Working with Archetypes
A weekend workshop for personal and professional development

Working with Archetypes takes participants on a deep exploration into the nature of archetypal forces and how we access and engage with them in a way which is unique to each of us. 

This dynamic workshop leads participants toward greater personal integration by exploring and engaging with their archetype profile.  You will gain deep insight into your current life situation and consider the next stages of your life journey by engaging your strengths purposefully to create and meet life's opportunities.

All participants will complete an archetype profile using The Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator (PMAI) which singles out twelve key psychological patterns or archetypes and their current level of activation in your life as detailed in the research of Dr Carol S. Pearson and Dr Hugh Marr (What Story Are You Living?  2007).  Each archetype represents a psychological energy system we can understand and relate to and has been given a descriptive name such as the ‘Warrior’, 'Innocent' or ‘Sage’.   This archetype profiling is designed to give you a clear snapshot of how your energy is being used currently.  It is not a static ‘personality type’ profile.  The distribution of your energy will change according to your life circumstances and age and how you choose to engage with it.  

The workshop will begin by unlocking the gifts and potential excesses of the twelve key archetypes.  You will explore your strengths and areas of imbalance, along with ways to address these if you choose to.   We will examine typical or current problematic or ‘stuck’ situations which can be addressed through engaging archetypal energies differently.

These are some of the insights you will gain in this interactive, reflective and creative setting:

• A clear outline of the twelve key psychological archetypes outlined by Pearson and Marr
• A detailed view of how these twelve archetypes are working in your life at this time
• An overview of where you are placed in relation to an archetypal timeline
• Clear insights into your strengths and ‘lead’ archetypes
• Help with understanding your challenges, some of which might be particular to current situations and some which you might recognise as ongoing challenges
• Areas of imbalance (this is not necessarily a ‘bad’ thing when viewed in context)
• Indications of life purpose or destiny
  
• Suggestions of ways you could strengthen areas and address imbalances
• A clear outline of the developmental challenges and tasks facing you at this time in your journey

An understanding of psychological archetypes was brought into our modern consciousness through the work of Dr. Carl Jung (1875–1961). They describe universal ways of being that are common to humanity and accessible to us all.  Jung believed that standing behind our individual personal unconscious, which is unique to each of us, “there exists a second psychic system of a collective, universal and impersonal nature that is identical in all individuals”.  Dr. Caroline Myss observes that ‘some archetypes step out from the backdrop of this great collective to play a much more prominent role in people’s lives, and that each of us has our own personal alignment of key archetypes’ (Sacred Contracts 2001 p.14).

The workshop will combine archetype profiling with an understanding of adult stages of development arising from the work of Dr. Rudolf Steiner (1864–1925) and deepened by Dr Bernard Lievegoed, Dutch psychiatrist, author and founder of the Netherlands Pedagogical Institute (1905–1992). His penetrating exploration of 7-year cycles of development through the whole of life can be very empowering for adults.

For further insights on the role of archetypes in our lives read  Garry's Recent Article on The Huffinton Post

About the Facilitators:

 Garry Gilfoy  
 Garry has been counselling and training therapists since 2001. His formal education  includes degrees in Education (Grad Dip) and Social Science (Master of Counselling).  His  book, The BIG Picture, Insights from the Spiritual World was published in 2012 with a  Polish release in 2015.  He blogs at The Huffington Post. Garry lectured in Singapore for  many years with the University of South Australia's Master of Counselling Programme.  He  lives in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia with his family.  He is a Professional Member  of Holistic Therapists Australia.

 Paula Huggins
 Paula is an experienced counsellor trained in expressive therapies, sandplay  and symbol  work, compassionate communication (NVC) and appreciative inquiry.  She  holds a Masters  degree in Counselling and brings her own life experiences as an expat, a  co-founder of the  Waldorf Steiner Education Association (Singapore), an International School Counsellor, a mother of two teenage boys and a survivor of breast cancer to her work.  She is strongly committed to a path of self-development and awareness, from where she seeks to support others navigating life's ups and downs.  Paula is a Member of the BACP.