PAGPS welcomes you to its 30th Annual Holiday Event! We will start the night learning from Dr. Christina Devereaux, Ph.D., LMHC, LPC, LCAT, BC-DMT, NCC, who will be presenting "Beyond Words: Embodied Pathways for Connection in Groups," followed by great food and even better company! This is a great opportunity to network, socialize and learn in a community of people committed to the value of group psychotherapy. 

BEYOND WORDS: EMBODIED PATHWAYS FOR CONNECTION IN GROUP

Nonverbal communication is often the most immediate and powerful form of group interaction. What happens when we consider these communications as active participants in group psychotherapy? Together, we will consider interaffectivity—the reciprocal resonance of bodies in groups — as a powerful resource for deepening therapeutic cohesion and uncovering implicit dynamics. Drawing from principles of dance/movement therapy, we will identify strategies to attune to the body in the room (through metaphor, gesture, and posture) and apply these insights to strengthen therapeutic interventions.

From attendance at this in-person event, participants will be able to:

1. Identify at least three ways body-based metaphors, gestures, and posture might offer embodied pathways to verbal expression in therapeutic contexts.

2. Identify three forms of nonverbal communication in group psychotherapy and explain their role in shaping group dynamics.

3. Demonstrate strategies to attune to nonverbal expressions in a group setting.

4. Apply the concept of interaffectivity to attend to nonverbal exchanges in group psychotherapy and develop strategies for enhancing group cohesion.

   
   

1 CE credit for Psychologists, Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, & Professional Counselors

PRESENTER: CHRISTINA DEVEREAUX

Dr. Devereaux has worked as a therapist, educator, supervisor, consultant, and trainer both nationally and internationally for over 20

years. She holds two faculty appointments including serving as Assistant Professor at Rider University in Department of Education, Leadership, and Counseling for the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with Dance/Movement Therapy Concentration and as Visiting Associate Professor at the Pratt Institute in the Department of Creative Arts Therapies in Brooklyn, NY. Previously, she served as Associate Clinical Professor and Program Director for the Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling MA program at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA, and Associate Professor and Program Director for the Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling MA program at Antioch University New England. Internationally she is on the program faculty at DMT training programs in China, Belgium, and New Zealand. She has post-graduate training in modern group process from the Center for Group Studies in NYC and has taught Group Dynamics and Processes in dance/movement therapy graduate programs for over 15 years. She served two terms as co-editor of the American Journal of Dance Therapy and was a two-time President’s Award recipient from the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) for contributions to the profession. In addition to academic positions, she has a small private practice working with clients in Pennsylvania and New York. www.christinadevereaux.com