Other Areas of Expertise
Coaching
I help job changers, leaders and all those seeking to work more effectively and successfully
in the workplace. In person or online.
Supervision
I provide guidance and support in a number of different ways. They include: increasing specific consulting skills, deepening internal capacities, making thoughtful career decisions, preparing presentations and formulating articles for publication. I also help clients reflect on their ongoing client work and better understand and prepare for future client involvement. In person or online.
Mentoring
I am pleased to offer a generous hand to colleagues seeking support and a chance to think things through. In person or online.
Workshops (Both Online and in Person):
Social Dream-Drawing (SDD): I have created and researched this praxis, using a Psycho-Social approach. Participants are invited to bring drawings of dreams related to a pre-identified theme, such as “What do I risk in my work?”. My research shows that this praxis helps those going through major personal and professional transitions better understand and cope with the inevitable pressures of big life changes. This workshop is especially recommended for professional cohorts, such as nurses, teachers, managers and lawyers. It can also function as a professional development tool
as part of a broader professional development curriculum, as well as a research methodology.
A one-day in-person workshop is appropriate for up to 5 participants. An online workshop can accommodate many more.
Social Dreaming: Social Dreaming is based on the concept that dreams are an unconscious source
of thinking for systems and for society. Participants share dreams aloud and also offer their free associations and amplifications to the dreams of others. Those who host this “matrix” make connections between dream material and offer hypotheses about the underlying dynamics.
Each matrix is followed by a reflection session, where the meaning of the dreams for the system are explored. Social Dreaming is particularly useful for those organizations seeking to better understand and ultimately resolve current challenges by tapping into the knowledge embedded in participants’ dream material. Like all the workshops described here, it can be a major tool for resolving deeper issues that stubbornly resist more rational organizational development approaches. Like all of these methodologies, Social Dreaming can be an action research methodology, part of a broader organizational development intervention and an effective professional development tool.
A one hour and a half in-person workshop is appropriate for up to 50 people. An online
workshop can accommodate many more.
Social Photo-Matrix (SPM): This workshop is designed to promote a better understanding
of the underlying forces influencing groups and organizations. Participants are asked to take
photos related to a pre-determined theme, such as “Transitional Spaces” or “Female Leadership”.
These photos are entered anonymously into a digital register and shown randomly in a series
of matrices. Participants and hosts offer free associations and amplifications. The photographers themselves are not identified. After each associative session, we meet in reflection groups to explore the theme of the event and to formulate an understanding of the sources of current challenges.
The SPM helps organizations become more deeply aware of underlying issues that need
to be resolved. It is an excellent way to engage the positive creative energies of role holders,
which are not usually accessed in daily working life. This can be a one or two-day event
and is appropriate for groups of all sizes.
Organizational Role Analysis (ORA): This workshop is based on the concept that one’s organizational role is influenced by three elements: one’s personal history, the organization where one is working and the larger context. Participants are asked to make drawings of their own particular role, which are worked with intensively in the group. Participants gain greater insight into what is influencing their role behavior and what role patterns they have developed that may or may not be constructive. With this insight, they can determine what changes would be appropriate. In addition to this experiential work, the theoretical underpinnings of this method and specific examples of its use
in organizations are presented. This workshop is particularly appropriate for working teams
and for individuals seeking to be more effective in their organizations. Related methods are Role Biography and Role History, also appropriate for working groups. This half-day workshop
is appropriate for groups of all sizes.