This Webinar is the first one in EHI’s new series of webinars on depolarization:

Depolarizing Our Minds, Our Hearts & Our Nation

This webinar will present mental health practitioners with a conflict mediation approach that can help them work with the sense of otherness both in themselves and with their clients. This webinar will be both didactic and experiential.

In the wake of the pandemic and recent racial, political, and economic upheaval in our country, this approach addresses practitioners' work and lives. Drawing from his new book The Depolarizing of America: A Guidebook for Social Healing, Kirk Schneider, along with colleague Bob Edelstein, will demonstrate this new conflict mediation approach--titled the "Experiential Democracy Dialogue." We will also provide a space for dyads for audience members to try the skills on their own.  

The Experiential Democracy Dialogue provides a supportive, highly structured format that invites people from contrasting cultural and ideological backgrounds to learn about and understand each other, rather than automatically being closed to each other’s point of view.  The upshot of the approach is that it can notably improve people’s capacities to humanize each other and to achieve common ground. For practitioners, specifically, it can enhance capabilities to be more present, both within oneself and with one’s clients, which is foundational to effective practice. The approach can also help practitioners to work with the divisiveness within themselves in regards to the polarized issues in society, which in turn may help with their work with their clients. 

Companion Book

The companion book that this training is based on is the newly published, The Depolarizing of America: A Guidebook for Social Healing. This book is not necessary to join the training! However it is recommended as a reference and context if you will be using the skills outlined in this workshop outside the workshop setting. 

Workshop Format

This webinar is an online workshop that will be both didactic and experiential utilizing Zoom Meeting. The format will include all attendees being assigned to a dyad to work the approach with another attendee. 

The workshop will start with a short presentation and a full demonstration of the 6 phases of this approach. Attendees will be able to Q&A the presenters prior to breaking off into their dyad breakout rooms. Due to the nature of Zoom and the limited time we will not be able to customize the dyads for the attendees; they will be random assignments. 

Opting Out of dyad portion: Any attendee who is not interested in participating in the dyads will need to make and have confirmed this arrangement at least 48 hours prior to the workshop to avoid disappointing another participant. Please contact Michelle at [email protected] to opt-out of dyad work at this event. 

Recording: We will be recording this event. We will record both the Presentation and Demonstration portions. The Q&A and Dyads will not be recorded. Our intention is to make this available to our registrants.  We will also make the recording available to purchase at a later date. EHI will email the attendees their access info. 

Technology Recommendations & Limitations

This webinar utilizes Zoom meeting and will feature the use of Zoom Breakout Rooms. Attendees are responsible for ensuring the device they will use is adequate to access the workshop and for downloading Zoom app appropriate for their device.

Required: 

A stable wifi connection and a device that can access the internet connection. 

Audio & Video will need to be accessible to the Zoom app the device uses to join the Workshop. 

To participate in dyads attendee must be logged into a Zoom Desktop Client or Zoom app for Mobile - this is a Zoom requirement. [A free Zoom account will work.] 

Please note that attendees accessing the workshop via Chromebook or Chrome OS will not be able to participate in the dyads in Breakout Rooms- this is a Zoom limitation.

Our Presenters 

Kirk J Schneider, Phd

Kirk Schneider, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and leading spokesperson for contemporary existential-humanistic/integrative psychology. Dr. Schneider is a cofounder and current president of the Existential-Humanistic Institute (an award-winning psychotherapy training center), Council Member of the American Psychological Association (APA), past president (2015-2016) of the Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32) of the APA, and current candidate for president of the APA. He is also a moderator for Braver Angels and an adjunct faculty member at Saybrook University and Teachers College, Columbia University. A Fellow of five Divisions of the APA, Dr. Schneider has published over 200 articles, interviews and chapters and has authored or edited 13 books including The Spirituality of Awe, The Polarized Mind, Awakening to Awe, The Handbook of Humanistic Psychology, Existential-Humanistic therapy, Existential-Integrative Psychotherapy, TheWiley World Handbook of Existential Therapy, and The Depolarizing of America:  A Guidebook for Social Healing. Dr. Schneider’s work has been featured in Scientific American, the New York Times, Psychology Today and many other health and psychology outlets.

Bob Edelstein, LMFT

Bob Edelstein, LMFT, MFT, is an Existential-Humanistic psychotherapist with over forty-five years of experience. He provides consultation, supervision, workshops, and trainings for clinicians and students. He is a blogger for Psychology Today and has published articles on the existential-humanistic perspective, including a chapter entitled Frames, Attitudes, and Skills of an Existential Humanistic Psychotherapist in the Handbook of Humanistic Psychology 2nd Edition. Bob is the founder and current president of the Existential-Humanistic Northwest professional organization.

Co-sponsored by: Existential-Humanistic Institute & Existential-Humanistic Northwest Professional Organization

Existential-Humanistic Institute (EHI)

EHI offers trainings, workshops and education in Existential-Humanistic approaches to psychotherapy. Formed in 1997 as a program under the auspices of the Pacific Institute, a non-profit organization in San Francisco, EHI continues to offer experiential training retreats, certificate programs, workshops, consultation groups, theory courses and community gatherings in the Bay Area with the goal of supporting existentially and humanistically informed psychologies and psychotherapies: approaches that nurture experiential reflection on life’s deepest joys and predicaments.  

Existential-Humanistic Northwest (EHNW)

EHNW is here to impact the world through Existential-Humanistic values of authenticity, integrity, responsibility, inclusion, and awe. EHNW enlivens and enriches human experience through our commitment to being present with ourselves, others, society, and the mystery of life. We serve the healing professions, our clients, and the public through dialogue, education, training, and advocacy. EHNW offers workshops, professional presentations, and salons.

Workshop Access, Refund Policy, and Waiver

Your ticket confirmation will contain the access link to get into the Virtual Event Page on the day of the workshop.

Full refunds, minus a $5 administration fee, are available for any cancellation prior to July 8th at midnight. No refunds are available after that. Tickets are transferable.

Due to the experiential format a Waiver of Liability is required to participate in this workshop.

Questions?

Michelle is available until July 10th to answer questions about the event. Contact her here at EHI by email, [email protected] .

Our Recording Policy

We will be recording the Main Room of the Zoom Meeting in Speaker View. We will record the Presentation and Experiential Dialogue Demonstration. To protect privacy Local Recording will be disabled; there will not be a record the Q&A or the dyads in the Breakout Rooms. The recording will be made available to registrants and we will email you when that is ready!