What creates a sense of self, and how is that self shaped, sustained, and transformed through relationships with others? ANZAP/PIT-UK joint conference explores the dynamic interplay between our inner world and the relational spaces that give rise to self, intimacy, resilience, and psychological growth.

This conference will feature the following two presentations:

Where do we begin and end? From embodiment to transcendence  - Dr Simon Heyland

Drawing on the Conversational Model, the evening begins with Dr Simon Heyland, who traces the development of the self from embryo to infant to person, exploring how our experience of being emerges through biological, interpersonal, cultural, and transpersonal dimensions. Through the lens of healthy development, psychopathology, and the Buddhist notion of transcendence, Simon invites us to consider where the boundaries of self begin and end, and how embodiment and relationship shape our capacity for psychological integration.

Architectures of Resilience: The Space Between us - Deborah Chisolm 

Building on these foundations, Deborah Chisholm expands the conversation beyond the individual to examine the relational and communal spaces in which the self is sustained. Reflecting on Prof Russell Meares' emphasis on intimacy, intersubjectivity, and the re-formation of self, she explores how connection, belonging, and community serve as essential architectures of resilience. Rather than offering definitive answers, Deborah invites participants into a reflective dialogue about how the presence—or absence—of human connection shapes both individual wellbeing and the broader social fabric.

Together, these presentations offer a rich exploration of the spaces within us and between us, illuminating how the self is continually formed through embodied experience, intimate relationships, and the communities to which we belong

Venue: Live Webinar (Zoom Link Embedded in your booking confirmation emails) Session will be recorded and all attendees will have access to recording for 30 days only.

Date: Friday, 11 September 2026 | 6:00–9:00 pm (Sydney Time)

Tickets: 120 (Non Members), 90 (ANZAP Members), 60 (Other Students), 40 (Westmead Students), Free (ANZAP Students)

CPD Certificate: 2 Hours. CPD certificates are issued to attendees who meet one of the following criteria: attend the live webinar with at least 80% attendance.

About Dr Simon Heyland: Dr Simon Heyland is a UK consultant psychiatrist in medical psychotherapy and works in a tertiary NHS service delivering specialist psychotherapies. He has a special interest in psychodynamic-interpersonal therapy (PIT) which he teaches, supervises and delivers. He is the current chair of PIT-UK. With colleagues he has pioneered MUS services in primary and secondary acute care settings. He has published on topics including the therapeutic alliance, psychodynamic technique, psychotherapy research, and medically unexplained symptoms. He is the co-author of the 2017 Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health MUS commissioning guide, and author of the chapter on MUS in the 2021 edition of the RCPsych textbook 'Seminars In The Psychotherapies'.

About Deborah Chisolm: Deborah Chisholm is on the Faculty of Sydney University, ANZAP and the Westmead Psychotherapy Programme of post graduate courses as a Lead Educator and Clinical Training Supervisor. Deb has extensive experience in trauma acuity having worked across public and private health sectors, juvenile justice, community mental health teams and spent 15 years as a senior psychotherapist in the Acute Psychiatry units at Westmead before establishing a Macquarie St practice. She studied psychology in her first degree and has since added several Masters Degrees in Psychotherapy, Family and Couple Therapy, Clinical Arts, the Westmead Psychotherapy Programme and advanced trainings in AAI and Trauma focused modalities. She was the former Director of Training of AABCAP and has specialist interests in attachment trauma, dissociation, DID, practitioner mental health and is currently developing a PhD research project. Deb creates life balance as an exhibiting artist with representations here and overseas.

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