Based on the work of Joy Schaverien and Nick Duffell, this workshop will outline the key theories behind boarding school syndrome and how they might present in clients in the therapy room. Often hidden, due to the shame of ‘privileged abandonment’, clients will not always share their school experience and sometimes may not be fully aware themselves of its impact. Others come knowing the harm they suffered, asking for our help. Either way we need to be alert, sensitive and aware of the potential wounds that come with going to boarding school so that we can support our clients. This workshop is intended as a basic introduction so that you have some theoretical tools at your fingertips and a greater awareness of what may lie beneath what an ex boarder is bringing to therapy.
There will be two more workshops following this on the particular experiences of women ex boarders and men ex boarders.
Learning Objective Participants Can Expect From This Event
- Understanding of boarding school syndrome and how it arises
- Greater awareness of an often hidden trauma
- Typical client presentation
Who is This Workshop Appropriate For?
- Trainee and qualified counsellors and psychotherapists
How May This Workshop Impact Your Practice?
- Greater awareness of boarding school syndrome and how it might present in the therapy room
Course Content
Presenter
Karen Macmillan (she/her) is a Transactional Analysis counsellor who specialises in working with ex boarders in Hove and online. She completed Nick Duffell’s training in working with ex-boarders in 2017/18 and continues to reflect on her own experience of boarding.
She runs workshops for counsellors on working with ex boarders in a variety of settings and is committed to raising awareness of the often hidden trauma that may be present in the counselling room and beyond.
