Susan Campbell — Reflections on Relational Practices (EP004)

Our guest, Dr. Susan Campbell’s pioneering “Getting Real” work in communication and relationships shaped the field and influenced many practitioners and facilitators, including our host, Michael Porcelli.

They discuss communication and facilitation, sharing personal reflections, professional insights, and applications for intimate relationships and organizational settings. Susan reflects on her changing perspective on the importance of psychological safety. As organizational consultants, they discuss essential differences in addressing relational issues in our personal versus professional lives. Susan draws wisdom from her direct experience with encounter groups from an earlier era that emphasized less restricted self-expression, as well as today's trauma-informed approaches and the trade-offs involved in this development.

The episode has something for everyone, whether you're new to relational practices or an experienced facilitator.

Key Takeaways:

- The importance of psychological safety in addressing relational issues
- The role of both individual and collective responsibility in fostering psychological safety
- How personally understanding and experiencing one's emotions support healthy relationships
- How letting go of the need to control allows for discovery
- How expressing anger cleanly can add to the aliveness of a relationship
- Essential differences in addressing relational issues at work versus our personal lives.
- The difference between communication in service of a relationship versus authentic self-expression for its own sake

Select References:

• T-groups - Wikipedia
• Susan's Substack
• What Does it Mean to Be Trauma-Informed? | Psychology Today
• Psychological safety - Wikipedia
• Susan Campbell

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