a great day at the Division 51 conference in Austin

This past Saturday, I attended the second National Psychotherapy with Men Conference, which was presented right here in Austin by the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity, Division 51 of the American Psychological Association. It was a great day from start to finish. All of the presenters were excellent and I met so many good people, several of whom I’d only known previously via email correspondence.

I attended three breakout sessions:

- “Men in Therapy – Live Demonstration” presented by Dr. Jon Carlson
- “Deepening Group Therapy with Men” presented by Dr. Fred Rabinowitz
- “Engaging Men in Therapy” presented by Dr. Matt Englar-Carlson and Dr. Mark Stevens

Every one of these sessions was very useful to me in terms of advancing my understanding of myself and my own process, as well as deepening my knowledge and appreciation of the experiences and processes of other men. All of the presenters were knowledgeable, articulate, friendly, and accessible, establishing and maintaining an easy, open rapport with the room that made each presentation feel like a collaborative experience between the presenter and the attendees.

I think perhaps the most important aspect of attending this event for me was connecting with some of the presenters and other attendees. There are so many days when I feel isolated with the work I’m doing as a writer and I find myself feeling like I’m all alone with it. Spending five days a week sitting in a cubicle at my day job, doing work that means nothing to me but a paycheck, often leads me to question just how “real” my work as a writer really is. I wonder if it matters. I wonder if I’m kidding myself. I wonder if I’ll ever get out of that stinking cubicle and make a living doing something that actually moves me. Even now, right now, I’m looking at the clock and seeing that I’m going to be late for work this morning. To hell with it. I’m gonna finish this post.

This conference was, in many ways, an oasis for me. I was able to see the work I’m doing in the larger context of the work being done by so many others, and I was able to do more than see it. I was able to feel it. It was physical for me again. I knew I was not alone, I knew that what I’m doing does matter, even if my daily life in the cubicle tells me it doesn’t, and I knew this not just in my mind, but in my body. I knew it in my muscles and in my bones and in my belly, in my hands and in my heart. I hope to carry that feeling, that knowledge, that physical experience of knowing, forward with me as I make my return this morning into the gray world in which I make my living.

I’d like to express my gratitude to conference organizers Aaron Rochlen and Sam Buser, and all the others who were involved, for doing an absolutely fantastic job of planning, coordinating, and executing this event. What a great experience!

The a great day at the Division 51 conference in Austin by Rick Belden, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.