Norway / Denmark
Lennart Lorås, PhD
Lorås is a professor at the University of Western Norway and adjunct professor at VID Specialized University. Lorås is a widely used lecturer and supervisor within systemic and family therapeutic topics. Lorås has written several articles and he is the author and editor of many books in recent years, such as: Handbook in family therapy (2019), Handbook in individual therapy (2021), Conversations in relational work (2021), LOOK OUTWARD! Reflections on relationships (2022), Releasing the tangled web of incest (2022), Handbook in relational work (2023), Communication (2023) and more.
Jacob Cilius Vinsten Christiansen
Christiansen is head of studies at the diploma program in family therapy and relational practice at UCL Erhvervsakademi og Professionshøjskole i Odense, Denmark. He is also a PhD student at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation in London. Jacob has written a large number of book chapters on systemic practice and communication theory. He has also written articles on New Materialism. Jacob was one of the authors of LOOK OUTWARD! Reflections on relationships which came out in 2022 and the co-editor of Conversations in relational work from 2021. He is a widely used lecturer on conversations with children and young people and generally on topics related to systemic practice
Abstract
“Look outside yourself! Reflections on relations”
We all engage in relationships in one way or another. Some are in many, others in few. Even so, we’re all connected to each other in one way or another, genetically and linguistically.
Nevertheless, there has been a notable shift in societal values towards individualism, with a growing emphasis on self-awareness and the pursuit of personal fulfilment. This has led to a focus on how individuals can connect with and potentially "discover" their true selves.
However, we believe that we come into existence through the relationships we engage in. Therefore, to find ourselves, we should not focus on ourselves, but on the relationships, we have, and the people involved. In this lecture, we will present alternative perspectives on relationships and how we can nurture the relationships we take part in – how we can find both ourselves and each other.