The Power of Stories at Café Psychologique, 22 October
‘Will you tell me a story?’ is one of the earliest questions many of us ask. They entertain, scare, guide and inspire. They can shape nations, change the course of a law case, gain a job, and even woo a partner.
What is it about stories that mean some persist through millenia, and still retain their resonance and power to thrill? What about their personal impact on our lives too; why are we so shaped by the stories told to us and about us; and what about the stories we tell ourselves?
This Café Psychologique is part of the Love Arts Festival and will be introduced by professional storyteller Matthew Bellwood. We shall be exploring, sharing and telling stories and understanding their psychological impact on Tuesday 22 October, from 8.00 pm in Seven Arts, Chapel Allerton, Leeds. The Café costs £3 on the door.
There is a poster to download here: Café Psychologique October 2013
You can join in the conversation online on our Facebook page: Café Psychologique
Education, School & Schooldays at Café Psychologique, 24 Sept.
The best of times, the worst of times… why do people say that schooldays are the happiest days of your life when so many are so unhappy there – and that’s not just the teachers? Successive governments make huge changes in education policy which result in massive change for teachers and pupils alike, but does this help or hinder education? The only three categories of people required by law to be in a particular place each day are convicted criminals, people detained under the mental health act and children. Is locking children up every day the best way to help them learn and develop? Have your feelings about your schooling changed as time has gone on?
Unusually for a discussion about school and education, the conversation will be started by two people who spend every week-day in a school: a head teacher and a school student. Lesley McKay and Evan Powell will launch the conversation on 24 September, at 8.00 pm in Seven Arts, Chapel Allerton, Leeds. The Café costs £3 on the door.
There is a poster to download here: Café Psychologique September 2013
You can join in the conversation online on our Facebook page: Café Psychologique
Holidays at Café Psychologique, Tuesday 30 July
Why do we bother with holidays? Are they a vital rest, a chance to celebrate, and a way of fulfilling our nature as creatures of pleasure? Or they just an expensive way to accumulate stress, sunburn, STDs and shattered expectations? Why is so much advertising needed to persuade us to take them if they are so essential? And is it true that workers who have more holidays are also more productive? We can’t promise to provide the answers, but Cafe Psychologique will extend your thinking from a psychological perspective.
Counsellor Wendy Callaghan will start the conversation on 30 July, 8.00 pm at Seven Arts, Chapel Allerton, Leeds. The Café costs £3 on the door. There is a poster to download here: Café Psychologique July Poster
You can join in the conversation online on our Facebook page: Café Psychologique
News on the Couch: Chris Powell on BBC Radio Leeds, 19 July 2013
Wes Butters and Chris Powell present News On The Couch on BBC Radio Leeds at 10.30 am on Friday morning. Chris discusses why there is so much interest in news stories like Nelson Mandela’s illness and the Royal Baby. Is there any reason for this level of interest in people we don’t know. Also, why do we judge people on the basis of their clothing?
If you missed the live broadcast you can use the BBC’s listen again service to hear what Chris and Wes had to say.
Listen Again
Click here and forward to 1:33 to listen again.
National Borders – Café Psychologique, 25 June
Why do we fear those who cross national borders? Migration seems such loaded subject. It’s doubtful anyone in a democracy would seriously argue in favour of forcing people to stay in a country where they don’t wish to stay, or even more importantly where they are being ill-treated. But the moment they cross their border into another nation the worry starts. Pete Richardson is Director of Leeds Asylum Seekers’ Support Network and will start the conversation on 25 June, 8.00 pm at Seven Arts, Chapel Allerton, Leeds. There is a poster to download here: Café Psychologique June Poster
You can join in the conversation online on our Facebook page: Café Psychologique
Self Help: Friend or Foe? Café Psychologique Leeds, 28 May
Self Help – you can’t open a paper, go in a bookshop or ask your GP about your depression without being confronted with the idea that the best help is the help you give yourself. Is that right? Can you really sort things out for yourself if you are pointed in the right direction, or are you better relying on an expert to do it all for you? Maria Spellacy is a regular contributor at Café Psychologique, with long experience of self-help and helping others to change. She will introduce the conversation on Tuesday 28 May, 8.00 pm at Seven Arts, Chapel Allerton, Leeds. There is a poster to download here: Café Psychologique May 2013
You can join in the conversation online on our Facebook page: Café Psychologique
Adulthood: myth and necessity. Café Psychologique, 30 April.
Adulthood. It seems to be necessary to have a state to grow into that will fulfill the needs of being a functioning, contributing member of families and society. But it also seems to be a myth, in that so many adults spend much time not feeling very adult, or feeling they are not treated as an adult. What does it mean to be an adult? Can you be an adult without being grown up? Can you be grown up without being an adult? How do you know when you’re grown up? These questions and many more will be explored at Café Psychologique, on Tuesday, 30 April, 8 pm at Seven Arts, Chapel Allerton, Leeds, £3 on the door. The conversation will be introduced by counsellor Jenny Sergeant. There is a poster to download here: here
You can join in the conversation online on our Facebook page: Café Psychologique
You can read the rules for how Café Psychologique works here: Café Psychologique Rules
Parenthood, Café Psychologique, Tuesday 26 March
Parents – we all had them at some point, but do they do as Philip Larkin suggested (This be the verse) or are they the foundation of our existence? If everyone knows there is no possibility of being a perfect parent, why does it feel as if many parents try to be just that (and feel guilty when they aren’t)? And, is entering parenthood the point you reach your peak and it’s all downhill from there in an increasingly steep slide into biological redundancy, or is it just the beginning of a new life for you as well as your children? Fiona Thorne is a Clinical Psychologist and will introduce the conversation on Tuesday 26 March, 8.00 pm at Seven Arts, Chapel Allerton, Leeds. There is a poster to download here: Café Psychologique March 2013
You can join in the conversation online on our Facebook page: Café Psychologique
You can read the rules for how Café Psychologique works here: Café Psychologique Rules
Room to Breathe on 23 March
The next Room to Breathe day is on Saturday 23 March, starting from Linton Falls, near Grassington. Full details here or contact Chris Powell for more information.
Internet Dating: Like or Unlike? Café Psychologique 26 February
Valentine’s day has come and gone, romance has been found and lost for some. Many though don’t know how to find ways of meeting likely others between the pressures of work, home and a transient, fragmentary society. Does the internet have the answer or is this just another way of taking money from vulnerable people? Can true love be found online or is it just a superhighway to frustration, deception and disappointment? Jo Bedford is a regular at Café Psychologique and will introduce the conversation on Tuesday 26 February, 8.00 pm at Seven Arts, Chapel Allerton, Leeds. There is a poster to download here: Café Psychologique Poster
Singles, couples and others all welcome!
You can join in the conversation online on our Facebook page: Café Psychologique
You can read the rules for how Café Psychologique works here: Café Psychologique Rules
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