A two-day weekend workshop that will enhance your current relationship.

 About the course: 

For most people, the primary template for our intimate relationships is the example provided by our parents. While this template remains unchallenged, what we witnessed them do (or not do) in their own relationship and the ways they related to others will influence our own relationship choices. So when we face relationship struggles in our own lives, we can often get a sense of ‘Groundhog Day’ and feel ill-equipped to deal with them…

Matthew Pruen has built on a decade of working with couples in one-to-one and group settings. He’s also worked as a Hoffman facilitator since 2008. Emma Pruen is a Family & Systemic Constellations coach. Together, they host year-round personal growth and creative workshops at the French Retreat, their beautiful home and retreat venue in Bordeaux.

For this specially-developed  relationship workshop in London, Matthew and Emma will draw on their vast  experience, as well as a wider range of wisdom traditions, including the teachings of psychotherapist David Richo and Harville Hendrix’s Imago Relationship Therapy.

 Who is the workshop for? 

The two-day workshop is designed for anyone wanting to develop their ability to enjoy life in their current intimate relationship. It aims to support attendees in achieving real breakthrough. The intention of the course is to get couples connected again – through clear communication, witnessing each other and rebuilding respect, trust and intimacy.

Couples seeking to part well will also gain from the experience. After all, the skills required to find respectful closure are the very same needed to create a healthy future together – communication, understanding and trust.

A large proportion of this workshop’s content is experiential (rather than theoretical). It provides a unique opportunity to learn and grow by experiencing tools and practices, and sharing in a group setting. It is only open to couples already in a committed relationship. Workshops for individuals who are not currently in an intimate relationship can be found here.

 What will the workshop cover? 

The course will look at:

• Healthy versus unhealthy relationships – recognising co-dependency and addiction and how to be an adult in relationships
• Setting healthy boundaries in relationships
• Communication skills – learning how to express your needs healthily, and how to really listen and be heard
• Intimacy and commitment – fears we all share and how to overcome them
• How the past is present in relationships – exploring the impact of our past and learning ways to do things differently
• Healing our unmet needs from childhood – learning how to ‘self-parent’
• The introvert/extrovert or ‘maximiser/minimiser’ dimensions of relating
• From Transference to transformation – the role of Transference in relationships and how to work with it
• Developing our spiritual resources to support and guide us

 The practicalities 

• The cost for the workshop (both days) is £600 per couple. You can reserve your place by paying a £200 deposit, with the remaining balance of £400 to be paid by Friday 16 September.
• Days will begin from 9.15am for a 9.30 start and each will finish at 5.00pm. The workshop is non-residential.
• There will be short refreshment breaks and a longer break for lunch on each day. We do not provide lunch, however all of our workshops take place in locations with shops/cafés within easy reach.
• The workshop content spans two days; there is not the option just to do one day on its own. The cost for the workshop (both days) is £300 per person.
• The fee for this workshop is non-transferable. Last-minute cancellations may be subject to an admin fee. Bookings cancelled within seven days of the start of the course will not be refunded.

To benefit fully from your workshop, please do make sure that the course you are booking reflects your current circumstance. Details of other Hoffman relationship workshops and retreats in London, France and elsewhere can be found here.

Matthew and Emma Pruen bring a combined experience of over 20 years of Hoffman Process facilitation and relationship coaching. Click the video below to hear them discuss what brings people to their relationship workshops.