The Ikon Journal

Volume 1

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CELEBRATIONS

We have hosted a number of exciting events this year: 2020 Graduation, Orientation, Welcome Lunch. Scroll to see some photos from these successfull events!

We would also like to give a special metion to our Special Award winners from our class of 2020.

Jake Potter | Rafael Locke Award

This award was presented to Jake for exemplifying excellence across the domains of clinical practice and academic performance.

Dr Rafael Locke founded Ikon in 1988. He was a trained psychoanalyst and psychotherapist.He was an innovator who’s efforts have transformed the lives of thousands of people who have undergone studies at Ikon.

MELBOURNE

Art Club by Donika

The Windsor Art Club is a weekly art-making rendezvous hosted at The Windsor Castle. This Art Club is an inclusive and fun art zone, open to all individuals, regardless of whether you are a master or a starter. Each week we will be providing attendees with alternating materials and themes to explore.

A $50 bar/restaurant tab is up for grabs each week!

So, go on! Come and get your creative juices flowing and we will keep your glasses full.

18+ event
Art & craft materials supplied
Saturdays | 1-3pm

The Windsor Castle
89 Albert St, Windsor VIC 3181

Check our Instagram or Facebook page for more details!
@thewindsorcastle

ALL CAMPUSES

We are planning a number of exciting events in the near future for our staff and students. Keep an eye out for invitations from the Ikon team for details about these upcoming events!

Harmony Day Celebration

Cultural Diversity Week

Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea

Trivia Night

Movie Nights

Monthly Talks

Industry News and Trends

FAQ: Professional Membership for International Students

Can an International student, studying onshore in Australia, can apply for membership?

PACFA: Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia
Yes, they can apply. We do not have any requirements about being Australian students.

ACA: Australian Counselling Association
Yes, you can. You can also apply for international membership should said applicant leave the country.

ANZACATA: Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies
Yes, if International Students are studying here in Australia, then they are certainly welcome to join ANZACATA as Student Member

Mental Health and Well-Being:

Make These Little Changes and Improve Your Life

The hardest part of adopting a new habit is beginning a new routine to shape that habit. A new habit can take some 30 days to establish, but once it’s assimilated into your life, it’s extremely easy to keep up. Here are 16 changes that you can make to become a better person:

1. Use words that encourage happiness.

A good example of this is to watch how you reply when someone asks how you are. Instead of replying in a neutral fashion by saying “I’m fine”, or “I’m okay”, try saying: “I’m fabulous!”, or “I’m great!” If life has blessed you with many things to be happy about, then you should acknowledge that through your choice of words. It’s a basic universal truth that positivity only serves to breed more positivity, so be conscious of that. 2. Try something new every day

2. Try something new every day.

The first time we do or experience something can impact us so profoundly that it stays with us for the rest of our lives. Obviously this isn’t true for every single new thing we do or experience, but trying something new can open doors to life-changing opportunities.

3. Do something selfless every day.

Life rewards you for the effort you put in. If you make a positive impact on someone else’s life, you also impact your own life in a positive way. See how you can make someone happier, or lessen their suffering. Being selfless is extremely rewarding, and once you get into the habit, you’ll be hooked. 4. Learn and practice one new skill each day Being self-reliant is crucial for being able to live a vital, healthy and productive life. If we don’t master a basic set of skills, then we don’t get to have a mastery over our own lives. Think of learning a new skill each day as taking the steps needed to turn yourself into a jack of all trades. And besides, learning new skills is fun.

4. Learn and practice one new skill each day.

Being self-reliant is crucial for being able to live a vital, healthy and productive life. If we don’t master a basic set of skills, then we don’t get to have a mastery over our own lives. Think of learning a new skill each day as taking the steps needed to turn yourself into a jack of all trades. And besides, learning new skills is fun.

5. Teach someone something new every day.

Strengths and talents differ from one individual to another, so enlighten someone with your uniqueness each day. Take note of what people ask you for help with on a regular basis. Are you good at math? Are you very creative? Try devoting some time each day to teaching someone the thing or things that you’re good at.

6. Dedicate an hour a day to your passion.

What is the one thing in life that makes you tick? It could be anything – spirituality, collecting things, fighting for a cause you believe in – the list is endless. Indulging your passion on a daily basis will bring lots of added happiness and meaning into your life.

7. Treat everyone nicely.

Regardless of whether someone is rude to you or not, just reciprocate as nicely and calmly as you can. Doing so doesn’t imply that you’re a fake person – it’s indicative of your emotional maturity. Treat everyone as you wish to be treated, namely with kindness and respect. Do this consciously, and you’ll see how the negativity around you will dissipate as if it was never there in the first place.

8. Be as positive as you can.

Think of optimism as something to be sown and harvested. No matter how bad a situation is, true success is being able to find an opportunity when it seems like nothing good can come of it. Failure is a blessing, because you can learn and grow from it. If life doesn’t give you what you want right now, that only means that there’s something better for you right around the corner.

9. Acknowledge the lesson you’ve learned from a bad situation.

Life continuously gives you lessons – from the people you meet, to the things you encounter and the experiences you go through. Whether good or bad, you should always look for and acknowledge the lesson you have learned. Once you’ve done that, keep it in mind and apply it to better tackle a similar situation or experience in future.

10. Pay attention and enjoy your life as it happens.

In life, the past has gone and no longer exists, whereas the future hasn’t arrived yet. If you think about it, the present is all you ever have. Everything you’ve ever done, everything you’ve ever been through, has led up to this present moment. Seeing as that present is all you ever have, you should try living your life accordingly!

11. Get rid of one thing a day for 30 days

De-cluttering is good for the soul. Try getting rid of one thing every day for 30 days, and you’ll feel a tangible internal change. It might not be easy letting go of things at first, but it’ll get better with practice. By getting rid of physical things you don’t need, you’re opening up room for newer, positive things – both physical and abstract – to come into your life.

12. Create something brand-new in 30 days or less.

Fashioning something using your hands and your own ingenuity is undoubtedly one of the most rewarding things you can do in life. Use the next 30 days to create something of your choosing – just make sure that it’s something you actually care about so you don’t lose interest in it. Find something you love and let your imagination run wild.

In the Know

A 2020 Placement Tale

For students who were unable to secure an external placement opportunity due to the emerging crisis, Ikon’s Placement Team tapped into unknown territory creating Ikon’s first ever National Online Student Clinic. With the amalgamation of intention, creativity, diligent processes, and infrastructure, the student clinic hosted 50 3rd Year BIP and BAP students and 22 2nd Year BAP students to provide them with a meaningful and professional placement Online.

The placement team did an excellent job at creating and holding this virtual workspace together. Sincerest congratulations must go to every student involved in Ikon’s first ever online clinic. The students jumped in with both feet and co-created a transformative space for clients and the greater community at a time when it was needed most.

The uniqueness of the Online Student Clinic comradery is something that will not be forgotten by the students, staff’, and the general public involved.

Recognising ikon’s social initiative, Core Plus generously offered their practice management system to Ikon free of charge under their social initiative scheme. Core Plus acknowledged that Ikon was offering free online counselling/art therapy to the community at a time when Australia was coming out of Wild fires and entering a global pandemic.

The Online Student Clinic supported over 170 clients from around the country with 1:1 counselling/arts therapy sessions online, and a further 30 ALG students and staff who were involved in a 4 week arts therapy group program focused around self-care and wellbeing.

Trust the flow and follow the sun– became 2 mantras’ that helped us all bring some joy and lightness to 2020.

Placement Team HAIKU:

Where there was nothing
A virtual garden blossomed
Following the sun

Recommended Viewing and Reading

📺 2020 Ikon Symposium

📺 Study Skills Workshop July 2020

📰 6 speakers have been selected to give a 15-minute presentation based on their final research project. The abstracts for their presentations can be read below.

Michael Rosenberg, BCP Melbourne
Considerations for the integration of neo-shamanistic praxis and western psychotherapeutic praxis in the use of psychedelic substances In recent years, psychedelic assisted therapy has been getting more attention and respect internationally. Similarly, ceremonial use of psychedelic substances by western people has become widely popularised. However, the laws in place in most countries don’t allow the average therapist to work with said substances. Due to this, many people are choosing to access these experiences in unregulated environments. The intention of this research is not by any means meant to influence people to use or not to use these substances. My aim is rather, to propose a way that Psychedelic guides or “Shamans” could work with therapists to provide added safety and deeper integration for people who are already seeking these experiences. I hope to at least create more conversation between these two communities and to acknowledge ways in which they could inform each other’s practice.

Isabelle Ruiz, BCP Melbourne
Sexual self-objectification: A crisis of self In today’s climate of Instagram celebrities, endless selfie taking and cosmetic obsession, sexual self-objectification is more rampant than ever. Images perpetuating cultural body ideals are exponentially entering our field of awareness; it’s virtually impossible to go a day without seeing such images if you live in a built-up metropolitan area, and all the more so if you frequent social media. In this evening’s talk I’d like to draw attention to the core experience of shame which underlies this sexual self-objectification. I will examine the developmental origins of early-life experiences which generate a painful deficit embedded in the self and present sexual self-objectification as an adaptive strategy in the face of such. My hope is that it will become evident that sexual self-objectification, especially in its chronic form, is an indication of disruption in the formation of self and agency. I believe that if this was recognised at a collective level it might result in cultural disillusionment for hyper-sexual self-expression and lead to positive effects on psychological and physical well being.

Levi Carroll, BCP Melbourne
Truth sense: A reconciliation of presence and emergence Psychotherapy helps us to grow up. In part through integrating the past and promoting the development of self-awareness, it supports the growth and maintenance of a healthy, robust self-structure. Development beyond this phase is usually considered in light of the possibility of a departure from what is personal. But can change continue along first personal lines after the self has become integrated? And what is the role of truth in this process? There is an incomplete but growing body of theory that explores this subject. The synthesis of which has far reaching implications.

Jake Potter, BCP Melbourne
Dancing-the-World: A radical ontological shift to dance as praxis of bodily-self-becoming Cartesian dualism has dominated dance philosophy since the emergence of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and Conscious Dance practices in the west. This has had detrimental epistemological implications for dance as praxis of bodily-self-becoming. In this paper I propose a radical new ontology, challenging the popular dualistic mind-body split, through the Enactive view of Embodied Cognition. With foundations in this new ontology, I will present a theoretically integrative hypothesis of how dance, when practiced in the embodied exploration of our intersubjective experience, is a radical way to increase ones sense of self and agency. Furthermore, I propose that this radical ontological and epistemological shift in philosophy of dance not only opens new doors to understanding how dance increases our sense of self but may in fact have larger ethical and environmental implications on the Anthropocene..

Edie Bartley, BAT Byron
The relationship between menstruation and shame Apparently it is ungraceful of me to mention my period in public, however I bleed each month to help make humankind a possibility. The majority of people are comfortable with the ‘pornification’ of women, the sexualisation of women, the violence and segregation of women. And while they don’t express their disgust about all that, some may be angered and bothered by the topic I have chosen for my talk. I menstruate and they see it as dirty, as if it’s not a bridge between worlds, a labour, a love, a selfless and strikingly beautiful process. I want to live in a world where people who bleed feel at home in their bodies and in their communities; no matter what cultural or religious ideals influence them. Primitive societies have made the threat of menstrual pollution as concrete as possible, whether it be a belief in an evil spirit, a strict domestic and social conduct or a fear and reverence for something they do not understand. When we take a look around the globe at the ancient, and not so ancient, beliefs around menstruation we can see the damaging effects of menstrual stigma and taboo. When we bring education and awareness into our households, schools, workplaces and society, we will make progress towards a society that accepts menstruation as the natural and essential function that it is. Shame has been termed the “master emotion of everyday life” however shame cannot live in the light, so let’s shed some light on this topic and combat menstrual shame.

Michael Schibeci, BCP Melbourne
An embodied view of the unconscious This presentation will explore how the unconscious is created by an artificial division between mind and body, and man and nature, through the theory of Enactive Cognition; ultimately explicating a perspective of the unconscious as being a fundamentally embodied process. This proposal aims to transform the theory of the unconscious from an inert theoretical concept, into an intimate aspect of our immediate reality, through resituating the unconscious as a living process that is actively constituted by the sensate awareness of the body, with vast implications for our conceptualization of mental health and the human psyche, with the singularity of the self, and for conceiving therapy as a process of embodiment