INTERCHANGE: AN INTRODUCTION

In these times of change, many seek counsel

Our world is in crisis.

We are a people who, more or less aware of it, have been deeply affected by the violence and oppression surrounding us. We have found ourselves in the midst of accelerating change, searching for meaning, trying to find balance.

Luckily, the future is not what it used to be. Now more than anytime in history, people want to work to overcome emotional obstacles, to build healthy relationships, and to resolve the conflicts in our communities. We are all, in our own way, striving to become our whole, true selves. But we cannot do it alone, and so we are seeking . . .

Yet the counsel we seek is difficult to find

The simple desire to help another has become anything but simple.

We have come to believe that only through rigorous, professional training is it possible to undergo the "risky" task of helping our fellow humans.

As a result, the help available is contaminated by the pathologizing of the "mental health" system, lost in the distance that professionalism demands, short-circuited by the mythology of medication. This medical, "clinical," model and its accompanying educational system often fail to address the most important questions about how to create change and growth in individuals and in communities.

Something fresh and appropriate to our times is required . . .

That's where YOU come in

It is not a coincidence that you are reading this.

You want to make a difference for the people around you. You are someone that others are drawn to for counsel, guidance, assistance. You know, or at least suspect, that it is your calling to facilitate the kind of change you know is possible, to help people live lives they love, to eliminate unnecessary suffering.

Perhaps you have already received an education to do this work, but you know something important was missing from your training. Or perhaps you haven't pursued formal education because you have been dissatisfied with the available options. Either way, you want to find out what more is possible . . .

INTERCHANGE: a training in radical counseling

Interchange is not what you think.

It is a year-long training designed to fit into the schedules of people with busy lives. It is an experiential, community based process in learning and practicing the heart of radical counseling.

Interchange is integrative, drawing from a multitude of sources, theories, and tools. It is designed to include whatever modalities you already practice, but more importantly, to help you cultivate abilities unique to you. Before learning anyone else's ideas about how counseling works, you already possess the answers within.

Classes will consist of experiential exercises, counseling demonstrations, counseling practice sessions with coaching and feedback, as well as theory presentation and discussion. Students will be expected to practice counseling sessions with one another at least twice per month between classes. There will be other experiential homework as well, created to quickly integrate the skills of radical counseling into your life.