I speak at conferences and teach, nationally and internationally. Here are some of my upcoming and recent teaching engagements and conference presentations:
The Dance of the Seven Veils: Recovering Hidden Meanings in Intercultural Couples Therapy
One day workshop for EIST – 22nd March 2024
Intercultural, interracial and interfaith couples are on the rise in Europe, and all over the world. Although intercultural couples can be very resilient, they may present unique challenges to each other, and to the clinicians working with them.
Drawing on Ugazio’s (1998, 2013) work on semantic polarities, I conceptualise the ‘seven veils’ in intercultural couples as related to the interplay between the four semantics of freedom, belonging, power and good. The remaining three veils of meaning correspond to differences in ‘race’, religion and language and communication.
In this workshop, I will begin by presenting a theoretical and research overview of intercultural couples. I will illustrate the ‘seven veils’ through case examples and case vignettes.
How should clinicians working with intercultural couples go beyond the ‘enigmatic episodes’ (Ugazio, 1998, 2013) in order to recover hidden meanings? How do they position themselves in complex cultural system they co-create with the couples? Through the use of experiential exercises, case vignettes and recorded clinical material, I will highlight a few clinical interventions, which the participants will be given an opportunity to practice. There will be time for case consultations, questions and discussion.
RECENT
July 2024 – Intercultural Relationships and Discussions in Supervision. One day CPD workshop for SLAM.
June 2024 – Transgenerational resiliencies in multicultural families. One day CPD workshop for Springfield Hospital.
May 2024 – Mind the Gap: Clinical Supervision across Culture. One day workshop for the Clinical Psychology Supervision course at Saloman’s, Canterbury Christ Church University.
May 2024- COU 517 webinar on Visual and Representational methods in family therapy. Webinar for SUSS.
April 2024 – Culture Matters: Making use of the Culturegram in Supervision. DGSF webinar.
March 2024 – The Dance of the Seven Veils – One Day workshop for the European Institute of Systemic Therapies.
January and February 2024- Four day CPD training in the Intercultural Exeter Model, with Janet Reibstein for the Institute of Family Therapy.
September 2023 – Keynote speaker on Intimate Strangers: Clinical Work with Intercultural Couples. DGSF conference on Systemic Intercultural work in the Immigration Society. Wiesbaden, Germany.
Intimate Strangers? Clinical Work with Intercultural Couples. DGSF conference. Wiesbaden 14th September 2023
July 2023 – Family Practice Skills and Personal Development. 5 day training for
Montfort Care.
July 2023 – Working with Transnational Couples within South Asian communities.
An SUSS and SINDA seminar.
June 2023 – Clinical Work with Intercultural Couples: An update on the London
Intercultural Couples Centre. TCFP Academic meeting webinar.
May 2023 – CPD webinar on Diversity for Dr. Jo Allen’s team in Sussex
May 2023 – ‘Mind the Gap’. CPD Supervision Day at Salomon’s Canterbury
Christchurch Community University.
April 2023 – Transgenerational resiliencies: reclaiming cultural identities within
multicultural families. AFT webinar.
February 2023 – The Intercultural Exeter Model. One day CPD course for SLAM
January 2023 – Clinical Practice with Multicultural Families. Springfield University Hospital.
December 20222- Clinical Practice with Intercultural Couples. Talk for Ghent University professionals
December 2022- Clinical Practice with Intercultural Couples – Workshop for Ghent University students.
November 2022 – Diversity Training. Family Psychology Mutual.
October 2022 – Master of Ceremonies at the European launch of the Handbook of Systemic Family Therapy. Tavistock Centre.
September 2022 – Part of the search committee and interview panel for the Editor of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. Interviews held in Alexandria, U.S.
September 2022 – MyMFT – Malaysian Family Therapy Association – Talk on ‘Working with Children through Separation and Divorce’. Webinar.
July 2022- COU562 – Teaching at SUSS
June 2022 – Part of the Clinical Viva panel at the Institute of Family Therapy.
May 2022 – Interviewing panel for the Editor of the Journal of Family Therapy.
May 2022- Clinical Practice with Intercultural Couples’ – Workshop at the University of Leeds
May 2022 – ‘The Family Dance: An Introduction to Systemic Practice’. Workshop for the Brighton Therapy Partnership.
May 2022 – Workshop on Clinical Practice with South Asian Families with Professor Mudita Rastogi, for family therapy students of University of San Diego, held at the Institute of Family Therapy, London.
May 2022- ‘Mind the Gap’ Workshop on Cultural Diversity in Supervision for Clinical Psychology students at Saloman’s University.
April 2022 – Webinar on Intercultural Couples for AAMFT - Asian Association of Marital and Family Therapy.
January 2022 – Panel on a webinar on Personal and Professional Development for FTAI (Family Therapy Association Ireland)
December 2021 – Clinical Issues on Intercultural Couples. VID University, Norway.
December 2021 – ‘Mind the Gap’ Intercultural Supervision. Salomon’s University.
December 2021 – Intercultural Couples. North London Systemic peer group
May 2021 – Intercultural Couples. Clinical Interventions for Working with Difference. Tavistock Relationships.
April 2021 -Working with Intercultural Couples. Masters students. Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust
January 2021: Intercultural Couples. Confer Webinar.
December 2020: I was one of the speakers for the Confer conference. ‘Secrets and Lies. Uncovering Family Histories.
November 2020: The Intercultural Exeter Model. With Professor Reibstein, at the Ackerman Institute, New York.
September 2020: Plenary on ‘Families in Transition’ for the 25th Anniversary celebrations of Montfort Care, Singapore.
July 2020 - Family breakdown or breakthrough in the time of coronavirus? Webinar
for Ackerman Institute, New York.
July 2020 - Webinar for AFT with Janet Reibstein on ‘Working with Couples:
Navigating differences and sustaining connections’ Association of Family Therapy
and Systemic Practice. U.K.
June 2020 - Family breakdown or breakthrough in the time of coronavirus?
Webinar for CONFER, UK.
June 2019 - Scientific Lecture. Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.
May 2019 - Intimate Strangers? Working with Intercultural Couples. BAATN Seminar
May 2019 - Digital Life Skills for 21st Century Families. Islington NHS Mental Health Trust.
May 2019- Using Discourse Analysis in Case Study Research. European Institute of Systemic Therapies. Milano.
November 2018 - Speaker at Tavistock Relationships. 70th Anniversary Conference. London. November 2018. Workshop on Digital Life Skills for 21st Century Families. AFT Glasgow.
November 2018. Workshop on Clinical Work with Intercultural Couples. AFT. Glasgow.
April 2018. Workshop on Systemic Stories. How to write and publish case studies in systemic family and couples psychotherapy for the European Institute for Systemic Therapies. Milano.
April 2018. A week long workshop and seminar series on Culture and Psychopathology. University of Bergamo.
February 2018. Panel speaker on Diversity in Couple Relationships and the Couple Relationship in the 21st Century: evolving contexts and emergent meanings. The National Centre for Family Research, the President’s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society and the International Commission on Couple and Family Relationships, in collaboration with the University of Malta.
November 2017 Workshop on Digital Life Skills for 21st Century Families for the Hampshire Association of Family Therapy. U.K.
October 2017. Workshop on Dilemmas in cross-cultural systemic supervision. Institute of Psychiatry. London.
October 2017. Plenary on discourses and debates in Systemic Research. Institute of Family Therapy.
September 2017. Plenary speaker with Professor Janet Reibstein. 'Systemic Connections for a Divided World: the Intercultural Exeter Couples Model. Association of Family Therapy annual conference. Dunblane.
September 2016. Organising and chairing a panel on 'Developments in SCORE -15' EFTA conference Athens, workshop on Writing skills.
April 2016: IFTA conference in Hawaii – Workshop on ‘The Confluence of Culture, Therapy and Healing Practices’ with Kiran Arora
January 2016. Multiculturalism and Systemic Psychotherapy? Uneasy Bedfellows? Clanwilliam Institute. Dublin.
January 2016: Writing for publication workshops at the Institute of Family Therapy and the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.
December 2015: Working with Global Families. University of Leeds
November 2015: Writing for publication workshop at the University of Malta.
October 2015. Plenary on Working with Transnational Couples and Families. Diakonhjemmet. Oslo, Norway.
October 2015. Couple relationships in the 21st Century and Working with Intercultural Couples. European Institute of Systemic Therapies. Milan, Italy.
October 2015. Intercultural Couples. University of Bergamo, Italy.
September 2015. Spirituality, Gender and Power. Workshop at the AFT conference. Canterbury, Kent.
September 2015: The limits and dilemmas of Working with South Asian families. Family Therapy across Culture. BME conference, London.
June 2015. Intercultural Relationships. Babel, the baby and the bathwater. AFTA conference. Vancoever, Washington.
