Reflection on the Event:

Presentation: I noticed how engaging the discussions were in the third event, "Living Consciously," and I've decided to double down on that. With each concept, I introduced a sentence completion exercise and asked a lot of questions. Everyone was really engaged!

These events are where I practice becoming a clinical psychologist, so I wanted to embody the idea that it's not about me, it's about the attendees. Something I take joy in is being able to read the attendees' body language when they are listening to others. I would ask, "You seem to have resonated with what they said, what do you personally think?" This helped the discussion build on each other and go deeper.

The space was really safe for people to engage; almost all of the participants felt safe to share their thoughts. Perhaps this is because each one really shared vulnerable sides of themselves, or maybe because I communicated that they should respect their own journey and boundaries, only sharing what they are ready to share with us and with themselves especially.

Activity: I briefly introduced the solution-focused approach (SFA) and gave the attendees 12 questions that utilize SFA assumptions and techniques. The purpose of these questions was to identify a problem and facilitate them in finding an answer.

This activity was also done in pairs, so they took turns asking and answering the questions. I was supposed to have them rearrange to meet different people, but most of the attendees wanted to stick with their initial pairs, so I respected their wish.

I intentionally left the attendees to find their pairs, my rationale being that I wanted them to be responsible for asserting themselves. Although I understand this might be intimidating or difficult, especially in a space where they are expected to be vulnerable, I plan to communicate my rationale next time.

Round Table Synthesis: The discussion was rich once again, and I really enjoyed listening to and eliciting everyone's experiences and feedback. What I found most interesting was that they found the SFA to be a very productive conversation. During the synthesis, I asked my friend Hazi if he found SFA to showcase a toxic positivity vibe, where the problem is not addressed. He disagreed and liked the idea that they didn't dwell on the problem too much. Many of the attendees resonated with his sentiment.

Everybody seemed to feel safe and intimately connected with their pairs. The SFA questions really allowed them to point out a problem and elicit answers from each pair. This wasn't done in a forceful or unsolicited manner.

Post-event Thoughts: The event was really fulfilling. I tend to get exhausted post-event and not talk to anybody, which is quite a waste since many of the attendees are quite fascinating. But this time, I managed to cool down and restore myself to a state where I could have a conversation without feeling alienated.

Going forward, the next events should be concise and more discussion-based. It's about the attendees, not about me. Plus, it lessens the burden of discussion on me, haha.