Dialogues on Identities

Workshop’s purpose

An opportunity to reflect on how the wider socio-historical political cultural conditions and discourses shape and inform how we identify ourselves.

How do the stories we tell ourselves and the meaning we give them influence how we construct and experience our identities?

How do our identities can give us social power and status and shape us in our self-expression and self-identifications and what the strengths and limitations of this brings.

Through starting conversations/dialogues between the facilitators, we intend to ignite a broader reflective dialogue of those participants who wish to take part in this. There will be various dialogues on various aspects of identity.

A central idea in this day will be: can we be interested in disrupting (binary) identities and traditional concepts, particularly when this broadening ideas of identities are negatively being framed as ‘woke’? Can we allow ourselves to think more ‘wildly’, allowing disorder and ambiguity?

Can we open to expanding possibilities of self experience and self expression through becoming more aware of how social, political, psychological and systemic constructs unconsciously inform how we form our identities? How does this inform the therapeutic practice both through unconscious constructs of the therapist and the client and the interplay between them?

Who is it for?

Therapist and counsellors of all modalities.

Learning Outcomes

There are no learning outcomes as such as by its nature of the Socratic Dialogue, the outcomes cannot be predicted. As facilitators, we do hope for people to come out of the day with more awareness on their self-identifications and how identities shape relationships, including these with their clients, in whatever context they work.

What to expect?

In the morning, various starting dialogues will be the starting point of inviting in various perspectives on identities. After lunch, the session is to jointly reflect on the morning dialogues and what each one of the participants take away from that.

Identity is a core concept of the Psychosynthesis Working Model where identity is a vehicle of expression. We are interested in the ‘how’ our identities are constructed in within a wider intersectional context.

Identity is who we are or who we think we are, including what others have told us who we are (think of gender with a very early onset) and it influences how we relate to others and to the environment. These dialogues will be about all various possibilities of identification, including reflecting on how ‘social’ media role model identities.

Even those who might say they have never thought to question their own identity will inevitably have been compelled to make significant choices in their lives which reflect issues of identity that range from clothes, appearance, beliefs, jobs. Identity marks who we are similar to and who we are different from.

Identity comes from the inside and the outside, with self-identity being the conscious image of themselves and social identity being their status within any number of social groups

How many of our lives have not fitted into the linear, orderly heteronormative timeline of the usual milestones and checked boxes- childhood’s early reinforcement of gender binaries and norms such as clothing, dating, engagement, wedding, parenting, religious ceremonies.

We don’t have to identify with the term queer to have experienced this not fitting into traditional life timelines.

Both facilitators, Angie coming to London in 80s, Giel growing up in times of HIV and AIDS, are interested in how all our intersectionalities identities interplay and shape people with cultural expectations. Queer identified people don’t have all of the heritage of the usual linear markers and so seek their own to create a more liveable life.

For some, milestones/rites of passage could include coming out, participating in demos, going to clubs, starting to use hormones, choosing a life without a partner or children, renaming themselves, all going against collective affirmations of identities, including the resistance one might encounter, still in 2026.

Can we create spaces in our clinical work to explore unique patterns and the complexities and paradoxes of personal, familial and cultural expectations.

So, what questions can we ask ourselves and our client?

• What makes a life meaningful and liveable in being truthfully to ourselves?
• How do we honour own timelines?
• How have non-traditional paths influenced your understanding of your timeline and identity?
• What have been your milestones in life regarding your identity?
• How can we rethink traditional timelines?

Ticket price

At the Trust we appreciate that each person has their own unique situation, so we invite you to select the price point that feels like it represents a fair contribution for attending this event.

There are three options to choose from when purchasing tickets: £60, £70, £80.

If you are a current Psychosynthesis Trust student and finances are a barrier to attending this workshop, please contact Kajal at events@ptrust.org.uk.

Refunds are available up to 7 days before the event. Eventbrite fee is non-refundable.