"Working with a likeminded group is an amazing learning experience and a great opportunity for growth and healing."
See what others say, further down in the right hand column of this page!
New events and groups are being developed and become available continuously - to be kept up to date with our developing programme, please subscribe to our quarterly newsletter using the form in the right hand column of this page.
Each group and workshop has its own venue, fee, and joining instructions, as detailed for each event. Further information about our group / workshop leaders can be found on the 'About Us' Page. If you are looking for a specific type of group or workshop, but you don’t see it here, please email us, and we will see if one can be set up, or we will put you in touch with a suitable group if possible.
Exploring the menopause
Women Only Therapy Group - Oxford
Group Therapy in Witney
Self Development using the Creative Arts
Personal-development using dance/movement and imagination
Talks, Workshops & Taster Sessions
Witney Therapy Groups
Weekly Therapy Groups – Witney
These are open-ended groups with a general focus.
Time & Day: Tuesday 7pm – 9.30pm
How we relate to ourselves and others is at the heart of how we experience life and respond to the various difficulties and challenges that being human entails. Throughout our lives, we all develop ‘habitual’ ways of relating, behaving, feeling and perceiving. But as neuroscience research now supports, we are often on auto-pilot, and not fully aware of all of our habitual patterns. These patterns are likely to manifest in a therapy group, and many people find it to be a very productive setting and an unusually safe place for exploring and experimenting with these habitual patterns.
It is in the nature of group therapy that you will be invited to explore new ways of relating. However, there is no expectation that you will stretch yourself beyond your willingness, as it is important that the group develops as a safe place; when we try out new things, we don't try them out in a dangerous situation, we try them out in a safe place. Group therapy is a very rare and unusual creative social space precisely because there is this balance between safety, and a commitment to explore and experiment.
The group, with a diversity of members, becomes a microcosm of our lives, and grows more effective and efficient over time, as you learn to use the group to experiment and to reflect on the different responses and reactions each member has, enabling you to discover new ways of living more joyously, harmoniously and effectively.
Justin works as an integrative relational group therapist and will support group members in developing relationships with each other to support each person’s individual goals.
How groups work & why they are so effective
Requirements:
An initial interview will be required, and in the first instance, you should complete the short application form here.
You are asked to make a commitment to coming for the first 12 weeks, as this is needed for you to settle into the group. After 9 weeks, you are asked if you want to continue with the group beyond the 12-week point, to allow for a short period of ending if you aren’t continuing. Ongoing group members are asked to give about 12 weeks notice if they intend to leave the group, again to allow for ending well. The group runs for approximately 40 weeks each year, with dates planned in advance.
Group Leader:
Justin Smith
Venue:
Witney Therapy Centre
2a Corn Street
Witney
OX28 6BL
(Location Map)
You can apply to join either group, as new members join at intervals throughout the year if a space becomes available.
Suitability:
These groups are suitable for most people seeking group therapy, though an initial interview will help to clarify this, or whether a group with a more specific focus for example would be a better option.
Fee:
Between £20 - £45 per session payable monthly in advance. Fee to be discussed at interview according to affordability.
Interview fee:
£52 payable only after your application has been received and acknowledged.
At least 10% of all fees above £30 go to fund any reduced fee places.
Apply here to join one of these groups
Women only Therapy Group in Oxford
Weekly Women's Therapy Group – Oxford
This is an open-ended group with a general focus.
Time & Day: Tuesday 7pm – 9.00pm
Working in a group setting creates an opportunity for you to explore how you express yourself and relate to others in a safe and contained space. Groups become more effective over time and as each member deepens their commitment to the group and the relationships within it, the level of safety increases and the opportunity to experiment with new ways of relating emerge.
We will create a space where we can explore what it is like being in a room together as women - working together to make sense of how we relate to ourselves and each other, and what it is like for us to live in a world where we are grappling with the many pressures of being a woman in our society.
In today's world, many women can feel bombarded with images of slim, young, sexualised models and may experience this as an enormous amount of pressure to fit to a specific image of 'perfection' in order to be seen as acceptable. These are some of the sorts of pressures that can lead to a whole host of serious mental disorders like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm and substance abuse.
As an integrative Body Psychotherapist with over 20 years experience, I work in a way that recognises that many psychological problems have immediate impact on how we feel in our bodies. Learning to pay attention to our bodies can give us a deeper sense of understanding and empowerment to affect change. Along with wanting to support group members in working on their own individual goals, I'm also interested in exploring how we can interpret what is happening in our bodies in a language we can understand and work with.
Group Leader: Annalisa Caldon
Venue:
OTS-Oxford Therapy Centre
1st Floor, 142-144 Oxford Road
Temple Cowley, Oxford
OX4 2EA
Suitability:
These groups are suitable for most people seeking group therapy, though an initial interview will help to clarify this, or whether a group with a more specific focus for example would be a better option.
Fee:
Between £20 - £45 per session payable monthly in advance. Fee to be discussed at interview according to affordability.
Interview fee:
£52 payable only after your application has been received and acknowledged.
At least 10% of all fees above £30 go to fund any reduced fee places.
If you have any further questions then please do not hesitate to contact me.
How groups work & why they are so effective
Apply here to join one of these groups
Self Development using the Creative Arts
A 12 Week Course - Oxford
This is an experiential group therapy in which we use play, storytelling, myths and movement to explore personal identity and how we relate to others.
Time & Day: Wednesdays 7pm – 9pm
Once you have completed this course you can choose to leave the group or continue onto the next 12 week/6 week course.
Stories are all about the human condition. They hold up mirrors to help us reflect on, understand and empathise with who we are. They tell us about our wounds and offer solutions, speak to our desires and invite us to grow. Their universal themes remind us that others suffer, struggle and triumph in similar ways to ourselves, and that our isolation can be bridged through the shared similar experience of others.
Play allows us to rehearse life, try out new ideas, find out what does and doesn’t work for us; we can make mistakes and nothing bad will actually happen. Through play we can develop emotional and social confidence, expand our imagination, learn how we come across to others and get a better sense of who we are as individuals.
Is this group for me?
This group is for you if you find that, so far, talking and thinking has been of limited help to you. We will get up and explore moments, characters or themes within stories that resonate with us. This imaginative approach opens us to aspects of ourselves that are otherwise often hard to get in touch with. We can experience how we actually feel because our bodies as well as our minds are engaged in the process. There will be plenty of time for the group to discuss and reflect on what we have experienced whilst “playing”, and how to connect it to each individual’s personal development. Furthermore, as we begin to relate to each other, we can begin to support each other through our shared understanding. Equally you may feel inspired by other group members’ different approaches to life, and together develop ways to grow and make the changes you need.
Do I have to be good at drama and movement?
No. Therapy is never about performing and this is no different. We use the arts as vehicles to express, explore and understand how we feel and who we are. That’s all!
Free Taster Sessions:
The best way to find out if this is the right group for you is to come to a taster session. You won’t have to do anything you don’t feel comfortable with and it is an opportunity to ask questions and try things out for yourself. Please email me here if you are interested in a taster session first.
Group Leader:
Lizzie Cummings
Venue:
Baptist Church Hall, Lombard St. Eynsham OX29 4HT
Fee:
For the 12 week course - £20 per session payable monthly in advance.
If you have any further questions you are welcome to email me here.
Apply here to join one of these groups
Exploring the menopause
A 6-week therapeutic course
Group leaders: Paula Maddison and Lizzie Cummings
Date & Time:Mondays 7pm – 9pm
Venue: OTS-Oxford Therapy Centre in Temple Cowley, Oxford
Next course: begins on Monday 29th October 2018 - Monday 3rd December 2018
The 6 week course runs over 6 consecutive weeks. The course fee for the full 6 weeks is £150. You can turn up for the first session and pay £30 and then pay the remaining £120 to continue as part of the group.
Whether you are at the beginning, in the throes of it, or out the other side, the menopause is a momentous change, common to all women. It can be a long process of physiological challenges and some women experience an emotional roller-coaster of loss, anger and grief for the younger version of themselves, For yet other women, menopause holds within it a fear for the future. Because there is so little information and discussion about menopause women can find this a confusing, difficult and lonely time in their lives.
Many women suffer in silence and simply wait for it all to be over.
We have designed a course to break that silence by giving women an opportunity to explore how they are experiencing the menopause, in all its facets. During the course, we provide information about the range of 'normal' physiological responses to menopause and, whilst we are unqualified to offer any medical advice about the symptoms of menopause, we can signpost you to ways of getting practical support. However, beyond the experience of the 'symptoms' of menopause, we believe there is great value in women sharing their experiences of the emotional and mental changes they are going through and finding their own path through menopause.
Who is the course for?
This course is for any woman, or self-identifying woman, interested in exploring the experience of menopause in more depth. Most women begin to experience the peri-menopause (Pre-menopause) from the ages of 45 - 50 and the average age for the ending of periods is said to be 51 years. However, our experience and research suggests that the process is often ongoing and many women begin menopause at much earlier ages because of a host of factors. So whatever your age, come along and share and learn!
What will the course cover?
Whilst the group is intended to be flexible and responsive to what the participants want to cover, you can expect that there will be space to explore some of the following:
Apply here to join one of these groups
Personal-development using dance/movement and imagination
A 6 week course in - Oxford
Time & Day:
Once you have completed this course you can choose to leave the group or continue onto the next 12 week/6 week course.
Dance is one of the most direct ways to connect to how you feel and who you are. It takes us out of our heads and into our bodies where we can discover authentic ways to express ourselves and explore how we connect to others. The dancing body can help us let go of physical and mental tension, move beyond our perceived limitations and find a more centred way of being. Each week we will focus on different qualities of movement to help you develop your repertoire of natural self-expression through the body.
Imagination is a boundless resource for creativity and change. I will guide you to use your imagination whilst dancing. Imagination and movement combined allows images and feelings to arise from our unconscious which can help unlock positive aspects of ourselves that are often hard to access. It can also allow our wounds to have expression and so move towards cathartic release and the possibility of healing.
Reflection brings us back to words and allows time for our thoughts to take shape with a new perspective based on our bodies’ experience. We may dip into conversation and then back into movement. This process helps you to connect body and mind which allows for a more balanced and emotionally healthy relationship with yourself.
Do I have to have experience in dance to join this group?
None whatsoever. This kind of therapeutic dance is not about technique or performance. It is about finding ways to express and connect to yourself through your body, whether it is moving or still.
This course aims to help you to:
Group Leader:
Lizzie Cummings
Venue:
Baptist Church Hall, Lombard St. Eynsham OX29 4HT
Fee:
£120 (early bird £100) payable in advance
If you have any further questions you are welcome to email me here.
Apply here to join one of these groups
Workshops & Taster Sessions
We offer free talks, taster sessions and workshops at our OTS-Oxford Therapy Centre & OTS-Witney Therapy Centre on Thursday evenings and weekends. You will find uptodate details on all our talks and workshops which include such topics as
for the public and professionals via these links:
Public Talks, Taster Sessions & Workshops
Practitioner Talks & Workshops
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