The Inner Path of Psychotherapy
Integrating Psychotherapy and Reflective Practice on the Isle of Iona
A six-day residential retreat for psychotherapists
19 to 24 March 2027
Facilitator: Gerry Cunningham
Cost: €1195
Includes full board, single accommodation, and 40 CPD hours
The Invitation
Set within the quiet landscape of the Isle of Iona, this six-day residential retreat invites psychotherapists into a reflective and experiential exploration of their clinical work and personal development. Humanistic and integrative in orientation, it offers a structured space to engage with the deeper dimensions of therapeutic practice, meaning-making, and professional renewal.
The Work
Throughout the week, we will explore the meeting point of psychological understanding and reflective practice through a blend of somatic awareness, creative process, structured experiential exercises, reflective enquiry, and deep listening. Participants will focus on core therapeutic capacities including empathy, attunement, presence, and relational depth within the clinical encounter.
The Sources of Wisdom
Drawing from the psychological insights of Carl Jung, Viktor Frankl, Carl Rogers, Irvin Yalom, William James, and Ken Wilber, and incorporating perspectives from Thomas Merton, Tara Brach, Ram Dass, Brené Brown, and Joan Halifax, this retreat offers a multidisciplinary exploration of therapeutic presence, meaning, and human experience.
The Practice
Through reflective enquiry, somatic exploration, guided experiential exercises, myth, poetry, group dialogue, and structured periods of silence, we will explore the clinical and reflective dimensions of psychotherapeutic practice. Whether your orientation is depth psychology, existential therapy, transpersonal approaches, or embodied relational work, this retreat supports the ongoing development of clinical awareness, personal insight, and professional integrity.
The Journey
Day One
The Call to Wholeness
Integration of Psyche and Therapeutic Practice
Day Two
Meaning in the Face of Suffering
Difficult Experience, Choice, and Meaning-Making
Day Three
The Witness and the Self
Presence, Observation, and Reflective Awareness
Day Four
The Shadow and the Unconscious
Exploring Unacknowledged Aspects of Experience
Day Five
Relational Depth and Attachment
Desire, Patterns, and Therapeutic Relationship
Day Six
Therapeutic Relationship and Integration
Learning Through Connection and Reflection
Booking and Practical Information
Booking for this retreat is by application. To apply, please request an application form by emailing info@mindfulnessclinic.ie or Tel: 087-7989 301. mindfulnessclinic.ie
A non-refundable deposit of €600 is required to secure your place. The balance of €595 is payable by 31 October 2026.
The programme includes two online orientation meetings prior to the retreat and monthly notes/resources from September onwards. The notes and reflective questions will enhance the experiential learning during the retreat.
Following acceptance, participants will receive a full information pack with practical details, preparation guidelines, and travel arrangements.
The group will meet in Oban, Scotland, on the morning of Friday 19 March (time to be confirmed), with onward travel to the Isle of Iona arranged in line with ferry and transport schedules.
Facilitator
Gerry Cunningham is a counsellor and retreat facilitator.
The Isle of Iona
The Isle of Iona is a small island off the west coast of Scotland with a long history of spiritual and cultural significance. It has been a place of learning, contemplation, and community since the monastic settlement founded by Saint Columba in 563. The island is also associated with the early production of illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells.
Today, Iona remains a place of quiet natural beauty, with ancient ruins, open landscapes, and a strong sense of stillness that has long attracted visitors seeking reflection and restoration. The village of Iona, with its simple rhythm of life, offers a welcoming setting for rest and contemplation within a natural environment.
Participant Feedback
“This retreat offers psychotherapists a rare opportunity for profound personal and professional development, deepening clinical presence, enhancing relational attunement, and enriching therapeutic practice through immersive experiential learning.”
“created for me the most creative and spiritual training I have ever experienced.”
“I come away from Iona, changed in ways that I trust are still unfolding, personally and professionally; with a deep sense of nourishment and an ‘umbilical’ connection to this place.”
“This retreat is exactly what is needed for therapists.”
To apply, please request an application form by emailing info@mindfulnessclinic.ie or Tel: 087-7989 301. mindfulnessclinic.ie
Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided on the IACP website event calendar, the IACP cannot accept any responsibility or liability for information provided by outside organisation. The views expressed in presentations made at this event are those of the event organiser / speaker and not, necessarily, of the IACP. Presentations at this event do not constitute an endorsement of the IACP regarding organiser’s or speaker’s views, products or services.