Metanoia Institute Conference 2026 | Friday 27 February

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Encounters with Difference: Rupture and Repair in Psychotherapy and Counselling

Friday 27 February 2026 | Hilton DoubleTree Ealing & Metanoia Institute, Ealing

Metanoia Institute’s 2026 Conference offers a thought-provoking exploration of how disconnection and difference become catalysts for growth, resilience, and understanding.

Book your place at the conference

Why Attend

• Learn from leading international scholars and innovative emerging practitioners
• Engage in experiential workshops across a range of therapeutic modalities
• Explore rupture and repair in supervision, training, embodiment, culture, and systemic practice
• Connect with a vibrant community of reflective practitioners, researchers, and students
• Enjoy lunch and ample networking opportunities

Receive 6 hours of continuing professional development (CPD).

Highlights to Expect

Keynote Address

What Can We Learn from Research on Rupture and Repair?
Professor Catherine Eubanks, Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology, Adelphi University, New York

Professor Catherine Eubanks is an internationally recognised researcher on the therapeutic alliance, Co-Director of the Center for Alliance-Focused Training, and Managing Editor of Psychotherapy Research. She will illuminate how understanding relational ruptures strengthens therapeutic bonds, enhances empathy, and supports meaningful transformation in therapy.

Semi-Plenary: Perspectives on Healing from Different Therapeutic Modalities

Metanoia’s Senior Practitioners and Academics explore rupture and repair through diverse psychotherapeutic traditions:

• Louise Tunbridge – Head of Programme, BSc Person-Centred Counselling
• Laurence Hegan – Head of Programme, Gestalt Psychotherapy Diploma and MSc
• Silvia Baba Neal – Senior Academic Lecturer, Integrative Psychotherapy
• Melissa Cliffe – Head of Programme, MSc Humanistic Psychotherapy
• Dr John Hills – Associate Director of Postgraduate Taught Programmes

Conference Agenda

Please note, this agenda is correct at the time of publication; sessions, speakers, and timings may be subject to change.

Morning Plenary Sessions

Time	Session	Speaker(s)
09:15 – 09:45	Arrivals and Coffee
09:45 – 10:00	Welcome and Introduction	Dr Biljana van Rijn & Dr John Hills
10:00 – 11:00	Semi-Plenary: Rupture and Repair from a Modality Perspective	Louise Tunbridge · Dr John Hills · Silvia Baba Neal · Laurence Hegan · Melissa Cliffe
11:00 – 11:30	Refreshment Break

Morning Breakout Sessions

Time	Session	Speaker(s)
11:30 – 12:00	Rupture and Repair in Closed Adoption: A Lived Experience Approach	Bernadette Covo
11:30 – 12:15	Therapeutically Applied Tabletop Role-Playing Games	Hendri Cawood
12:00 – 12:30	Good Standards for Relational Doctoral Supervision	Dr Sofie Bager-Charleson, Dr Alistair McBeath & Dr Nomsa-Sandra Wayland
12:15 – 13:00	Navigating ‘Rupture and Repair’: The Legacy of the OK Corral	Robin Robinson
12:30 – 13:00	Voices from the Frontline: Practitioner Attitudes & Practices in Substance Use Disorder Treatment	Julian Hamlin & Natalia Maciel
13:00 – 14:00	Lunch (at Metanoia Institute)

Afternoon Plenary Sessions

Time	Session	Speaker(s)
14:00 – 15:00	Keynote Address: What Can We Learn from Research on Rupture and Repair?	Professor Catherine Eubanks
15:00 – 15:30	Refreshment Break

Afternoon Breakout Sessions

Time	Session	Speaker(s)
15:30 – 16:00	Language, Identity and Repair	Ekaterina Nikolaeva
15:30 – 16:15	Training Experiences of Trans & Non-Binary Person-Centred Psychotherapists	LJ Loveys
16:00 – 16:30	Navigating Trauma Through Story	Femma Ashraf
16:15 – 17:00	Defensiveness and Repair in the Therapy Room	Stephanie Bell
16:30 – 17:00	Working with rupture and repair in the training of psychologists and psychotherapists	Eleonora Ramsby Herrera & Gabrielle Sharples

Closing

17:15 – 17:45 Closing Remarks and Farewell
Dr Biljana van Rijn & Dr John Hills

 

For any enquiries, please contact marketing@metanoia.ac.uk