the creator and those that witness it, because it helps us to understand and integrate parts of life that are often unconscious or hard to articulate, and gives permission for everyone to understand and be true to themselves. It can also simply be nourishing and fun!

So where does creativity and imagination come from? Rather than inspiration being ‘out there’ waiting to float in on a cloud, I believe that the stories, characters and imagination all exist within us – waiting to be heard; wanting and needing to be expressed.

But, for various reasons, usually because of things that have happened to us at some point in life, there’s often another set of stories and characters holding us back, creating unconscious blocks, preventing the flow of imagination and creativity. They are the inner critics, silencers, blocks — and fear. This can have an impact on us as creators, as well as affecting how fully, authentically or in alignment with our truth we feel we’re living in general. They are often the gatekeepers. They too need to be heard, understood and transformed.

On this experiential therapeutic workshop, you’ll work both individually and with the wisdom of the group, using creative imagination exercises including visualisation, drawing, meditation and psychodrama. We’ll aim to go deeper into the self and to explore ways in knowing ourselves better, even the scary parts, can unlock the imagination, inspire creative expression – and help us to lead more authentic and creative lives.

For two days, I’ll invite you to set aside actual projects you’re working on or have in mind. We won’t be worrying about whether your writing or painting skills are ‘great’. Instead, you’ll have some fun playing with intuitive, instinctive creativity, trusting what comes. You’ll be able to safely challenge yourself, uncover some blocks, get to know yourself on a deeper level and maybe get in touch with something that might be holding you back or preventing you from fully realising your birth-right of a creative life.

Suitable for writers, artists and anyone who’d like to live a more creative life.

Please get in touch for the next dates.

BOUNDARIES IN THE CREATIVE BUSINESS: a half-day or one-day workshop to help staff with the realities of working in an industry where the professional and personal often overlaps and the needs of creative clients require skill and respect.

Suitable for editors, agents, creative leaders and PR teams.

If you have an idea for a specific workshop that you’d like me to run for your team, please get in touch to discuss.