artefact – formative assessment
“washing one’s hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral. ”
― paulo freire
psychotherapeutic workshop on imposter syndrome
the artefact i am proposing is an in-person psychotherapeutic workshop on imposter syndrome, for 8 -12 students. this is the optimal number for a psychotherapy group, small enough for members of the group to feel comfortable sharing their inner thoughts and feelings, and big enough for it not to feel too intimate, and to allow for some who may be quieter and not want to speak too much, and some who are more vocal. (ezhumalai et al., 2018). however, this is a psychotherapeutic workshop, and whilst it is facilitated by me, a psychotherapist, the intention is that it is educational, rather than a therapy group per se, and so a larger group is okay. i aim to utilise what i have learned on the unit so far and incorporate it into the workshop, with the aim of making it more inclusive. i already run an imposter syndrome workshop online and this workshop will be in person, at high holborn, which is the central office where the counselling, health advice and chaplaincy team are primarily located. I plan to run the workshop once, at the beginning of each term. i would like to bring in themes around identity and intersectionality and the link with imposter syndrome. i would like to research further the findings expressed in a ted talk by elizabeth cox, that imposter syndrome is more prevalent in under-represented or disadvantaged groups (what is imposter syndrome and how can you combat it? – elizabeth cox 2018). i will ask members of my team to read through the slides for the workshop to gain feedback from my colleagues. i will gain feedback via questions at the end of the workshop, i will ask students to say one thing that they have found useful about the workshop. the administrative team will also send out anonymous feedback forms. (302 words)
references
1), what is imposter syndrome and how can you combat it? – elizabeth cox (2018) youtube.available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQUxL4Jm1Lo (accessed: 29 may 2023).
2), ellevest. (n.d.). imposter syndrome is real. here’s how to manage It. [online] available at: https://www.ellevest.com/magazine/leadership/imposter-syndrome.
3), ezhumalai, s., muralidhar, d., dhanasekarapandian, r. and nikketha, b.s. (2018). group interventions. indian journal of psychiatry, [online] 60(Suppl 4), pp.S514–S521. doi:https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_42_18.
comments from presentation:
“firstly, it sounded very clear as to your idea and where you want to go with the artefact. your choice of a group workshop on imposter syndrome sounds like a perfect fit to link into your practice and to explore further how the methods you use can best support students. it’s a valid and important issue when considering inclusivity, which as you have explained with imposter syndrome often affects those students within the groups we have been looking at in this unit. it is vital work and as you said for those coming from an intersectional background and perhaps from your experience in particular people of colour.
your ideas to have representation in the workshop is also really good. this along with follow on reading is so helpful for students.
i agree with kwame to gather feedback from students is a really good idea and will give you a useful insight into the work you do. i’m going to try this approach myself once within the action research project.
on a personal professional level, i can also see how this affects some of my students. i like you have probably had some kind of imposter syndrome over the years, especially within a university environment due to the hierarchical nature of our job. i didn’t actually go to university but did a foundation and then a hnd graphic design (many years ago!) and then later trained as a tefl teacher in my 30s moving into the more academic side of english language teaching with further qualifications meaning I can teach at a university. so yes! i can identify! (joanne mcvey)