What do you do when one of the more effective and efficient ways of helping people is to do so in groups, but people are loath to participate in such groups?

Bermuda is a small place, and people here are reluctant to share personal information in groups, because we talk, the word spreads, and before you know it "everyone" knows your business. Even though I like doing group therapy, and even though I've worked with many groups, it's been hard to create a long-term therapy group here for this very reason.

Now, if you hold a class, and you tell people there is going to be instruction on some needed subject, then they are more apt to attend. I think it must be perceived as a lower threat in which, perhaps, any given person might just sit back and be anonymous. Whatever it is, classes, or workshops, are more appealing.

Enter the Gestalt Training Institute of Bermuda. It was created to provide training in clinical skills based out of a gestalt therapy perspective, training in executive coaching and organisational development, project management involving provision of coaching services, and also to provide workshops on topical issues relevant to the community in Bermuda. It's that last part that relates to helping people in groups.

Every Tuesday evening, beginning January 26, from 7.30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Rock Island Coffee Shop, the Gestalt Training Institute of Bermuda will offer 'The Rock Island Workshops' to the community.

There is a nominal fee to cover expenses, and the topics include various subjects. 'Third Tuesday' refers to the third Tuesday of every month in the schedule of these workshops, and it is devoted to an open discussion of spirituality, sponsored by the institute's Centre for Theistic Studies. Topics in the coming workshop calendar year include the following (although not in this particular order):

Co-dependency (eight weeks, starting January 26)

This workshop is for those with significant relationship difficulties. Participants will learn to identify co-dependent behaviours, set and maintain healthy boundaries, and accomplish reasonable self-care. This is a beginning exploration of co-dependency. This class is suitable for those who find themselves giving more than they are getting and for those who are wearing out taking care of others.

A Mental Health and Counselling Refresher for the Clergy (four weeks)

We will offer the clergy a fresh approach to pastoral counselling that honours faith while also incorporating sound counselling expertise. This workshop will also cover basic mental health warning signs for some of the more significant psychological disorders, tests for lethality in evaluating suicidal people, and a rationale for when and how to refer to psychological professionals in the community when necessary. Special questions and situations brought by the clergy will also be addressed. This class is suitable for ordained and lay leaders alike.

Sex Addiction (eight weeks)

A basic orientation to self-medicating on the one hand and recovery on the other will be provided. Specific issues relevant to sex addiction will be covered. This class is suitable for all those who know that for them sex is an excessive preoccupation that interferes with life rather than enhances it.

Communication Skills for Marital Relationships (four weeks)

As is often the case, communication problems reside at the center of many marital conflicts. This class will show people how to communicate better in intimate relationships, how to navigate difference, and how to establish and maintain satisfying contact. This class is suitable for all couples having trouble and wanting a warmer, closer, and more satisfying relationship.

Life and Executive Coaching (four weeks)

Coaching differs from psychotherapy; yet, coaching does not provide a simplistic formula for success. This workshop is an introduction to the field of coaching, with an experiential approach. People will learn about coaching by going through it. This class is suitable for all those curious about coaching.

Parenting (four weeks)

This class is for all those desiring a bit of help with their parenting skills. Issues related to communication with children, discipline, family structures, and parenting in step-parenting families will be discussed. This class is for all parents feeling frustrated in their parenting.

Anger Management (four weeks)

Has anger cost you a job or an important relationship? Participants will learn a general orientation to emotion and a specific understanding of the role of anger. Both the positive uses and negative manifestations of anger will be discussed. Strategies for handling deleterious anger will be provided. This class is suitable for all people who have gone over the edge in their anger and done damage in one way or another.

Divorce and Separation Recovery (four weeks)

Separation and divorce can be devastating. This workshop will help people going through it to begin to heal. The workshop is designed to address typical issues encountered and to help people deal with unresolved issues, 'unfinished business', and to move on in life. This class is suitable for all those who have experienced separation and/or divorce, feel wounded by it, and have not been able to move on.

Those interested in any of these workshops should call 296-1414 for information and pre-registration. If you want an informational brochure sent to you, e-mail infogtib.org and ask for one.

Helping people is not simply a matter of providing resources and opportunities. Often people do not realise they need the help, and just as often they might feel stigmatised or ashamed that they need such help. Sometimes they need someone to encourage and support by saying, "Come on. Let's go to this thing together." The benefit of a workshop format is that no one need own a problem; people can participate out of curiosity or as a form of intellectual stimulation. I know that my own involvement in these workshops is a way of giving back to the community, opening doors to help people who would not get it in other ways, and running an experiment just to see what new experiences with people might emerge.