Workshops
Understanding Blame & Shame and how to get beyond them.
Theory:
As we grow up, we are often blamed for things that "go wrong" in life. Indeed, even adults engage in blame all the time, from politics to relationships, and so on. I wrote more extensively about this in my first book, "a man wearing a dress" and on the "I don't blame you" page here on this web site.
Being blamed repeatedly often leads to feelings of shame, such as "I'm not good enough" or "Everything's my fault." After I realized that blame seldom does any good, I began to investigate why we so often blame others anyway. I wanted to learn how to live life without blame and how to resolve the feelings of shame that I was left with, after being blamed and bullied while growing up. I decided to put together a workshop to explain what I discovered.
Structure:
The workshop incorporates a slideshow to illustrate my ideas, some exercises for everyone attending to try, and ends with time for questions & answers. There is also time at the end for comments and suggestions to help me improve the content for future workshops. It runs for about 75 minutes.
Participants are invited to be "at choice" - that is, no one has to participate in any exercises if they don't want to. I also ask that everyone keep confidential anything of a personal nature that might be revealed by anyone else at the workshop, either during the exercises or during the Q & A discussion at the end.
Who may benefit:
I originally designed this material for LGBTQIA+ youth and their allies, but it turns out that almost anyone can benefit. In order to provide time participants to ask questions or make comments, I suggest a group size between 15 and 25 participants. For larger groups, I can lead more than one session at a given location.
About the leader:
I am an experienced co-counselor, worked with a variety of professional counselors in various disciplines, participated in CoDA meetings, and attended workshops presented by the Human Awareness Institute, among others. I was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree from Goddard College in 1975.
When asked if I now lead a life free of blame and shame, I reply, "Are you kidding?" I still struggle with these feelings, sometimes on a daily basis! It's a work in progress for all of us, I think. That's why I can relate to pretty much anyone who attends these workshops.
Invitation:
I hope you'll join me the next time I offer it! Please see the "Events" menu on this web site for dates and locations. See the "Scheduling" page if you want to have me present to your group.
As we grow up, we are often blamed for things that "go wrong" in life. Indeed, even adults engage in blame all the time, from politics to relationships, and so on. I wrote more extensively about this in my first book, "a man wearing a dress" and on the "I don't blame you" page here on this web site.
Being blamed repeatedly often leads to feelings of shame, such as "I'm not good enough" or "Everything's my fault." After I realized that blame seldom does any good, I began to investigate why we so often blame others anyway. I wanted to learn how to live life without blame and how to resolve the feelings of shame that I was left with, after being blamed and bullied while growing up. I decided to put together a workshop to explain what I discovered.
Structure:
The workshop incorporates a slideshow to illustrate my ideas, some exercises for everyone attending to try, and ends with time for questions & answers. There is also time at the end for comments and suggestions to help me improve the content for future workshops. It runs for about 75 minutes.
Participants are invited to be "at choice" - that is, no one has to participate in any exercises if they don't want to. I also ask that everyone keep confidential anything of a personal nature that might be revealed by anyone else at the workshop, either during the exercises or during the Q & A discussion at the end.
Who may benefit:
I originally designed this material for LGBTQIA+ youth and their allies, but it turns out that almost anyone can benefit. In order to provide time participants to ask questions or make comments, I suggest a group size between 15 and 25 participants. For larger groups, I can lead more than one session at a given location.
About the leader:
I am an experienced co-counselor, worked with a variety of professional counselors in various disciplines, participated in CoDA meetings, and attended workshops presented by the Human Awareness Institute, among others. I was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree from Goddard College in 1975.
When asked if I now lead a life free of blame and shame, I reply, "Are you kidding?" I still struggle with these feelings, sometimes on a daily basis! It's a work in progress for all of us, I think. That's why I can relate to pretty much anyone who attends these workshops.
Invitation:
I hope you'll join me the next time I offer it! Please see the "Events" menu on this web site for dates and locations. See the "Scheduling" page if you want to have me present to your group.
Citizen Photojournalism
For information on this workshop, please see the description on my Open Eyes Video "Classes" page.