MEN'S FAMILY OF ORIGIN GROUP INTENSIVE

A 5-day group intensive for men in recovery facilitated by Cat Etherington and Cindy Bajema

Date: Friday June 6th – Tuesday June 10th, 2025

Location: Wrexham, North Wales

This 5 day group intensive is designed for men who are ready to begin exploring how their experience of their families of origin has impacted them. We will explore the effects of developmental trauma, that is trauma that may have occurred early in life, focussing on birth to 18 years old. We will also explore relational trauma, traumas that happen in between people, including neglect.

This is not a “workshop” in that we will be offering much more than psycho-education, with each participant working on their trauma in experiential ways, including somatic interventions and chair work. This work, especially when completed in a group setting is deeply meaningful, profoundly healing and can be transformative.

The primary model for this intensive is Post Induction Therapy, founded by Pia Mellody and used by some of the most famous treatment centres in the world such as The Meadows and The Priory. Our team was trained in this model by Dr Jake Porter and Delphi Medina of Daring Ventures, as well as Jan Bergstrom, LMHC of HOCII.

SCHEDULE

Each day will begin between 9 and 10am and will end no later than 6:00pm. Start and End times will be determined by the practitioners, during the intensive, as suitable for the groups needs.

Before the intensive: We will conduct a Zoom session to introduce the model and provide education about relational and developmental trauma. This education will serve as the foundation for the rest of the intensive time.

Day 1

On the first day together we will revisit the model and education about relational and developmental trauma. On day one we will also begin to “debrief” each participant, applying the model to their own story through narrative processing and chair work.

Day 2 & 3

On the second and third day we go deeper into the model with opportunities for participants to begin to explore their childhood experiences through the perspective of their “inner child”. This provides an opportunity to understand how their experiences impacted them at the time, instead of reflecting on them from the perspective of their adult self today and connect them with their needs ready for the final step of the intensive work.

Day 4 & 5

Finally, participants will use Feeling Reduction work to begin to heal and re-understand their childhood wounds. Using chair work and somatic processes participants will release shame and other carried emotions, developing and strengthening their functional adult self in the process. This part of the process allows participants to begin to create new responses, based in adult reality, instead of recreating old patterns based on childhood.

After the intensive: We will conduct a follow up Zoom call with participants to explore further what it could look like to continue applying this model to further the healing impact of the time together in the intensive.

Join Us!

Places are limited to 3 and will be allocated on a 'first come, first served' basis.