Creative Conversations

Creative Conversations Institute for Creative Conversation

“Fostering narrative practices & stories of meaning”

We are a collective of professional and passionate colleagues who work towards creating connection and collaboration in the South African context - rich in diverse cultures, communities, religions and traditions. We believe in the rights of each person we encounter, whether through training, workshops or counselling conversations to dignity, acceptance, hospitality, respect and to be listened to.

Central to who we are and the way we work is an exploration of ways to weave narrative practices and pastoral theology into a meaningful ‘Narrative of Care’. This invites us, in the words of Trevor Hudson, co-founder of the Institute for Creative Conversation, a “personal encounter with the pain of our shattered and fragmented community” (1999)

In this experiential workshop, we'll explore how photographs can become powerful companions in pastoral and therapeutic ...
04/08/2026

In this experiential workshop, we'll explore how photographs can become powerful companions in pastoral and therapeutic conversations.

Drawing on narrative practices and creative conversation, you'll gain practical skills and confidence to use personal photographs in ways that invite reflection, deepen listening, and create opportunities for re-authoring conversations.

Whether you're a counsellor, pastor, educator, coach, or simply someone who loves the power of story, this workshop will offer fresh ways of seeing—and helping others see—their lives through a different lens.

Whether we're aware of it or not, the images we hold of God shape the way we pray, respond to life's challenges, relate ...
31/07/2026

Whether we're aware of it or not, the images we hold of God shape the way we pray, respond to life's challenges, relate to others, and understand ourselves.

Some of these images have nurtured us. Others may no longer serve us as well as they once did.

Join us for an engaging, reflective workshop as we gently explore the images of God that have shaped our stories. Through conversation, reflection, and shared learning, we'll consider how these images influence our pastoral practice, our spirituality, and the ways we accompany others.

This is not about finding the "right" image of God. It's about becoming more aware of the stories we carry and creating space for fresh possibilities.

Whether you're involved in pastoral care, ministry, counselling, or simply interested in deepening your own faith journey, you're warmly invited.

We spend so much of life striving, rushing, and carrying.But what if, instead of striving to find God, we discovered tha...
28/07/2026

We spend so much of life striving, rushing, and carrying.

But what if, instead of striving to find God, we discovered that God has been gently drawing us all along?

Join us this August as we pause to reflect on the tender heart of God revealed in Hosea 11—a God who leads with affection, compassion, and faithful love.

Drawn to the Tenderness of God's Heart is an invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and be reminded that we are lovingly held.

"I gently pulled them to my heart with the cords of affectionate love." — Hosea 11:4

We'd love to share this sacred morning with you!
Come as you are. Leave gently held.

Please contact Anne Hart directly to book your spot.

Some of the most transformative learning happens through experience.Have you developed a creative practice, reflective e...
21/07/2026

Some of the most transformative learning happens through experience.

Have you developed a creative practice, reflective exercise, group process, or pastoral approach that has made a difference in your work?

Why not share it as practice-in-action at the Pastoral Conference in October?

Experiential learning sessions offer delegates the opportunity to experience new ideas, discover practical approaches, and engage in meaningful conversations that they can take back into their own contexts.

We're looking for engaging, experiential sessions that invite participants to learn by doing. Whether your work draws on narrative practice, spirituality, expressive arts, pastoral care, supervision, or community engagement, we'd love to hear from you.

Submissions close on 25 July.

Please submit proposals using this link - https://forms.gle/wEUMczcr85Sfb27R6

Poster presentations offer an engaging and accessible way to share research, innovative practice, community initiatives,...
17/07/2026

Poster presentations offer an engaging and accessible way to share research, innovative practice, community initiatives, or developing ideas in a visual format.

Rather than presenting to a formal audience, presenters display a professionally prepared poster that summarises their work using a combination of text, images, diagrams, and key findings.

During the designated poster session, delegates are invited to browse the displays, engage presenters in conversation, ask questions, and explore ideas in an informal and interactive setting.

If you are keen to submit a proposal for a poster use this link - https://forms.gle/wEUMczcr85Sfb27R6

Poster presentations provide an excellent opportunity to:
• Share completed or emerging research.
• Present innovative pastoral, therapeutic, educational, or community initiatives.
• Showcase case studies, reflective practice, or programme evaluations.
• Receive feedback and engage in meaningful dialogue with colleagues.
• Network with researchers and practitioners from a variety of disciplines.

For more information, please contact Nicky on [email protected]

The images of God we carry shape how we pray, how we suffer, and how we care for others.In pastoral conversations, these...
06/07/2026

The images of God we carry shape how we pray, how we suffer, and how we care for others.

In pastoral conversations, these images often remain unspoken — yet they profoundly influence spiritual meaning-making, dignity, and hope.

This workshop invites participants to gently explore the stories and experiences that have shaped their images of God and to consider how these images appear in pastoral conversations.

Through narrative reflection, theological engagement, and guided conversation, we will explore how pastoral care can open space for more compassionate and life-giving theological imagination.

Facilitated by Nicole Dickson, this workshop will take place at The Trevor Hudson Pastoral Care at Northfield Methodist Church.

CPD points allocated by CPSC and Excelsus.

To register for to find out more, including group discounts please contact Nicky on [email protected] or www.creativeconvo.org/events-list

Call for Papers | Pastoral ConferenceSome of the most meaningful conversations begin with someone willing to share what ...
30/06/2026

Call for Papers | Pastoral Conference

Some of the most meaningful conversations begin with someone willing to share what they have been wondering, discovering, or learning.

We are delighted to invite proposals for papers at the upcoming Pastoral Conference.

Whether your work is rooted in pastoral care, narrative practice, theology, counselling, psychology, spirituality, community engagement, education, or the expressive arts, we would love to hear how your ideas and experiences are contributing to richer, more life-giving conversations.

We're looking for presentations that:
✨ Share original research
✨ Explore innovative pastoral or narrative practices
✨ Reflect on lived experience and practice wisdom
✨ Challenge and inspire our thinking
✨ Encourage dialogue across disciplines

This conference is more than a place to present papers. It is a space where practitioners, researchers, students, clergy, and caregivers gather to learn from one another, exchange ideas, and strengthen a community committed to listening well and responding with compassion.

If you have a story to tell, research to share, or a question worth exploring, we encourage you to submit an abstract.

Your voice matters, and your work may spark conversations that continue long after the conference has ended.

From 3rd to 7th August 2026, we — Nicky and Nsamu — will be hosting The Crossroads Retreat at the Christian Brothers Cen...
26/06/2026

From 3rd to 7th August 2026, we — Nicky and Nsamu — will be hosting The Crossroads Retreat at the Christian Brothers Centre in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

This will be a spacious, arts-informed retreat for those seeking to rekindle inner fire, rediscover direction, or reweave the threads of meaning in their lives and work.

Grounded in narrative and expressive arts practices, the retreat will offer opportunities to:
• Reflect on the stories shaping your current journey,
• Explore through creative expression — sound, image, movement, and word,
• Listen to the wisdom that emerges in shared spaces of presence and play, and
• Gently imagine the next steps toward the life that is calling.

We imagine this as a gathering of seekers, artists, caregivers, educators, guides, and companions: people who are curious about the intersection between story, art, and soul.

For more information or to register visit www.creativeconvo.org/events-list or contact Nicky on [email protected]

What if you gave yourself a week to simply be with God?Life has a way of filling every available space with deadlines, r...
25/06/2026

What if you gave yourself a week to simply be with God?

Life has a way of filling every available space with deadlines, responsibilities, and endless distractions. We often long for a deeper connection with God, but struggle to find the time—or the stillness.

This Online Week of Guided Prayer is an invitation to pause.

For one week, for 30 minutes, you will meet online with a trained prayer guide who will invite you to slow down, notice God's presence, and engage with Scripture in a gentle, reflective way. Whether you're new to contemplative prayer or have journeyed this path for many years, this is an opportunity to create a sacred rhythm in the midst of everyday life.

You don't need to travel.
You don't need to have all the answers.
You simply need a willingness to show up.

Discover the quiet movements of grace already unfolding in your life.

Contact Anne Hart on [email protected] to register or for more information

It doesn't take long to notice that we are living in a world where fear, anger, and division often seem louder than comp...
25/06/2026

It doesn't take long to notice that we are living in a world where fear, anger, and division often seem louder than compassion.

Whether we encounter it in the news, on social media, in our workplaces, or even in our closest relationships, it can feel as though we are constantly invited to choose sides rather than to choose love.

Yet Jesus' invitation remains both simple and profoundly challenging:

Love one another.

Not when it is easy.
Not only when we agree.
Not only when we feel like it.

As we gather for our July Morning of Reflection, we'll spend time gently exploring what it means to cultivate a way of being rooted in love in a world that so often rewards outrage, certainty, and separation.

Through Scripture, silence, conversation, and contemplative practice, we will create space to pause, listen, and consider how love might become more than an ideal—it might become our daily practice.

If your soul is longing for a quieter, gentler way of living in these uncertain times, we would love for you to join us.

Please contact Anne Hart to reserve your spot on email: [email protected]

Address

Brentwood Park

Opening Hours

Tuesday 08:00 - 16:30
Thursday 08:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+27834070763

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