There are two 3-hour pre-conference workshops and one 2-hour workshop available in the morning of July 26^th, 1999. Two of them are introductory workshops especially suited for participants new to the area of Personal Construct Psychology but also for those among the more experienced colleagues who want to know more about non-grid approaches to PCP (Helen Jones) or about the latest developments in computerised Repertory Grid analysis (Richard Bell). The third workshop (on meaning reconstruction and the experience of loss, led by Robert Neimeyer) will be of particular value for counsellors but also for others involved in issues of dealing with loss and grieving.

The fee for the 3-hour workshops (Jones and Neimeyer) is DM 75 each, for the 2-hour workshop (Bell) DM 50. Part of the fees will be used to support the participation of students in the congress. The workshops will be held at the congress venue from 9.00 to 12.30 (Jones and Neimeyer) or 10.00 to 12.30 (Bell), on Monday, July 26^th, 1999 with a Morning Tea break included.

The workshops are described in more detail below. Since the number of participants is limited it is advised to register in advance by sending a message to the congress organiser (contact details see below).

The workshop is for REAL beginners. Some key features of Personal Construct Psychology will be introduced. There will be an opportunity to practice using a character sketch and to elicit, ladder and pyramid personal constructs. It will be an opportunity to learn and experiment with some basic facets and techniques implied by Personal Construct Psychology.

Helen Jones is an experienced practitioner of the Personal Construct approach. She worked at the Centre of Personal Construct Psychology in London, then with Health Professionals in Northern England and is currently the Director of the Centre for Leadershio Development at the University of York, England.

A two-hour presentation showing how hand analysis, PC programs GRIDSTAT, GRIDSCAL), and statistical packages (SPSS) can be used to simplify grid data and highlight relationships in grids.

Richard Bell, Ph. D., is a Professor of Psychology at the Psychology Department of the University of Melbourne, Australia. He is one of the pioneers of computerised Repertory Grid analysis. Last year he has published GridStat, a successor to his well-known grid analysis package G-pack, and this year´s congress will see the presentation of the GRIDSCAL package.

The field of grief counseling is currently in a state of revolution. Older concepts of grief as a series of predictable emotional stages are being displaced by more clinically rich models that emphasize the often subtle ways in which the bereaved individual’s sense of self and world are profoundly challenged by significant losses of persons, projects, places, and possessions. Working from this emerging perspective, we will explore a model of grieving as a process of meaning reconstruction, and consider its relevance for counseling practice. In particular, we will have an opportunity for "hands on" practice with a variety of therapeutic strategies, ranging from meaning reconstruction interviews, through metaphoric listening, to narrative means of promoting perspective taking on past losses. Using a blend of lecture, live and videotape demonstrations, and experiential exercises, this intermediate workshop will help participants translate the cutting edge of grief theory into concrete clinical applications.

Robert A. Neimeyer, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Memphis, USA, where he maintains an active therapy practice. He is Co-Editor of the Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Editor of Death Studies, and author of Lessons of Loss: A Guide to Coping (1998, McGraw Hill), as well as 15 other books on constructivism and death and loss issues. Neimeyer is also Past President of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, which recently granted him its Research Recognition Award for his scholarly contributions.