Ethics and power dynamics

Key details

Dates | Wednesday 6 May

Time | 9.30am to 4.30pm

Duration | 1 day

Location | Elie, Gestalt Centre Training Campus, 27 Royal Parade Parkville, VIC 3052

Fee | $280 (includes GST)

Facilitator | Leanne O'Shea

About this workshop

This workshop offers a grounded and practical exploration of ethics and power dynamics in therapeutic, organisational, and everyday relational contexts. Together, we’ll examine how power operates—both visibly and subtly—and consider the ethical responsibilities that come with holding influence. Through discussion, reflection, and applied examples, you’ll develop greater awareness of your own positioning, strengthen your ethical decision-making, and deepen your capacity to create safe, respectful, and equitable spaces.

What you'll gain

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

• Understand key concepts of power: authority, privilege, influence, and relational dynamics
• Recognise how power shows up in therapeutic and organisational contexts
• Develop strategies for navigating ethical dilemmas with clarity and confidence
• Learn approaches for supporting consent, autonomy, and psychological safety
• Strengthen self-reflection and awareness of personal power and its impacts
• Explore ways to respond effectively when power is misused or challenged

Why choose this workshop

This workshop offers a supportive and thoughtfully facilitated space to examine real-world ethical challenges and the often-unseen power dynamics that shape professional and therapeutic relationships. Rather than presenting abstract theory, it focuses on practical, relational, and immediately applicable insights. You’ll leave with greater self-awareness, clearer ethical grounding, and tools you can use straight away to strengthen safety, accountability, and integrity in your work.

Who should attend

This workshop is ideal for therapists, counsellors, trainees, community workers, educators, managers, and anyone who works in roles where power, care, and responsibility intersect. It is also suited to individuals seeking to deepen their ethical awareness, understand relational dynamics, and cultivate more equitable and conscious professional practice.

About your facilitator

Leanne O'Shea

DPsych, BTheol., MSc, FellowMGANZ

Leanne O’Shea is a psychotherapist, supervisor, and educator. Having studied Gestalt in Melbourne and London, she brings a diverse range of insights to her work. As well as private practice, Leanne holds several teaching positions, including the Director of Training at Gestalt Therapy Australia. She works with Relational Change in the UK and is also a certified Enneagram teacher.

Leanne is driven by a desire to promote awareness, cultivate ethical presence and develop greater sensitivity to our relational responsibility across diverse areas of need and concern. A long-standing interest concerns the place of sexuality within the therapeutic relationship and the rehabilitation of an Erotic sensibility.

About the Gestalt Centre

The Gestalt Centre is the heart of Melbourne’s Gestalt community. We offer a four-year psychotherapy training program through Gestalt Therapy Australia, staying true to the experiential roots of Gestalt while embracing cutting-edge developments in contemporary Gestalt thinking and practice worldwide.

We also operate ConnectGround, a community-based counselling and psychotherapy clinic. ConnectGround serves as both a training facility for psychotherapists and a provider of low-cost individual and group therapy for clients. The clinic emphasises the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist as a key support for building awareness and adaptability. Psychotherapy interns and volunteers gain valuable hands-on experience, enhancing their skills and professionalism through client work.

Visit our websites:

www.gestaltcentre.com.au

www.gestalttherapyaustralia.com.au

www.connectground.com.au

Refund policy

Refunds are available up to 7 days before the event.

Please note:

In the unlikely event that this workshop is cancelled or postponed, registration fees will be fully refunded. Please note that the organisers are not responsible for any travel, accommodation, or other costs incurred by participants.