The bpf and CPJA are collaborating on an innovative project designed to promote open, ongoing discussions about psychoanalysis and Jungian psychotherapy in the 21st century.

Description

Presented by:

British Psychotherapy Foundation (bpf) & UK Council for Psychoanalysis and Jungian Analysis College (CPJA)

Online Workshop 3: Can psychoanalysis and Jungian psychotherapy evolve to respond to contemporary life?

When: Thursday 2nd July 2026

Time: 19.30 – 21.30

Facilitator: George Taxidis (he/him) (Goldsmiths, University of London)

Ticket costs:

• £25 (Standard)
• £15 (Concession for students and retired individuals)

Maximum attendees: 80

Schedule:

• 19:30 – 19.40: Dr Frances Gillies (bpf CEO) and Gwion Jones (Chair of CPJA) welcome attendees, provide background on project and its aims, and welcome the speaker.
• 19:40 – 20:30: Speaker outlines workshop themes.
• 20:30 – 21:00: Breakout groups.
• 21:00 – 21:30: Group discussion.

The emergence and resurgence of hateful rhetoric – particularly misogynistic, racist, anti-migrant and anti-trans hate – is creeping into state and institutional policies, threatening the lives and wellbeing of millions. In this context, this session will explore the ways in which the hierarchies in our profession are often reflecting and even reinforcing inequalities and injustices in the wider world. What might intersectional queer, feminist and decolonial thinking have to offer contemporary psychoanalysis and Jungian analysis? What kinds of defences does psychoanalysis itself employ against learning and adapting to the 21st century? What might depth psychology have to offer those who long for a more just world?

Speaker Bio

George Taxidis (he/him) is a Jungian analyst (BJAA, IAAP) and supervisor working in private practice in East London. He is a lecturer in psychodynamic counselling and psychosocial studies at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he also facilitates a support and study space for queer and trans trainee therapists. He was the co-founder of the International Queer Jungian Initiative. He writes, speaks and leads seminars both in the UK and internationally, and has run Social Dreaming Matrix workshops with trainee therapists, the queer community, and artists. He is currently writing a book on queering Jungian psychology, to be published by Routledge in the Jung, Politics and Culture series. 

Hierarchies and Fragmentations in Psychoanalysis

The bpf and CPJA are collaborating on an innovative project designed to promote open, ongoing discussions about psychoanalysis and Jungian psychotherapy in the 21st century. This project focuses on addressing professional and institutional challenges that have previously contributed to hierarchy, rivalry and division within the field.

The project features three online workshops followed by an in-person conference. The online workshops, held prior to the conference, will highlight key debates and set the stage for deeper conversation. Ideas and themes from these workshops will be examined further during the conference.

Each online workshop, led by a distinguished academic or expert, will be 2 hours long. The structure of each online workshop will be as follows:

• 19:30 – 19.40: Dr Frances Gillies (bpf CEO) and Gwion Jones (Chair of CPJA) welcome attendees, provide background on project and its aims, and welcome the speaker.
• 19:40 – 20:30: Speaker outlines workshop themes.
• 20:30 – 21:00: Breakout groups.
• 21:00 – 21:30: Group discussion.

Recordings of the workshops will be analysed to identify central themes, which will be used to shape the conference’s programme and ensure the continuation of in-depth discussions about how we might resolve divisions and rifts within the profession. Workshop attendees will also be given the opportunity to lead talks at the conference.

The project aims to unite analytic scholars, clinicians, researchers, and organisations. By creating a space where differences are valued and explored, the project seeks to foster curiosity and appreciation for varied professional perspectives.

*If you are a psychotherapist or counsellor residing in an active conflict zone, you are eligible to attend this event free of charge (regardless of whether you are a bpf member or not). Please email events@bpf-psychotherapy to enquire about a ticket.