When I began training as a therapist, I imagined being a part of a thriving therapeutic community that shared best practice, war stories, and served as a supportive and mind-expanding part of my life. The reality has been...less than that. I think working as a counsellor, psychotherapist, clinical hypnotherapist, or clinical psychologist can be intensely lonely work.  We work, often intensely and intimately, with people and we can't discuss it outside of the supervisory context. We become the holders of the sacred and the profane and it changes us in ways both heartbreaking and heart expanding. I think it's the best job ever, and I also feel it can be incredibly hard and lonely

Since the pandemic I've been dreaming of a forum for Therapists to meet several times a year, in an environment which was supportive, inspiring, and edifying... As a former academic and consultant, and an American expat, I'm familiar with the idea of a Salon. A gathering of creatives to discuss ideas and make connections.  While historical Salons often had a speaker, an interview or facilitator, this initial Salon is simply to get to know each other - to meet people that you may not already know in the field, and to do so in a welcoming, supportive environment.