Current Training:
This Collaborative Practice Study Group (CPSG) was founded in 2008, in Ottawa, Ontario, affiliated with Clinical Psychologist Dr. David Paré, and the Glebe Institute, a centre for constructive and collaborative practice. We are a collective of mental health professionals (psychotherapists, social workers and psychologists) grounded in collaborative, postmodern approaches. Narrative Therapy is the cornerstone of our philosophy and group structure, and we remain open to other, evolving counseling theories and practices.
Our two-hour group includes one hour of theoretical discussion, and one hour of practice. Guest facilitators are invited to focus on specific topics and to guide our learning.
Dates: the groups take place the third Monday of each month beginning in October and ending in June, with some adjustments for statutory and religious holidays. Since Covid, we have moved to a hybrid model, with opening, closing, and December sessions held in person. The remainder are virtual.
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
We welcome practicing and retired professionals as well as interning graduate students who have an interest in collaborative practices.
To place your name on a waiting list and for more information, please email Bonney Elliott at [email protected] or Lynn bloom at [email protected]
Our two-hour group includes one hour of theoretical discussion, and one hour of practice. Guest facilitators are invited to focus on specific topics and to guide our learning.
Dates: the groups take place the third Monday of each month beginning in October and ending in June, with some adjustments for statutory and religious holidays. Since Covid, we have moved to a hybrid model, with opening, closing, and December sessions held in person. The remainder are virtual.
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
We welcome practicing and retired professionals as well as interning graduate students who have an interest in collaborative practices.
To place your name on a waiting list and for more information, please email Bonney Elliott at [email protected] or Lynn bloom at [email protected]
Past Trainings:
Here you'll find details on past training programs, to give you a sense of our various activities. If you're interested in pitching ideas to us about training programs, please email us at [email protected].
2016-17 Narrative Therapy Study Group
The Narrative Therapy Study Group, facilitated by Lynn Bloom and Noah Spector, offers a monthly two hour theoretical and practice session. To learn more about the group, click here...
2013-14 Narrative Therapy Study Group
The Narrative Therapy Study Group, facilitated by Lynn Bloom and Noah Spector, offers a monthly two hour theoretical and practice session over the Fall and Winter months.
Conversations on the Margins: Therapeutic Change, Social Change, and Social Justice The Winds of Change V Conference
Co-sponsored conference at the University of Ottawa, June 12-15, 2012. Other co-hosts included the University of Ottawa, the Hincks-Dellcrest Institute of Toronto and Bridges Institute of Truro Nova Scotia.
The Heart of the Story: An Introduction to Narrative Practice
With Don Baker, Marc Leger, Christine Novy, David Paré, and Francine Titley
Description: This one-day primer on narrative therapy with two half-day follow-ups is for counsellors who have some familiarity with the rudiments of brief therapy. It will provide a foundation for working with clients in developing rich new understandings of the hopes, values, intentions and commitments that give meaning to their lives. The first day is devoted to theory and practice for extending your work beyond brief therapy. Those registering in the two follow-up half-days will be given very explicit practice and reflection “homework” which will be shared and explored at the subsequent two afternoon sessions.
Introduction to Brief Solution-Oriented Therapy
with Mishka Lysack and David Paré
Description: Brief approaches to counselling and therapy are so-called because they are primarily devoted to building on what works, rather than unraveling and providing complex interpretations for difficulties that clients face. Brief practice is collaborative, drawing on client strengths and resources, and practical: the familiar maxim “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” captures the pragmatic spirit of this competence-oriented, solution-focused approach.
Invitations to Responsibility: Working with Men and Male Youth with Violent Lifestyles
with Don Baker, Mishka Lysack & David Paré
Description: This workshop introduces a collaborative approach to working with men and male youth in the context of violence that features an invitation to alternative lifestyles. It’s our experience that while confrontation may satisfy a therapist’s or counsellor’s moral indignation, it rarely promotes a productive working relationship with clients. Instead, we work towards joining with men and male youth in contextualizing violent lifestyles, creating a separation between person and action. The separation of person from problem opens space for consolidating actions and beliefs founded on respect, responsibility and accountability.
Subversive Dialogue: Narrative and Feminist Practices, Intersections & Divergences
with Rena Lafleur, Mishka Lysack & David Paré
Description: This workshop will open up a dialogue between feminist and narrative practitioners around the areas of overlap and agreement as well as some of the creative differences between these two approaches. Part of this exploration will take the form of sharing our own stories of how we developed our practices so that we could become more sensitive to the issues of gender, power, voice, and the social/cultural context of our work. We will also examine the rich diversity of practices in feminist and narrative counselling, and will discuss the key guiding principles that orient these practices.
The Narrative Therapy Study Group, facilitated by Lynn Bloom and Noah Spector, offers a monthly two hour theoretical and practice session. To learn more about the group, click here...
2013-14 Narrative Therapy Study Group
The Narrative Therapy Study Group, facilitated by Lynn Bloom and Noah Spector, offers a monthly two hour theoretical and practice session over the Fall and Winter months.
Conversations on the Margins: Therapeutic Change, Social Change, and Social Justice The Winds of Change V Conference
Co-sponsored conference at the University of Ottawa, June 12-15, 2012. Other co-hosts included the University of Ottawa, the Hincks-Dellcrest Institute of Toronto and Bridges Institute of Truro Nova Scotia.
The Heart of the Story: An Introduction to Narrative Practice
With Don Baker, Marc Leger, Christine Novy, David Paré, and Francine Titley
Description: This one-day primer on narrative therapy with two half-day follow-ups is for counsellors who have some familiarity with the rudiments of brief therapy. It will provide a foundation for working with clients in developing rich new understandings of the hopes, values, intentions and commitments that give meaning to their lives. The first day is devoted to theory and practice for extending your work beyond brief therapy. Those registering in the two follow-up half-days will be given very explicit practice and reflection “homework” which will be shared and explored at the subsequent two afternoon sessions.
Introduction to Brief Solution-Oriented Therapy
with Mishka Lysack and David Paré
Description: Brief approaches to counselling and therapy are so-called because they are primarily devoted to building on what works, rather than unraveling and providing complex interpretations for difficulties that clients face. Brief practice is collaborative, drawing on client strengths and resources, and practical: the familiar maxim “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” captures the pragmatic spirit of this competence-oriented, solution-focused approach.
Invitations to Responsibility: Working with Men and Male Youth with Violent Lifestyles
with Don Baker, Mishka Lysack & David Paré
Description: This workshop introduces a collaborative approach to working with men and male youth in the context of violence that features an invitation to alternative lifestyles. It’s our experience that while confrontation may satisfy a therapist’s or counsellor’s moral indignation, it rarely promotes a productive working relationship with clients. Instead, we work towards joining with men and male youth in contextualizing violent lifestyles, creating a separation between person and action. The separation of person from problem opens space for consolidating actions and beliefs founded on respect, responsibility and accountability.
Subversive Dialogue: Narrative and Feminist Practices, Intersections & Divergences
with Rena Lafleur, Mishka Lysack & David Paré
Description: This workshop will open up a dialogue between feminist and narrative practitioners around the areas of overlap and agreement as well as some of the creative differences between these two approaches. Part of this exploration will take the form of sharing our own stories of how we developed our practices so that we could become more sensitive to the issues of gender, power, voice, and the social/cultural context of our work. We will also examine the rich diversity of practices in feminist and narrative counselling, and will discuss the key guiding principles that orient these practices.