Psychodynamics of Self-Harm
Book ticketsOrganised by:
Counselling Service, Birkbeck University of London
Description
BIRKBECK TRAINING SERIES 2024-25
Background
The Student Counselling Service at Birkbeck, University of London launched The Birkbeck Training Series in September 2018 in response to need for specialist short-term HE specific training and a space for counsellors in the sector to meet and think together about the challenges of our work. This year we enter our seventh year in bringing the series to you.
The theme of this year’s series is the Psychodynamics of the body: When the body talks, how do we listen?
The body has traditionally been treated as a biological object. We experience it as a vehicle that carts our head around and we don’t notice (or ignore) it when the check engine light comes on. Others of us live on the surface our body, experiencing a shallow interface between our body and the environment. But it is through the body that we relate to other people and the world around us.
However, most of us live in our heads, which is why often we see a significant split between the treatment of the mind versus that of the body. It is for the same reason that we can find that much of the work we do with our clients can become a cerebral exercise, leaving out a crucial aspect of their lived experience and the impact that the countertransference can have on us.
So how then do we understand and help clients who come to us struggling with physical pain/ailments, dysregulation, those who have experienced trauma or attachment wounding and have developed defences to cut off contact with their bodies or are struggling to put into words the source of their emotional distress and are overridden with physical symptoms?
In a world of screens where people are becoming more disconnected from their bodies and more influenced in terms of how they should feel about themselves, therapy becomes a grounding space to bring attention back to two bodies in a room, the importance of understanding that how we feel begins in our bodies and re-establishing the link between mind and body.
The aim of this series is to focus on the embodied experience of our clients, to help them understand their body narratives in relation to their experiences, to develop a deeper understanding of the psychodynamics of body presentation in our work and to remind us of the impact and work our bodies do while working with our clients.
With that in mind we would like to invite you to join us for our 2024-25 Training Series.
TRAINING 1: The Psychodynamics of Self-Harm by Dr. Rachel Gibbons
Wednesday 29th January 2025, 9.00am-1.00pm
About the Workshop
This workshop will explore the complex psychodynamics of self-harm, focusing on its unconscious motivations, theoretical underpinnings, and the challenges faced by clinicians in its management.
Drawing from contemporary psychoanalytic and trauma-informed perspectives, the session will highlight how self-harm acts as a means to communicate unprocessed emotions, regulate overwhelming feelings, and provide temporary relief from traumatic memories.
Participants will delve into the role of early attachment disruptions, the symbolic meaning of self-harm methods, and the importance of understanding transference and countertransference dynamics in clinical practice. Through case studies, the workshop aims to enhance participants’ empathy, improve their confidence in assessment and formulation, and offer strategies for therapeutic intervention.
This session will provide mental health professionals with practical tools to navigate the complexities of self-harm and foster compassionate, effective care.
About the Speaker
DR. RACHEL GIBBONS has worked in the NHS over the past 20 years in various psychiatric settings as a consultant psychiatrist and consultant medical psychotherapist.
She is a psychoanalyst and group analyst and current Chair of the Working Group on the Effect of Suicide and Homicide on Psychiatrists and Vice-Chair of the Psychotherapy Faculty, at the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
She was the clinical lead for the Halliwick Personality disorder in Haringey for 4 years. She is a national expert on the nature of suicide and the impact on the bereaved. She writes about self-harm, suicide and mourning.
