Outline

This gathering has grown out of a need for connection, solidarity and safety within which to explore the complex and dynamic nature of what it means to be a therapist of South Asian descent. It is our intention to co-create a heart-opening space that is emergent and continually evolving. We invite attendees to bring themselves as fully as they are able to so we can share, accompany, explore belonging, witness and heal, in our work as therapeutic practitioners, and likely ripple into our personal lives. All are welcome, whether for the first time, as a trainee or as a regular attendee.

We will be your co-hosts on this journey, as this will not be facilitated as a therapy group but a peer-led gathering. We also request that people read, or refresh themselves, with the BAATN ethos and Statement of Purpose on gatherings before attending these, which can be viewed following the link below.

We very much look forward to welcoming each of you.

There is also the South Asian Diaspora Coordinating Group, a task group focused on educating therapists and the public about South Asian mental health and wellbeing.

Time

Saturdays – online and in-person – 10:30 am – 1:00 pm – See upcoming events below.

Facilitators

Samina Ali and Veena Ganapathy

Gathering Statement of Purpose

Read the Statement of Purpose for all our gatherings.

Venue

This gathering takes place online or in person. Please check the dates to confirm the location.

Online meetings take place via Zoom. Zoom is free to download and use. For more information about Zoom, click here. To download Zoom free of charge, click here.

In-person meetings will take place at different venues. Please check the details of each gathering for the location.

A Note From Your Facilitators…

Dear lovely South Asian gatherers!

Your gathering facilitators would like to communicate a few things….

 1. Following a lack of registrations for a recentgathering, we made the decision to cancel the group. We then had a few people get in contact very close to the date/time of the gathering, and therefore realised we could have gone ahead with the numbers had the registrations been confirmed at least a few days in advance, as stated on the website. Therefore to prevent disappointment for attendees in the future, we would encourage people to register 1-2 weeks in advance, and by Thursday morning 11am by the very latest, the week of the gathering. Gatherings are cancelled when numbers are low, and perhaps this was unknown to members.

2. We ask that you ensure timely attendance i.e. on time with a 20 minute lateness window for those unforeseenthings like train delays without advance warnings etc. So as we can appreciate this may happen very occasionally, we also wanted to name that as we have been exploring the impact of lateness on the group, we came to realise the impact to us as facilitators – that then have to manage/hold/facilitate this in the group to aim for minimal disruption but maintaining inclusion.We invite all participants to show up on time for themselves, each other, and the integrity of the space itself.

We thank you in advance for your support in us holding these boundaries so that we avoid disappointment around attendance, and the impact when people register and/ or attend the gatherings late. There are many nuances we can’t explicitly name all here, so it’s about everyone taking responsibility around their discernment of this.

Warm wishes,

Samina & Veena