HV27-01 - Opleiding - Tobyn Bell (UK) - Compassion Focused Therapy Chairwork: 2-Day Workshop

An exclusive 2-day workshop with Dr Tobyn Bell (UK)

Date: 

Thursday 15th and Friday16th of April 2027

Time:

9.30h - 16.30h

Location: 

Verbinding in Verlies, Leuvenselaan 24, 3300 Tienen (nearby the station)

Instructor: 

Dr Tobyn Bell is a Compassion-Focused Psychotherapist, an accredited Schema Therapist and Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, and Voice Dialogue facilitator. He is a co-founder of Chairwork with Matthew Pugh and a co-author of the book ‘Compassion Focused Therapy from the Inside Out’. Tobyn regularly provides national and international training on compassion and chairwork and is actively involved in ongoing research in these areas. Tobyn is an honorary lecturer at the University of Manchester, is an official trainer with the Compassionate Mind Foundation, and has a senior fellowship with the Higher Education Academy.

Content and schedule:

‘Chairwork’ refers to a group of experiential psychotherapeutic techniques that incorporate chairs, the positioning of chairs and the client’s movement between them. Chairwork has a rich history in psychotherapy and has a key role in Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT). Research has found chairwork to be an effective, experiential intervention that increases emotional processing and activation; facilitates differentiation, dialogue and integration between internal ‘parts’ or ‘selves’; allows clients to gain a metacognitive stance; and is memorably ‘enactive’ in nature.

This workshop will provide participants with an opportunity to practice key CFT chairwork interventions such as working with self-criticism and processing multiple threat-emotions. Alternate and novel applications of CFT chairwork will be introduced and practiced, including working with blocks to compassion using chairwork and integrating motivational chairwork.

The workshop is predominantly skills-based and experiential and will include live observations, practical exercises, theoretical discussion and group reflection.

In this webinar participants will:

• Understand the underpinning principles and theoretical rationale for chairwork in CFT
• Practice core CFT chairwork interventions including self-critic and ‘multiple-selves’ interventions
• Work with blocks, fears and resistances to compassion using chairwork
• Practice novel applications of chair-work in CFT (including motivational chairwork)
• Learn how to adapt CFT chairwork for various client groups and presentations

Day 1:

The first day of the workshop will introduce participants to the history of chairwork, and clarify its core principles, processes and procedures. The demonstrations and practices will focus on self-to-self compassion, using chairwork to address ambivalence and motivational conflict, and interviewing fears and avoidance of compassion.

Day 2:

The second day of the workshop will first focus on self-criticism and hostile self-to-self relating. The demonstrations and practices will cover compassion-based approaches to self-criticism and addressing abusive introjections. The afternoon will explore the use of chairwork to process key threat emotions, and how this approach can be adapted when working with grief and trauma.

Price: 

Early bird: 450 euros (untill 30th of November, use the code: HV27-01)
Regular: 550 euros 

This includes drinks, fruit, yoghurt and cookies. 

Noot: de foto's die tijdens de opleiding genomen worden, dienen enkel om sfeerbeelden weer te geven op de website en social media van Verbinding in Verlies! Indien u niet op de foto wenst, gelieve dit te melden bij ontvangst! 

Note: Photos taken during the training are used solely as images for the Verbinding in Verlies website and social media channels. If you prefer not to appear in any photos, please let us know upon arrival!

In case of cancellation, the following conditions apply:

• Cancellations must always be made in writing via email.
• In case of cancellation up to one month before the training day, 50% of the registration fee will be refunded.
• In case of cancellation within one month of the training day, the registration fee will no longer be refunded.
• For 1- or 2-day trainings, you may always send a colleague as a replacement free of charge.

Useful Reading:

Bell, T. (2021). Compassion-focused therapy chairwork. In P. Gilbert and G. Simos (Eds.), Compassion-focused therapy in clinical practice. Oxon: Taylor and Francis.

Bell, T., Montague, J., Elanders, J, & Gilbert, P. (2020). ‘A definite feel-it moment’: Embodiment, externalization and emotion during chair-work in compassion-focused therapy. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 20, 143-153.

Bell, T., Montague, J., Elanders, J, & Gilbert, P. (2021). ‘Suddenly you are King Solomon’: Multiplicity, transformation, and integration in compassion-focused therapy chairwork. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 31, 3, 223–237.

Bell, T., Montague, J., Elanders, J, & Gilbert, P. (2021). Multiple-emotions, multiple-selves: chairwork in compassion focused therapy. The Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, 14, E22.

Pugh, M. & Bell, T. (2020). Process-based chairwork: Applications and innovations in the time of COVID-19. European Journal of Counselling Theory, Research and Practise, 4, 1-8.