IW28
SENTIO ISTDPAcademy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk
WHERE ART MEETS PSYCHOLOGY8–10 JUNE 2028

INNERWORLDS

/ ŚWIATY WEWNĘTRZNE2028
Two disciplines.
One inner world.
↓DISCOVER
WHAT LIES WITHINPortrait of Patricia CoughlinCONFERENCE GUESTPatricia
CoughlinMeet Patricia ↗
EMOTION / GESTURE / CONNECTION / CREATIVITY
01 / THE IDEA

What lies within
seeks form.

Psychology helps us understand our inner world. Art lets us see it, experience it and share it with others.

Each of us carries a unique world of emotions, memories, relationships and imagination. This living, changing space shapes the way we love, create and connect with other people.

INNER WORLDS invites a conversation between two disciplines that have long explored the same subject: human experience. Between words and images, the conscious and the unconscious, a space for new meaning emerges.

Three days. Three perspectives. ↗
An abstract blue brushstroke forming a sculptural loop and a human profile
BETWEEN WHAT YOU FEEL

and what you
express.

THIS IS WHERE WE MEET.
02 / CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

A journey
inward.

8–10 JUNE 2028
Three days of encounters, experiences and reflection.
Detailed times will be announced soon.

01DAY ONE
8 JUNE 2028
OPENING LECTURE / EXHIBITION OPENING

Seeing the
inner world.

Seeing the Inner World

Patricia Coughlin opens the conference with “The Psychological Significance of Art” — a lecture on creativity as a universal human need and the dialogue between artist and viewer.

Explore the day's programme ＋

Lecture by Patricia Coughlin
“The Psychological Significance of Art” — connecting with our inner lives and exploring creativity as a way of reaching others.

Official exhibition opening
The first artistic expression of the conference's idea. The exhibition will run for two weeks, and the works on display will be available for purchase.

see
02DAY TWO
9 JUNE 2028
LECTURES / DIALOGUE / WORKSHOPS

Understanding
and experiencing.

Understanding and Experiencing the Inner World

From reenacting old wounds to consciously creating our own lives. A day of shared exploration for psychologists, psychotherapists and artists.

Explore the four modules ＋
  1. How does the inner world come into being?
    The development, emotions and experiences that shape who we are.
  2. Creativity as the language of experience.
    Gesture, rhythm and tension — expressing what lies beyond words.
  3. Restoring balance in a world dominated by technology.
    A return to the human being as a creative being.
  4. Interdisciplinary workshops.
    Co-led by psychologists and practitioners from different artistic disciplines, followed by a shared closing reflection led by Patricia Coughlin.
experience
03DAY THREE
10 JUNE 2028
SUPERVISION TRAINING

Accompanying
the inner world.

Accompanying the Inner World

A supervision training for psychotherapists led by Patricia Coughlin. A practical look at the therapeutic process and working with the patient's inner world.

More about the training ＋

A session devoted to understanding the psychotherapy process and accompanying patients as they engage with their experiences. Designed for psychotherapists, with an emphasis on supervision practice.

Details of the training format and participation requirements will be announced in the next programme update.

accompany
03 / PATRICIA
Patricia Coughlin, psychologist and painterPSYCHOLOGIST. PSYCHOTHERAPIST. ARTIST.

Patricia
Coughlin.

Two languages.
The same curiosity about people.

A clinical psychologist with a PhD, ISTDP psychotherapist, author and abstract painter. She has over forty years of clinical experience and trained in ISTDP with, among others, Habib Davanloo, the founder of the method.

In psychotherapy, she explores deep change and emotional experience. In painting, she seeks a language for feelings, memories and dreams that are difficult to put into words. Her artistic and psychological practices continually inform each other.

At INNER WORLDS, she will deliver the opening lecture, lead the supervision training and offer a closing reflection on the workshops.

PAINTINGS ↓BOOKS ↓
Biography on Patricia's website ↗

Where words
become colour.

Patricia's painting is a dialogue with her materials: one gesture responds to the last. Abstraction leaves room for the viewer's own associations and emotions.

Dusk Descending — painting by Patricia Coughlin
Dusk Descending ↗
Into the Quiet — painting by Patricia Coughlin
Into the Quiet ↗
It's All Come to Grief — painting by Patricia Coughlin
It's All Come to Grief ↗
Selected works from the artist's portfolio. © Patricia Coughlin.
This selection does not confirm which works will feature in the 2028 exhibition.VISIT THE ARTIST'S GALLERY ↗
PATRICIA'S BOOKS

Understanding
that transforms.

01

Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy

THEORY AND TECHNIQUE

A guide to the theory and technique of ISTDP. It introduces the therapeutic model and develops an understanding of intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy.

About the book ↗
02

Lives Transformed

CO-AUTHOR: DAVID MALAN

A joint publication by Patricia Coughlin and David Malan on change in dynamic psychotherapy. A clinical perspective on the process of transforming patients' lives.

About the publication ↗
03

Maximizing Effectiveness in Dynamic Psychotherapy

THERAPEUTIC EFFECTIVENESS AND DEVELOPMENT

An exploration of the therapist's skills and personal qualities that support effective treatment. It connects professional development with authenticity and engagement in the therapeutic relationship.

View at the publisher ↗
04

Facilitating the Process of Working Through in Psychotherapy

MASTERING THE MIDDLE GAME

An introduction to working through in dynamic psychotherapy. It clarifies the middle phase of treatment and the importance of this work for therapeutic effectiveness.

About the book ↗
04 / FOR SPONSORS

Make room
for our humanity.

Support an encounter between art and psychology.
Three partnership proposals. One shared idea.

PACKAGE 01

Partner
of the gathering

Be part of an idea that connects people.

  • Logo in the website's partners section
  • Acknowledgement in event communications
  • 2 passes for the conference sessions
  • Invitation to the exhibition opening
PACKAGE 02

Patron
of dialogue

More space for meaningful encounters.

  • All benefits of the Partner of the gathering package
  • Prominent logo placement in conference materials
  • Brand presentation in event communications
  • 4 conference passes in total
  • Opportunity for a stand in the partners area
PACKAGE 03

Principal
Partner

Together, we create this space.

  • All benefits of the Patron of dialogue package
  • Title of Principal Partner of the event
  • Top logo prominence among sponsors
  • 8 conference passes in total
  • Acknowledgement at the opening
  • Individually agreed brand presence