Most graduate programs mention the issue of a power difference between client and therapist as a potential ethical issue. But power dynamics go beyond ethics: power dynamics shape how we feel and perceive ourselves and each other. Power is subtle and impacts the psychotherapy relationship as well most relationships.
Clients in kinky or polyam communities are impacted by power dynamics as members of marginalized communities. In addition, these clients may be experimenting with different power interactions, playing with power in scenes, or struggling with their status within non-monogamous relationships in various ways. As kink and polyam aware therapists we need insightful ways of thinking, talking about, and using power.
Power: A Conversation with Julie Diamond
Join us to learn about a new paradigm for understanding power dynamics, this April at Tribe Healing Arts Center: We are excited to announce that our colleague and Process Worker, Julie Diamond, is coming from Portland, Oregon, to address KPACT. Julie is an expert on power dynamics and rank issues with decades of experience teaching and supervising psychotherapists.
Julie will offer unique insights on working with dynamics and issues of power based on over twenty years of research, study and practice. This interactive evening will include:
- unique perspectives on issues of power related to marginalized identities,
- insights into how power dynamics affect psychotherapists, and
- a discussion of how power dynamics impact the experiences of polyam and kinky clients, in and out of therapy.
Julie is an incredibly bright, humorous and engaging presenter. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from this very approachable leader in the field of interpersonal and intrapersonal power dynamics!
About the Event
What: Power: A Conversation with Julie Diamond
When: Friday, April 1, 6:00-8:00 pm
2 CEUs available ($10)
Where: Tribe Healing Arts Center
RSVP on Facebook or email cindy@lifeworkspsychotherapy.com by March 15, 2016
About Julie Diamond
Julie Diamond, Ph.D. is a co-founder of the Power² Leaderlab, a leadership program for women leaders and one of the original founders of the Process Work Institute (PWI), a not-for-profit graduate school dedicated to research and training in process-oriented facilitation. She is also co-author of a textbook on Process Work, A Path Made by Walking, and many articles on Process Work, learning and change.
About Power: A User’s Guide
From bosses to parents, politicians to protesters, power rests in the hands of everyone, everywhere. But using it well is more than a matter of good intentions. Power may corrupt, but using it well is within our grasp.
The path toward ethical, authentic, and effective use of power starts with this book. Combining cutting-edge psychological theory with practical exercises, real-world accounts of leadership challenges, and the author’s personal stories from her international career as a facilitator and coach, Power: A User’s Guide aims to provide readers with an easy-to-read, comprehensive crash course in developing one’s external authority, navigating high power roles and responsibilities, and finding personal power within.
