Consultation Group

Feeling Stuck When Patriarchal Notions of Masculinity Show Up in Your Therapy Practice?

Training and Consultation for Therapists and Counselors

Four 1.5 hour sessions/four months – $500

 

Relationship consultant, researcher and professor, Dr. Saliha Bava, LMFT and author and speaker on Man Box culture and masculinity, Mark Greene are offering their transformative four part consultation process on how our dominance-based culture of masculinity shows up in both predictable and unexpected ways in couples therapy.

The consultation group, a collaborative creative space, will be enabled by our didactic, reflective, interactive exercises and case consultations. Adopting a systemic-relational focus, we will explore the embodied interplay of the social scripts and the self-of-the therapist storylines in our clinical interactions. Drawing on relational intelligence we will explore the entanglements of Man Box culture by leaning into uncertainty to counteract the dominance of “knowing.” We will do so with curiosity and play as we explore transcontextuality and somatic presence. Tapping into our collective wisdom, connection and emergence we’ll expand our clinical resourcefulness as we rewrite the patriarchal notions of masculinity and femininity in couples therapy. Drawing on research and clinical experiences, participants will build their resource kit by identifying their unique manifestations of the man box culture in couples therapy and their lives.

Join us for four sessions as we unpack patriarchal notions of power and masculinity in the lives of couples and the therapists who work with them. Commitment to all four sessions is required to co-create a generative process for growth and transformation.

Dates: Every second Friday, 2-3:30 EST beginning September 13, 2024
September 13, October 11,  November 15, & December 13

Session Themes

Month One: Man Box Culture in Couples Therapy

Man Box culture’s "rules" for how to be a man can organize couples’ relationships interpersonally, systemically, and culturally. Explore how these rules operate and how to engage their presence in couples therapy.

Month Two: Man Box Culture in Our Lives as Therapists

Therapists also swim in Man Box culture. Explore relational intersectionality to unpack retrogressive ideas of masculinity in our personal and professional lives.

Month Three: The Man Box Cultural Whirlpool in Couple’s Work

Couples are often caught in the grip of dominance-based masculine culture. This whirlpool can draw the therapist in on the side of fairness, splitting us and creating non-therapeutic alignment. Explore practices for resistance, realignment and reframing to remain in therapeutic alignment.

Month Four: From the Somatic to the Social - The Relational Discursive Loop

Learn how to use Bava’s Relational Discursive Loop to keep grounded amidst the polarizing impact of interlocking systems of dominance in couple’s relationships.

Bava’s Relational Discursive Loop, featured in Bava & Greene’s book The Relational Workplace, anchors the consultation process and will be covered in Session 4. 

Past participant reviews

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Registration

DATES: Second Friday of each month–September 13, 2-3:30 PM EST, October 11, 2-3:30 PM EST, November 15, 2-3:30 PM EST, December 13, 2-3:30 PM EST

LOCATION: Online via Zoom (join us from anywhere!)

PRICE: $500 total for all four sessions. No refunds will be issued six days prior to the start date of the group or at any point thereafter. See FAQ for details.

REGISTER: https://bit.ly/CT-24-Reg

INQUIRIES: If you have questions, please email Saliha Bava: drbava at gmail.com

Facilitators

Saliha Bava Blue 300 dpi crop

Saliha Bava, PhD

Saliha Bava, Ph.D., a Couple and Family Therapist, is a Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at Mercy University, NY. She teaches systems thinking, relational, and collaborative-dialogic practices. For 30 years, she has hosted trainings and consultations on relational practices across contexts. Dr. Bava is the recipient of the 2023 AFTA Award for Distinguished Contribution to Family Therapy and the 2019 John Shotter award for humanizing. Dr. Bava’s relationally responsive model of socially just systemic practice is recognized as one of the few approaches that avoids polarizing language in favor of collaboration and respect.

Mark Greene

Mark Greene is an author and activist who speaks, consults, and coaches on diversity, equity and inclusion, dominance-based Man Box culture, and relational practices for organizations worldwide. Mark works with organizations and individuals to overcome the challenges created by retrogressive workplace cultures. Mark’s client list includes, General Mills, Société Générale, Sephora, AOL, Bank of America, Catalyst, and The Better Man Conference. Mark is the author of The Little #MeToo Book for Men, and Remaking Manhood, and co-author, along with Dr. Saliha Bava, of The Relational Book for Parenting and The Relational Workplace. Mark is co-host of Remaking Manhood, the Healthy Masculinity Podcast, available on all major streaming platforms. More about Mark Greene's masculinity work at RemakingManhood.com

FAQ

Most frequent questions and answers
  • Early Cancellation: A full refund, minus a $25 administrative fee (plus any applicable financial charges), is available if you cancel at least one week before the start date.
  • Late Cancellation: No refunds will be issued within six days of the group’s start date or at any point thereafter.
  • Transfer Option: If you’re unable to attend the full series, you may transfer your registration to a colleague before the group begins. Please note that the new participant will need to meet with Dr. Bava for approval.
  • Mid-Series Withdrawal: We’re unable to offer refunds once the group has started. We appreciate your understanding, as your commitment ensures continuity for all participants.

Since we offer affordable pricing, we are unable to offer further discounts. Currently, there are no scholarships available.

The group will consist of 8-10 participants, plus facilitators Saliha Bava and Mark Greene.

  • We are committed to dialogue, co-creation, and emergence.  
  • We believe in queering gender and not in biological determinism. 
  • We view gender, a human construct, is socially organizing and has materialized effects. 
  • We believe gender constructs are intertwined and entangled in colonial, racist, economic, heterosexual, and many other forms of systemic forces of dominance, creating a caste system that morphs. We are continously learning. 
  • We seek to act bravely, taking risks, which is a political act. We believe personal is political and political is personal. Political is not limited to electoral politics. 
  • We believe in creative tension and receive it with compassion, honor, and curiosity. 
  • We belive in participation. We believe in the play of imagination, dialectics, and liberation.

Our group welcomes couples therapist and clinicians from around the world, fostering diverse experiences and perspectives. We’re primarily seeking licensed clinicians, but certified coaches with over seven years of experience are also encouraged to apply. Professionals with limited permits or associate licenses may be considered based on their clinical experience. We especially welcome individuals with socially marginalized identities.

The group is primarily for licensed professionals. However, we may consider those with limited permits and coaches who have relevant professional experience. Dr. Bava will meet with each participant for 30 minutes after registration to ensure a good fit. This meeting allows us to mutually explore whether the group aligns with your needs and experiences.