Ernesto Spinelli
Professor Ernesto Spinelli:
An Existential Perspective on Choice and Change
offered online nationally and internationally across 2 evenings direct from the UK
Wed 16 & Thur 17 AUGUST 2023 – 6.30pm to 9.00pm AEST each evening
Introduction
These 2 evenings mark a welcome return to Australia (albeit virtually) by Ernesto Spinelli. His last workshop for CEP was in 2010 and, after his late addition to our 2021 Global Conversations series, it was very clear that there is a great appetite to hear more from him. So, now is a rare chance for a longer encounter with this global existential luminary. We suggest that you register early!
The 2 Webinars
“The issue of choice and ‘the freedom to choose’ lies at the heart of existential thought and practice. On the evening of August 16th, I will present an overview of existential choice as I have come to understand it. You will be free to choose to agree or disagree with the view that I will present. But, whichever choice you make, I hope that you will feel challenged. On the following evening of August 17th, I will shift our focus to the experience of change, particularly those instances of change that are troubling and deemed to be destructive. Together, we’ll explore them from an existential perspective and examine the possibilities that this may open up for you – and your clients.”
Ernesto Spinelli
Evening 1: A Existential Perspective on Choice
What we will consider:
Confused and contradictory views on choice:
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- “We are free to choose” and yet also “I had no choice in the matter”
- The anger response to the removing of once-available choices and yet also the negative responses to ourselves or others making ‘wrong’ or unacceptable choices
- “My choice” and “Your choice” considered to be our right – no matter their impact on ourselves, on others, on the world
What does choice actually mean?
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- What choices in living are really available to us?
- Are choices actually multi-optional or are they most often, singular?
What if Jean-Paul Sartre is right about choice and it turns out to be more of a condemnation than a cause for celebration?
Evening 2: An Existential Perspective on Change
What we will consider:
The therapist’s primary focus is often seen as generating beneficial and observable change in the client: the therapist as an ‘agent of change’ .
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- Yet change is noted as an unvarying constant – or at least continual, whether expected or not, whether desirable or unwanted
- So what are we offering clients when we offer them the possibility of change through therapy?
The Paradoxes and Polarities associated with the experience of change
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- What might be involved in shifting perspective on changes that are generally considered troubling and destructive?
- How do we move from unwanted and dangerous towards a reflective willingness to ‘meet‘ them and engage with their existential possibilities?
What you can expect to walk away with:
- Concepts to help you make sense of the conundrum of choice – for yourself and your clients
- Ways to work through the paradoxes and polarities of change – for yourself and your clients
- A broader perspective to help you in your work with issues around either or both in your practice
The Details
Date: Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 AUGUST 2023
Time: 6.30pm to 9.00pm AEST each session (short breaks each evening will be accommodated)
Location: online via zoom (registrants will receive an invitation to participate and all the details they require in advance of the date)
Cost: $300 (flat rate)
CPD Hours: 5
Professor Ernesto Spinelli was Chair of the Society for Existential Analysis between 1993 and 1999 and is a Life Member of the Society. His writings, lectures and seminars focus on the application of existential phenomenology to the arenas of therapy, psychology, and executive coaching. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS) as well as an APECS accredited executive coach and coaching supervisor. In 1999, Ernesto was awarded a Personal Chair as Professor of psychotherapy, counselling and counselling psychology. In 2000, he was the Recipient of BPS Division of Counselling Psychology Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession. And in 2019, Ernesto received the BPS Award for Distinguished Contribution to Practice. His most recent book, Practising Existential Therapy: The Relational World 2nd edition (Sage, 2015) has been widely praised as a major contribution to the advancement of existential theory and practice. His previous books include: The Interpreted World: an introduction to phenomenological psychology, 2nd ed (Sage, 2005); Demystifying Therapy (PCCS, 2006); Tales of Un-knowing (PCCS, 2006); and The Mirror and The Hammer: challenging therapeutic orthodoxies (Sage, 2001). Living up to the existential dictum that life is absurd, Ernesto is also the author of an ongoing series of Private Eye novels, the third of which, Everything Has A Price was published in 2023.