Who is it for?

People who have already engaged in 2-3 years of personal psychotherapy, who want to:

- deepen their relationships and to be truly met and known.

- learn how to create emotionally intimate friendships.

- practice connecting to self, soul, other and mystery. 

- be supported to navigate change.

- practice being known and loved reciprocally.

- integrate liminal or altered state experiences that are not yet grounded / embodied. 

This is also a friendly space for queer, indigenous and trans members of our community.  

How do I know I’m ripe for it?

- you have a question, a concern, a recurring stumbling block or an emotional wound that you are ready to address.

- you want to attend to your deepest longings.

- you want to start having the biggest and deepest and realest conversations you can have with the world, from your soul.

- you're beginning to prefer the pain of change over the pain of staying the same.

Who is facilitating the group?

My name is Vas Clementine. I learned how group psychotherapy works by being in a group as a participant for 6 years. Then I trained as a counsellor, and have been running groups in a hospital setting and privately for over 4 years. I have a bachelor and master degrees in theology which I completed during a decade of monastic life, I am a trained breathwork facilitator and an oral folktale and myth storyteller. I know what it is to make a decision that utterly alters the course of ones’ life. I’ve navigated dark and difficult emotional and relational terrain and unknown wilderness places of the soul. I offer all of this as a group facilitator.

Does this replace 1:1 psychotherapy?

Short answer, no. But it is psychotherapy. You won’t only be a client, patient or a participant. You will teach and learn, heal and be healed, listen and be listened to, empathise and be attuned to. You will participate in helping others to feel safe and connected, and other participants will do this for you. What is often overlooked in therapy-land is that therapists mostly just do what most parents, humans and mammals do intuitively - Attend (be with), Attune (feel with), Assist (help with) until whatever needs have arisen have been met, and we're connected and ready to play, learn and explore. When one of these (let’s called them A’s) is missed or incomplete or attempted too soon without caring for the natural sequence (Attend >> Attune >> Assist) we end up disregulated, with unmet emotional needs, in relational rupture and disconnected. Whereas, when these three steps are practiced well and sequentially, we tend to feel good, we begin to build the muscles of trust, we deepen in relationship, we allow co-regulation, we tend to feel connected, loved and ready to play, learn, discover, grow and co-create. In this way, group therapy is a place where people can heal their attachment wounds and develop a multiplicity of patterns and strategies for navigating all of the ups and downs of human relationships.

What is the level of commitment?

The group meets once per week for 90-minutes for 12-week terms in an ongoing way. For new participants, the first 12-week term is a trial period, through which the participant and facilitator can decide whether this group is a good fit for them. It is common for participants to derive the deepest and most lasting healing and change in their lives over a period of 12 to 24 months of weekly group therapy.

How much does it cost?

To participate in the group costs $1,440 per term. This offering is not covered by Medicare. 

How do I join? (Apply below)

If you're feeling moved to participate, please provide your details below to book a 1:1 Interview, in which I'll talk for a bit about what group therapy actually is and how it works, and then I'll hear from you about your intentions for participating in the group. If we (you and I) agree that it's a fit, then we'll put you in the group. As we approach the end of your first term we will discuss whether this group is a good fit for you as a long-term an ongoing participant. Again, a realistic time-frame for efficacy is anywhere between 12-24 months, on average.

How long is it recommended that a participant should commit to weekly group therapy?

Generally speaking 12 to 24 months is the timeframe in which deep work can happen. Deep work can't really happen sooner than that because it takes time to build trust, interpersonally knowing, familiarity, understanding and a rigorous and healing group culture. Having said that, everyone's purposes and life passages are unique. The first 12 week term is the minimum time to know if being in this particular ongoing group is a good fit for you and the group. It's not enough time to get to the intimate essence or to get into deep relationships, but it is enough time to touch core wounds, coping traits, and to begin to build trust and rapport and to get an initial sense for how group therapy works and could work for you. Deep work needs deep knowing, which needs deep time. Paradoxically, the group bond deepens faster by slowing down and taking time. Many people who are curious about group therapy are looking for deeper connections, to feel all of their feelings, their deep, shy and hidden longings. For many people the weekly group is an oasis in their life and an indispensable support for their journey, enabling one to change careers; another to open up to a new healthy relationship; and still others to find their confidence as a parent; to explore their new spirituality; to leave the familiar and the safe for an adventurous life; to understand the patterns that are undermining their relationships and career. Group can help in more ways than can be written.

If you are seriously interested and can afford four terms of $1,440 per year (or can’t afford not to) for anywhere from 12 to 24 months or so, please apply in a serious and considered manner below and I will arrange to meet with you online. Thank you.