Chair’s Report

Dear colleagues,

This year we invited newsletter contributions in line with our conference theme, Navigating Safety and Fear in a Shifting Relational Field, to begin our exploration of safety and fear within our community.

The submissions in this newsletter approach the theme from different angles, inviting us to consider safety in the body, in relationship, in groups, and in the wider field.

As the retreat approaches, I’m holding both excitement and uncertainty myself. We’ll be gathering in a new format, meeting one another in a different way, and stepping into something still taking shape. And maybe that’s fitting. Safety is rarely found in certainty alone - I believe it can also grow out of our willingness to stay present with each other in the uncertainty of the new and unfamiliar.

As I read these contributions, I am also reminded that safety and fear are not abstract concepts. They live in our everyday encounters, in our professional communities, and in the choices we make about whether to move towards or away from one another.

These are questions I imagine many of us will continue exploring when we meet at the retreat this summer.

I hope these contributions give you plenty to sit with as the retreat draws closer. I look forward to seeing many of you there.

Warmly,

Paulina Gjetnes

Chair, UKAGP