Authority, Leadership, Role & Task:
Bringing Mind & Body to Work
Group Relations Conference
Registration now open!
May 29-31, 2026
Roosevelt University
Chicago, IL
Additional sponsors
thank you for your support!
the Director’s invitation
Barney Straus
Welcome to this unique group relations conference that combines two forms of experiential learning through the integration of adventure education and group relations. Whereas most of the conference is dedicated to studying unconscious processes in groups, the Group Challenge Events (CGEs) give members an opportunity to engage in tasks that are closer to the demands of the real world, in which we are asked to solve real problems. Members will therefore be given opportunities to study the group’s behavior in multiple contexts, which promises to provide a rich and enjoyable learning experience. Please note that no special athletic ability is required for participation.
I am especially proud to have Roosevelt University as the host sponsor for this event. Roosevelt University was founded on the principles of courage, acceptance, and a commitment to social values. These values are consistent with those of group relations, an educational community that also strives to be inclusive and which values perspectives of individuals from diverse backgrounds. In the spirit of both Roosevelt University and the A.K. Rice Institute, all are welcome at this dynamic living institution, which is designed to study itself for the purposes of illuminating leadership and other emergent dynamics in groups.
The Tavistock Approach
The Group Relations Conference (GRC) is an educational event whose primary task is to provide individuals opportunities to study the exercise of authority through interpersonal, intergroup, and institutional relationships that develop within the conference itself as a temporary social system.
The principles and methods of this conference originate from the Center for Applied Social Research, Tavistock Institute of Human Relations in London, England under the leadership of the late A.K. Rice. In 1965, the Washington School of Psychiatry and the Department of Psychiatry of Yale University Medical School introduced conferences to the United States using these principles and methods. The A.K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems, a not-for-profit organization, was established in 1970 to advance knowledge of the dynamics of groups, organizations and social systems.
Methods & Structure
This conference is designed for individuals who wish to study the exercise of authority in groups and understand more about their own responses to exercising and encountering authority. The conference is organized as a sequence of group and inter-group interactions. Events include experiences in:
Small Study Group (SG) examines the life of an eight to ten- member group as it unfolds. A consultant assists the group with the task.
Large Study Group (LG) consists of all conference members with a team of consultants and meets to study its own behavior in the here-and-now. This simulates processes and dynamics of larger social systems as they struggle with the problems of formation, transition and rapid change.
Institutional Event (IE) Members form their own groups to interact with other member groups and with staff. The primary task of the IE is to study authority, leadership, and overt/covert processes as groups evolve and interact in the here-and-now.
Group Challenge Events (GCE’s) Members of the large and small study groups work together to solve specific physical tasks. These events offer an opportunity to explore how roles may shift as group members focus on accomplishing concrete tasks. These events will be co-led by an administrative team member and a consultant, to assist the group in addressing physical and intangible aspects of the group’s work.
Review and Application Group (RAG) consists of five to seven members with one or two consultants; provides opportunities for members to further reflect on their experiences and roles in the different conference events and relate them to their work roles in community and institutional settings.
Please note: The conference is designed to provide an integrated experience. Learning occurs not only during individual conference events but also from their sequence and relationship to one another; therefore, membership entails a commitment to attend all events.
Learning from Experience
Effective leadership and the meaningful exercise of authority require more than intellectual and technical understanding. The Group Relations model in the Tavistock tradition provides a well-defined context within which to examine group-level forces and dynamics as they occur in the here-and-now. As people work in groups, families and other social systems, their participation takes on many different meanings — influencing thoughts, feelings and actions. The confluence of individual meanings powerfully affects the identities, roles and authority we take on in groups, schools, organizations, institutions, communities and society.
Members of a group relations conference have the opportunity to directly experience:
How people join and engage in group work, delegate and resist authority, and develop roles and reputations.
How people contribute to and obstruct getting the group’s task accomplished.
How members of a group exercise authority, power and influence in meaningful and appropriate ways — both as leaders and as followers.
Group collusion in the creation and enabling of maladaptive roles.
Group cooperation in the creation and enabling of adaptive roles.
In applying the learning from group relations conferences, having two or more people from the same organization attend the conference together is often useful.
directorate
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Barney Straus
CONFERENCE DIRECTOR
Barney Straus is an adventure-based therapist in private practice in Chicago, IL, where he works with individuals and groups to treat people recovering from addictions and compulsive behaviors. Barney is a part-time faculty member at Roosevelt University, Dept. of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, School of Social Work, and New Mexico Highlands University, School of Social Work. Barney is the founder of Adventure Forward Therapy, a practice dedicated to integrating adventure into the therapeutic process. He is the author of Healing in Action: Adventure-Based Counseling with Therapy Groups. He is co-author of the 4th Edition of Group Psychotherapy with Addicted Populations, as well as the associated manual, Group Psychotherapy with Addicted Populations: An Experiential Manual, to be published by Routledge in 2026. Fellow, AGPA; Member, and Certified Consultant, AKRI; Board President, CCSGO.
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Diana Castañeda
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Diana Castañeda is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in private practice in Chicago, IL. Her practice specializes in trauma recovery and she works with adults, families, and youth. Diana is a Certified Consultant of the A. K. Rice Institute for the study of social systems. She is also a member of the Washington-Baltimore Center for the Study of Group Relations and the Chicago Center for the Study of Groups and Organizations. Diana serves as a clinical consultant for the fellowship program at the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. She received her degrees from Northwestern University. Diana has served on staff at numerous group relations conferences across the country.
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Sarah Yi
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR ADMINISTRATION
Sarah Yi (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in private practice specializing in racial & ethnic identity with BIPOC clients in Chicago, IL. She received her counseling degree from the Family Institute at Northwestern University, where she attended her first Tavistock conference. Since then Sarah participated an all-women group relations conference as a member and served on staff at numerous Northwestern Tavistock conferences as an administrative member and consultant. Sarah is also a member of the Chicago Center for the Study of Groups and Organizations (CCSGO) and the A. K. Rice Institute (AKRI).
consultants &
consultants in training
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Gary Friend
Consultant
Dr. Gary Friend is a retired podiatric physician. He is also a licensed professional counselor specializing in couples counseling. Gary has extensive experience as a consultant at Group Relations Conferences at Northwestern University. He currently serves on the Board of CCSGO as Membership Chair.
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Kat Harding
Consultant
Dr. Katherine Harding is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice in Chicago, Illinois. She is the founding owner of City Haven Counseling, where she specializes in the treatment of trauma, grief and loss. Dr. Harding is past president and current member of The Chicago Center for the Study of Groups and Organizations (CCSGO). She began her Group Relations work in 2003 while completing her doctorate at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology.
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John Robertson
Consultant
Dr. John Robertson is a physician specializing in psychiatry in his West Knoxville private practice, Center for Family Psychiatry, P.C./Attention Deficit Center with partner Kelley Walker, M.D. He is a Tennessee native having practiced medicine in Knoxville for over 20 years. Board certified in American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, he has three separate specialities: general psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry; and addiction psychiatry. He has received numerous awards including Top Doctor of Knoxville a total of nine years. He has also been a recipient of America’s Top Doctors, America’s Top Psychiatrists, and Best Doctors in East Tennessee awards. He has been Medical Director of adolescent and adult addiction programs as well as residential and inpatient psychiatric programs.
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Rodric Smith
Consultant
Rodric Smith, PhD is a retired US Air Force officer in Colorado Springs, CO, where he partners with individuals and organizations to develop leaders at personal, interpersonal, team, and organizational levels. Rodric applies group relations to teach, mentor, coach, facilitate, and consult in several leadership development efforts. Currently, Rodric is a community scholar at the University of San Diego, School of Leadership and Education Sciences. Rodric uses group relations theory and other leadership theories, such as adaptive leadership, to advance his research interest on the role of love in leadership development to create communities that advance love, power, and justice. Rodric is the AKRI president-elect, a GRI co-creator, an International Leadership Association member, and an Adaptive Leadership Network past board member.
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Yu-An Wang
Consultant
Yu-An was born and raised in Taiwan and is currently living in Los Angeles, CA. Yu-An is a psychotherapist licensed in both California and Washington, and a consultant for a long-term care nonprofit organization in Seattle. Yu-An specializes in somatic, psychodynamic, and social justice oriented approaches to treat people with complex trauma and group work. Yu-An earned her MA in Counseling from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Leadership Studies at the University of San Diego. Member, ex-Board member, Affiliate Representative & Secretary, AKRI; Member, CSGCC; Member, GREX; Member, New York Center; Co-Creater, GRI.
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Courtney Washington
Consultant
Dr. Courtney Washington is an assistant professor at Northern Michigan University in Marquette Michigan. She is a Clinical Psychologist providing direct care at Parkview Behavioral Health Institute in Fort Wayne Indiana. She serves on the board of CCSGO and the AKRI. Clinically, she operates from a psychodynamic, feminist, existential, and group relations perspective. Her clinical interests include sexual health, social justice, LGBTQ+ issues, and gender issues. In her personal life she enjoys building a small sustainable homestead with her partner and their dogs Sigmund and Marco.
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John Fiene
Consultant in Training
John Fiene, LCSW (he/him) provides psychotherapy and psychoanalysis for adults, group therapy for men, and family therapy through his private practice in Chicago. He is an analyst-in-training at the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute. He earned his MSW in 2013 at UIC Jane Addams College of Social Work (JACSW). Since 2010, John has facilitated groups in community, medical, educational, and legal settings. He is a member of the A.K. Rice Institute (AKRI) and Chicago Center for the Study of Groups and Organizations (CCSGO).
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Leah Goldgar
Consultant in Training
Leah Goldgar is a visual artist and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor based in Chicago, IL. Leah specializes in working with individuals healing from trauma and disordered eating. They also have a particular interest in working with neurodivergent, fat, and queer clients. Leah is a member of the Chicago Center for the Study of Groups and Organizations. They have attended and been on staff for several Group Relations Conferences since first being introduced to the work in 2016. They previously served as Assistant Director for Administration for conferences at both Northwestern University and University of Pennsylvania.
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Taylor Mizuno-Moore
Consultant in Training
Dr. Taylor Mizuno-Moore (she/they) is the founder of a private practice and organizational consulting firm, Longboarders LLC. She is a partner at Deadstock Hospitality and an affiliate professor in the Department of Counseling at Northwestern University. Dr. Mizuno-Moore earned her master’s degree in counseling from Northwestern University and her doctorate in organizational psychology, with a specialization in organizational change, from the University of Southern California. Her publications and research explore the integration of group relations theory and ambient anxiety, and their influence on organizational efficiency. She is an active member of the Chicago Center for the Study of Groups and Organizations (CCSGO) and the A. K. Rice Institute (AKRI).
Administrative Team
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Graham Hicks
Administrative Team Member
Graham Hicks is a 2026 graduate of the Master of Social Work program at Loyola University Chicago. He has been involved in group activities since 2020. Graham has worked as a piano teacher, church musician, personal trainer and massage therapist. He holds a Bachelor of Music in piano performance. Graham plans to pursue certification as a group psychotherapist and has interests in a variety of groups including psychodrama, interpersonal process, and support groups. Graham’s interests include depth psychology, the psychology of art, and the psychology of religion. He can be found skateboarding and snowboarding, serving pizzas at the lakefront, and practicing Aikido. He looks forward to building a timber frame house in central Wisconsin and exploring the Driftless area of that state. Member, AGPA.
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Joslyn Jimenez
Administrative Team Member
Joslyn Jimenez is a recent graduate of Roosevelt University, where she earned her master's degree in general psychology. She works in the public health and social support sector, helping individuals access resources that promote health, stability, and well-being. Alongside her professional interests, Joslyn is also a writer and poet whose creative work explores themes of resilience and human connection. She participated in the 2025 Group Relations Conference and currently serves on the administrative team for the 2026 Group Relations Conference.
registration
Conference Fees
Registration can be completed below using the online checkout process by selecting the appropriate registration option based on your professional status (e.g., student or early professional, affiliate, standard). Early bird registration discounts are available through April 1, 2026. The registration deadline is May 22, 2026.
Discounts are available to affiliates of sponsoring organizations for the conference; please indicate your affiliation in the registration form. In addition, partial scholarships may be available based on stated need and conference enrollment. Those interested can submit the $30 scholarship application fee and a letter of request to mindbodygrc@gmail.com by April 1, 2026.
Cancellations made before April 1 will be refunded at 100%, less a $30 administrative fee. Cancellations made after April 1 will be refunded if the spot can be filled by someone from the waiting list.
The conference will be limited to 50 participants. Due to limited space, early registration is encouraged. After the maximum capacity is met, those interested in registering will be placed on a waiting list and notified if a spot opens up.
reference letter
Experiential learning can sometimes be stressful. For the safety of all members, registrants will be required to provide a letter of reference from someone who can attest to their capacity to participate in an intensive learning experience. All registrants are responsible for sending their letters via email to mindbodygrc@gmail.com.
Suggested recommenders include supervisors, mentors, colleagues, friends & mental health providers.
Continuing Education
Continuing Education (CE) credits will be available for an additional fee of $30, due at registration. Rutgers University will award 20 credits to licensed counselors (LCPC, LMFT) and psychologists* (PhD, PsyD). Loyola University’s School of Social Work will award 20 credits to licensed social workers. CE credits for Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors (CADC) are in progress and expected to be available for the conference.
Rutgers Graduate School of Applied & Professional Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Rutgers Graduate School of Applied & Professional Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
*Instructional level: Introductory
REGISTRATION OPTIONS
FAQ
Location
Roosevelt University’s Chicago campus is located at 430 S Michigan Avenue. In the heart of downtown, the building is opposite Grant Park and convenient to public transportation. Known as the “vertical campus,” the building houses classrooms, administrative offices, and dormitories, as well as a cafeteria and a gym facility. The conference will take place on the third floor of the main building on Michigan Ave.
accommodations
Three-night and four-night options for on-site lodging are available through Roosevelt University (425 S Wabash Ave). Options include a single occupancy dorm room with individual climate control units, bedding* and towels, access to laundry machines, and access to the gym. Two options are available:
Three nights (Thursday through Sunday) — $350
Four nights (Thursday through Monday) — $450
*Bedding provided includes a small pillow, sheets, and a thin blanket; participants are encouraged to bring additional pillows & blankets if needed
food & beverages
Conference registration includes three lunch tickets, one for each day. Snacks and coffee will be also be provided in the Member’s Lounge. The Roosevelt University cafeteria will be open for breakfast and dinner. A list of local restaurants will be provided to conference attendees.
Conference Schedule
Conference Events will take place during the following times:
Friday May 29 9:00AM — 7:00PM
Saturday May 30 8:30AM — 7:30PM
Sunday May 31 8:30AM—4:00PM
Click HERE to view the full schedule.
