Looking out whilst considering what lies within: engaging in further thought about one’s own relationship with diversity and difference

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper consists of a collection of individual learning and developmental experiences in the area of diversity and difference, based on the author’s participation in the ‘difference; identity; diversity’ workshop, as part of the Tavistock Clinic’s child psychotherapy training. There is a discussion here of how this learning took place, through a consideration of relevant theory, historical context, and clinical examples within the workshop’s individual seminars. In the seminars, the exploration of all these components was further enhanced by individual and group reflective processes, which formed part of the workshop. The paper highlights how the facilitating environment that was created through the containing net of all these components within the workshop allowed for my individual exploration of and learning about both internal and external diversity. This kind of learning is not commonplace in child psychotherapy trainings, which is to the detriment of child psychotherapists’ individual development, the training process itself, and the profession as a whole.