Events

You can expect high quality and a rich depth of expertise from an event hosted by The Bridge.

Upcoming events

We have run a regular series of public conferences and other events since our formation in 1983. These events link psychoanalytic theory and practise with the arts and society, and provide a forum for reflection and discussion of clinical issues.

Piano Concert – Fundraising in aid of Bridge in Schools Children’s Mental Health at Trinity Henleaze URC, Bristol

Friday 14th July 2023, 7pm – 8pm (bar from 6.30pm) £10 / £5 or donations (plus booking fees)

Book Tickets

Experience an evening of piano and voice at one of Bristol’s most sought after classical concert venues. All profits will support the Bridge Foundation’s Bridge in Schools project – helping the most vulnerable children suffering severe mental health difficulties where mainstream support is inaccessible or unavailable.

Bethan Terry (Soprano) and Charlie Woof-Byrne (Piano) are graduates from the Guildhall School of Music and Royal Academy of Music respectively. They have performed in prestigious venues across the UK including Wigmore Hall, King’s Place and The Purcell Room.

Programme

6.30 pm Bar open serving alcoholic and soft drinks

7.00 pm Concert Begins

Two pieces from Klavierstucke Op.118 – Brahms

Intermezzo iv. Intermezzo

Im Frühling – Schubert

Frauenliebe und -leben (A Woman’s Life and Love) – Schumann

Phidylé – Duparc

Les chemins de l’amour (The paths of love) – Poulenc

Je te veux (I want you) – Satie

The concert will finish at approximately 8pm where we welcome you back to the bar for drinks and snacks.

Please note that timings are approximate.

As this is a fundraising event we encourage you to bring cash / cheques or donate when purchasing a ticket. Your donation will make a real difference to a child’s life chances. Find out more on our website: https://bridgefoundation.org.uk/our-impact/ . Thank you.

The Bridge Foundation’s 2023 clinical conference focused on working with autistic and learning disabled clients.

Creating Space: Psychotherapy with Neurodivergent Minds

Saturday 13th May 2023, 10.00 – 13:00

with Pamela Bartram and Matthew Jenkins

Feedback from the conference:
‘The conference yesterday was BRILLIANT. I have been to quite a few now, organised by other organisations, and this was by far the best. Really interesting topic, well-structured, with just the right balance of theory and clinical aliveness.’ 

‘The speakers used the clinical material to bring their psychotherapeutic work with this client group to life and highlight both the complexities and the vitality of the work. They conveyed this in a way that was relatable, demystifying and inspiring. It was great to see the return of the conference ‘in person’ and feel a sense of community with fellow child and adult psychotherapists.’

Watch this space for upcoming events celebrating our 40th year.

All profits from our events are channelled into our Bridge in Schools service, which helps the most vulnerable children and young people access psychotherapy from our highly trained staff, where mainstream support is inaccessible or unavailable.

The Bridge has hosted and run public conferences and events for nearly 40 years

Past events

Annual Clinical Conference

The annual clinical conference explores issues and topics central to psychoanalytic practice. We have been holding these events for over 35 years. Past speakers have included Edna O’Shaughnessy, Margaret Rustin, Michael Rustin, Margot Waddell, David Bell, Mike Brearley, Ron Britton, Kate Barrows, David Morgan, Fakhry Davids, Richard Rusbridger, Kate Pugh, Ricky Emmanuel, Joanne Stubley, and many more.

Our most recent clinical conference (May 2021) on the subject of Grief, with Jane Milton and Eve Ashley, was very well received. This was our first online hosted event, run in the context of Covid-19 restrictions.

Arts Confrence

Our events expertise includes highly successful and popular arts conferences around opera, literature, poetry, cinema, and art.

Our annual arts conference, in partnership with Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory, ran from 2006 until the Covid-19 pandemic sadly led to the closure of its theatrical productions, in 2020. Previous events have featured Sir Jonathan Miller and psychoanalyst David Bell discussing Miller’s production of Hamlet, and psychoanalytic psychotherapist Jane Cheshire and Lesel Dawson from the University of Bristol’s English Department discussing The Tempest.

Bob Gosling Memorial Lecture

These biennial events commemorate Dr Robert Gosling OBE, former Chair of the Tavistock Clinic and founder member of the Bridge Foundation. The BGML takes a variety of forms to explore the application of psychoanalytic thinking in organisations and society. Previous events have featured the former Guantanamo prisoner, Moazzam Begg, and a discussion of “Internal Racism” by the psychoanalysts, Fakhry Davids and Mike Brearley.

Feedback from our events

“Thank you for a rich conference and a very thought provoking morning”

“I thought both presentations were excellent and presented sensitively. Has given me lots to think about in relation to my work as a psychotherapist.”

“Given the current circumstances it was a truly enriching and absorbing experience, somewhat to my surprise as I am not generally a fan of zoom communications!”

“Very thought provoking and rich presentations.”

“I just wanted to thank the Bridge Foundation team for such an excellent conference - this was really cutting edge stuff and I found it completely inspiring.”

Get in touch

Please get in touch if you have any requests regarding our services or questions.