Join us on Saturday 21 June, 11am - 4pm via Zoom.
Collective Gestalts, 11am – 1pm
Masculinity, Isolation and Radicalisation, 2pm – 4pm
During the seminar day, Dr Adam Kincel will lead two interlinked but independent workshops rooted in his research on gender and identity in Gestalt Therapy. His aim is to create a space for theoretical reflection and personal and clinical insights. He examines the phenomenology of privilege, relational approach to difficult dialogues, and a case study on masculinity and radicalisation, inviting reflection on clinical practice, connection, and inclusion within Gestalt therapy.
In the morning workshop, Adam will explore the concept of collective gestalts, a term he first introduced in the British Gestalt Journal a decade ago. These are societal themes that become deeply embodied, shaping individual experiences and perspectives. He will focus on the importance of bodily awareness in understanding how privilege and power operate within the therapeutic field and how Gestalt therapy theory and practice can help us understand and work with these themes. The workshop will also explore how to facilitate difficult dialogues around difference and prejudices within both individual and group therapy settings, offering a dialogue on how Gestalt practitioners can foster intimacy, connection, and a sense of belonging through honest engagement with these challenges.
The afternoon session, Masculinity, Isolation, and Radicalisation, presents a case study of Adam’s work with a client influenced by ideologies from the manosphere and involuntary celibacy communities. Can the relational way of working reach an isolated client in the echo chambers of online male forums? The exploration of key moments of the therapeutic encounter between the presenter and the client will be the basis for discussions and reflection on masculinity and contact. However, the focus will not only be on clinical strategies but also on participants’ own experiences of isolation and the forces that can lead to radicalisation, while considering what supports reconnection and healing.
Both workshops will offer theoretical reflections and small-group work to foster personal exploration and clinical reflection.
About Dr Adam Kincel
Dr Adam Kincel is a psychotherapist, supervisor, and trainer working in England, Bulgaria, Georgia, and Poland. His Gestalt passions include large groups (of over 80 people), which he has facilitated at the London Gestalt Centre; relational therapy, in which he trained at the Pacific Gestalt Institute; and Gestalt work with masculinity, sexuality and culture, the subject of his doctorate and a book published by Routledge in 2021. For the past three years, he has been a father to two daughters, which leaves him with little time for the above passions.