What is the female experience of boarding school? Often we talk about the boarding school experience of boys and how it impacts men. But often the subject of how boarding school impacts a girl and then a women later on in life is not spoken about.

Today I am excited to be speaking with two leading women in the field of working with women ex-boarders and bringing this subject to light.

What it is like for a girl? How is it different from boys? What are some of the nuances and differences that make boarding school as impactful on women as it is on men?

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Karen Macmillan counsels adults around a wide range of issues, with a specialism in working with boarding school survivors. She runs CPD workshops for therapists in working with ex boarders with her colleague Sara Warner. 

Sara Warner is a BACP registered counsellor and Internal Family Systems Therapist specialising in working with boarding school survivors in private practice in Lewes seeing local, national, and international clients. 

Some of the topics and questions we talk about:

1. Introductions
2. How did the idea of doing a workshop specifically about working with women ex boarders come about?
3. Are there particular themes specific to women ex boarders’ experience? 
4. Patriarchy affects women differently to men and both are affected intensely by being in a boarding school – can you say more about this
5. Can you talk a bit about internalised misogyny.
6. Some of the other areas we talk about:
   1. Eating disorders like anorexia, and bulimia
   2. The problems with eating that carry on into later life
   3. How jealousy and envy can still impact women post school.
   4. The main wound being around the breaking of attachments
   5. Self-harming
   6. The denial of the body and especially sexuality in boarding schools
7. What have you discovered in your work with women?
8. How do people find out more about your work?

For more information about their work please visit: https://www.counselling-hove.com/my-approach

https://counsellinginlewes.com/

For their workshop online for therapists on October 15th: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/working-with-women-boarding-school-survivors-a-workshop-for-therapists-tickets-305922050087

For the workshop for women ex-boarders run by boarding survivors https://www.boardingschoolsurvivors.co.uk/events-and-workshops/  

And for a workshop for male and female ex-boarders: https://www.theboardingschooltherapist.com/boardingschoolawarenesscourse

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Piers is an author and a men's transformational coach and therapist who works mainly with trauma, boarding school issues, addictions and relationship problems.

He also runs online men's groups for ex-boarders, retreats and a podcast called An Evolving Man.

He is also the author of How to Survive and Thrive in Challenging Times. To purchase Piers first book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Survive-Thrive-Challenging-Times/dp/B088T5L251/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=piers+cross&qid=1609869608&sr=8-1

For more videos please visit: http://youtube.com/pierscross

For FB: https://www.facebook.com/pierscrosspublic

For Piers' website and a free training How To Find Peace In Everyday Life: https://www.piers-cross.com/community

Many blessings,

Piers Cross

http://piers-cross.com/