On Building Vibrant Communities of Belonging

IMPORTANT EVENT INFORMATION

• This event will be streamed live online with an interactive Q&A.
• This event will be recorded on our YouTube channel
• Portions of the audio will be released on our podcast.

ACCESSIBILITY

If you need to request accessibility accommodations, please email publicprograms@ciis.edu at least one week prior to the event. For more information, explore our Accessibility web page.

EVENT DESCRIPTION

How can we cultivate the traits of a vibrant community in our own lives and what would it look like to prioritize caring and acceptance in our interactions with others? How can we, collectively, create a climate of true inclusivity, one where our differences both challenge and strengthen us?

After having meetings with different communities in the United States over the course of two years, psychologist Lisa Kentgen identified some key traits to vibrant, healthy communities that we can all apply to our own lives and networks: commitment to care, acceptance, diversity, skillful conflict resolution, bonding rituals, and hospitality. In her latest book The Practice of Belonging, Dr. Kentgen explores various communities as case studies of how these traits can be put into practice. Through her research and work, Dr. Kentgen found that with intention and practice, we can transform our social relationships and build communities that appreciate difference, encourage authentic expression, and foster an environment of belonging and mutual care.

Join Shoshana Simons, CIIS professor in Counseling Psychology, for a conversation with Dr. Kentgen that will inspire you to make the transformative leap from “me” to “we,” creating communal, loving spaces in which to connect—and thrive—together.

Lisa Kentgen is a psychologist with over three decades’ experience as a clinician, educator, and speaker. She is the author of An Intentional Life: Five Foundations of Authenticity and Purpose. Dr. Kentgen has published scientific articles on the development of conscious awareness, biological correlates of depression and anxiety, and identifying emotional difficulties in children. She believes that creating vibrant communities is the path forward through the unprecedented social, psychological, and existential crises we face. Visit her online at https://the3csofbelonging.substack.com/

Shoshana Simons, (she/her/femme) PhD, RDT (Registered Drama Therapist) is a Professor and former Program Chair of CIIS’s MA in Counseling Psychology, Expressive Arts Concentration, and Interim Chair of the Community Mental Health Concentration. She teaches Family & Couple Dynamics, Multicultural Counseling & the Therapeutic Relationship & Narrative Expressive Arts Family Therapy. She is a voice actor and arts-based coach & consultant with Key of Life Academy. She is also adjunct faculty at the Northwest Creative & Expressive Arts Institute, Seattle, WA, where she offers a Certificate in NarrARTive Expressive Arts in Coaching. Shoshana has 35+ years of experience in community-building with peoples across dimensions of difference and similarity in many settings including with children and adults in the fields of play, education, antiracism, counseling psychology, organizational development, and community work.

Originally from London, UK, Shoshana originally came to the United States to complete a clinical traineeship at The Stone Center, Wellesley College, MA. She returned to the Stone Center in 1998 as Training Director for The Open Circle Program, training elementary school teachers to implement a ground-breaking SEL curriculum using peer-based and whole systems approaches.

Shoshana has worked as a therapist in the UK and USA and has taught in the fields of counseling psychology and intercultural relations at Goddard College, VT, University of Vermont, and Lesley University, MA. She was formerly core faculty in CIIS’s PhD in Transformative Studies & MA in Transformative Leadership programs.

Shoshana’s interests include narrative and systemic expressive arts practices, Indigenous healing traditions, Jewish mysticism and Jewish shamanic healing, the role of expressive arts in leadership, expressive arts in medicine,, participatory action inquiry, and arts-based research methods.

Shoshana holds a MA degree in Sociology & Social Policy from London Metropolitan University, a MA degree in Human Development, and a PhD in Human and Organizational Systems from The Fielding Graduate Institute, CA. She is a graduate of the Omega Transpersonal Drama Therapy Program in Boston, MA and Wisdom of the Whole Coaching Academy.

We are grateful to our Bookstore Partner:

Marcus Books is the nation’s oldest Black-owned independent bookstore celebrating its 60th year. Marcus Books’ mission is to provide opportunities for Black folks and their allies to celebrate and learn about Black people everywhere. Learn more about Marcus Books.