I am planning to create something unique later this year. A quarterly gathering of no more than 30 attendees comprising psychotherapists, speakers, and those outside of the therapeutic world, gathered in a venue not ordinarily accessible to the public. The London Psychotherapy Forum will be a dining experience with a difference.
Critics might well be aghast at such seeming splendour. A grand interior within a historic members’ club – mahogany and leather furnishings, crisp linen tablecloth and napkins, silverware, and a three-course meal impeccably served. As a psychotherapist myself, when in training and thereafter, the emphasis has and continues to be that self-care is pivotal in serving our own wellbeing and that of our clients. The London Psychotherapy Forum provides a meeting place for just that.
What better than amiable surroundings to round off a busy working week on a Friday evening? An enticing start to the weekend where one can breathe, relax, be yourself, meet new and old faces, listen to a speaker with a specific theme, engaging questions and answers – with room for deep reflection and conversation before, during, and after dinner.
Purposefully, I welcome participation and input from non-therapists to ensure a balance of minds and awareness that is supportive of viewing ideas through different lenses. After all, we in the profession will spend the majority of our working life with people from all backgrounds, who have different experiences, cultural, religious, and more. Equally, this will be reflected in the speakers. Not all will be psychotherapists. They have and continue to bring valid approaches, tools and insights to our attention as we collectively extend our considerations around mental health. A melody of voices who do not readily seek the limelight, but whose work should have greater recognition. This is reflected in my choice of speaker, Brigid Bowen for the launch of the London Psychotherapy Forum on Friday July 3 2026. Brigid is the founder of Compassionate Mental Health, and curates a series of immersive events designed to incubate and ignite fresh thinking about “mental health care”. Among other things, she is a writer, a student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn, and Chair of Trustees of Cardiff Steiner school.
It has often been said that food and good company go hand in hand. My aim is to promote
an opening of hearts, not just minds in a relaxed environment that fosters learning, support,
friendship, and where differences of opinion can be amicably shared. No busy, noisy function rooms filled with large audiences, rigid structure, timetables, allotted networking slots, or rush and dash. This is not a criticism, and the approach has its place too. In contrast, my concept sits alongside offering a deliberately slower approach – a ying and yang that is part of life that requires the other to be of optimum value. A one and one with each speaker with no time constraints.
Ultimately, my vision for the London Psychotherapy Forum going forwards is that it will be a place where old and new approaches can merge comfortably. A key component being able
to listen to each other and at times sit with the uncomfortable. The magic of not knowing everything, central to dialogue. Psychotherapists from different modalities and training each bringing added richness. It is amazing what can be achieved over an appetizing dish and glass in hand.
Price: £118 (teetotal) or £149 (alcohol included)
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