Monday 17th March
Open Forum on Organisational Dynamics
with Jo Dickie, Caroline Payton and Caroline Rose
How far do institutional dynamics interfere with our ability to do our jobs effectively? Work politics can at times be detrimental to the functions which staff members within an organisation are trying to carry out. If people do not feel safe and emotionally held within an organisation, can they work effectively with others? We will draw on the work of Anton Obholzer and Vega Zagier Roberts as well as the papers of Isabel Menzies Lyth and others. We will also explore how counselling within an organisation is affected by organisational needs, and the role of the workplace counsellor in holding the tension between the individual and the organisation.
Our presentations will be brief because we hope that members of the group will bring contributions relating to their own work situations so that a shared discussion can take place.
About the Speakers
Jo Dickie works full time as the Staff Counsellor and Welfare Advisor in a large culture-sector organisation. This is a singleton role providing in-house counselling, advice to HR and Managers and input to training and wellbeing initiatives. She previously worked as a Jobcentre Manager, as a Welfare Officer for the Employment Service, and in community counselling services. She is also a volunteer debt advisor for Oasis, Waterloo, and does some private training in counselling skills to pastoral staff in schools.
Caroline Payton has worked in Primary Care and also in an NHS Psychotherapy Unit. She is now in Private Practice, and supervises at the Multi-cultural Service at Waterloo Community Counselling. Caroline Rose has worked in the social care field for many years including working as a counsellor in a community alcohol team. She is currently working as a staff counsellor and an honorary student counsellor at the University of Westminster whilst developing her private practice.
