Chairman of the Conference
Jan Siřínek, PhD (CZ)
Jan Siřínek is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist in private practice in Prague, working with adult individuals, couples and groups.
He attended the first PBSP training in Prague from 1998 to 2002, and started his PBSP practice right after. Since then, he has led PBSP groups once a week for 16 years.
In 2009 he became a founder member of the Czech PBSP Association, and elected Chairman of the Association in 2013, charged with co-developing experiential and educational PBSP programs in the Czech Republic in close collaboration with Al Pesso.
He coordinated two national PBSP conferences: one in 2011 with Barbara Fischer-Bartelmann as a guest, and the second in 2014, featuring Michael Bachg. In 2012 Al Pesso nominated him as a learning therapist for the participants of the Czech PBSP training and assistant to the trainers.
Jan Siřínek published several articles on PBSP in specialized Czech journals between 2012 and 2016. As a clinician, he is interested in the further development of PBSP and increase in its use. He conducted some original research, verifying the effectiveness of specific PBSP interventions, using high methodological standards. His research culminated in a PhD degree in 2018.
Scientific Committee
MUDr. Aleš Fürst (CZ)
Aleš Fürst is a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, psychosomatic specialist, supervisor and lecturer of complex educational programs in the field of psychotherapy.
He graduated from the first PBSP training in the Czech Republic and became a founder member and first Chairman of the Czech PBSP Association.
He has led groups for years where he combined PBSP with principles of psychodynamic group psychotherapy, and presented the outcome of this experimental approach at the 2nd Czech PBSP Conference in 2014. In the same year, he published the article "An Enrichment of Routine Psychotherapeutic Care with Findings of Neurosciences – PBSP and Grawe's Model".
Aleš Fürst is highly interested in working with psychosomatic issues, collaborating with general practitioners and psychotherapists. He is also invested in issues and boards concerning acknowledgement of psychotherapy (including PBSP) in the Czech Republic.
MUDr. Zuzana Lebedová (CZ)
Zuzana Lebedová is a psychotherapist and psychiatrist working in private practice in Prague.
She graduated from the First Medical Faculty at Charles University in Prague in 1995 and qualified as a psychiatrist in 1998. In 2008 she gained a licence from the Czech Medical Chamber for private practice and counseling in psychiatry. In 2009 she specialised in systematic psychotherapy.
She has been trained in dynamic group therapy and PBSP therapy, together with numerous seminars focused mostly on working with trauma and crisis intervention. She is a member of the Czech Medical Society of J. E. Purkyně, the Czech Psychotherapeutic Society of ČLS JEP, the Czech Association for Psychotherapy and the Czech PBSP Association.
Zuzana Lebedová attended the first PBSP training in the Czech Republic in 1998–2002. She became a member and later Vice Chairman of the Czech PBSP Association, participating in further PBSP trainings in various roles since 2007: as a translator, coordinator, apprentice and learning therapist.
Pete Mann, MEd, PhD (UK)
Pete Mann has had a cross-cultural career as an American educator in continued learning. He's lived in West and East Africa, Cyprus and for 45 years in the UK, most of it at international postgraduate level at the University of Manchester.
In 2000 he joined the first training group in PBSP in England, and went on to attend Al Pesso's annual groups in the US for 13 summers. Not a trained therapist, he was encouraged to join UK's PBSP Supervisory and then Trainer training.
As a non-PBSP practitioner, Pete Mann keeps learning PBSP by attending workshops, writing and engaging with PBSP certified trainers. He co-presented two workshops at the 6th International PBSP Conference in the Netherlands in 2009. His peer reviewed articles include: "Can an American Psychotherapeutic System Contribute to British Leadership Development?" (International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior, with Jon Chapman, 2009) and "Sharpening the Instrument: Challenges to Improving Practice from Interactive and Self-Reflective Growth" (Action Research, 2005).
Al Pesso asked him to serve on the Board of Directors of the PBSP Psychomotor Institute and Lowijs Perquin invited him to join the European PBSP Trainers Group.
Robbin McInturff, MA, LPC, LMFT (USA)
Robbin McInturff has been a psychotherapist in private practice in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, for 36 years. In addition to her full-time clinical work with individuals, couples and families, and groups, she is also a Board certified LPC supervisor in the state of Alabama and a certified PBSP therapist, supervisor and trainer. She presently co-leads three PBSP groups at her practice.
She was trained and supervised by Al Pesso since 1989, and she completed her Trainers' training with Al Pesso and Lowiijs Perquin. Since then, she has presented and participated in various trainings in the US and in Prague, where she is on the faculty of the current four-year PBSP training. She is a founding Board Member of the USPBSP nonprofit organization. Areas of expertise include marriage and family work, grief counseling, women's issues, addiction recovery and trauma recovery.
In addition to holding Master's degrees in English and Mental Health Counseling, Robbin McInturff was the first recipient of the National Award for Outstanding Practitioner/Counselor from the Chi Sigma Iota Counselor's Honor Society and was awarded The President's Award for excellence in the profession by The Alabama Counseling Association. She is also trained in emotionally focused therapy, somatic experiencing and Eriksonian hypnosis.
Wim Jan Trügg, MA (NL)
Wim Jan Trügg is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and supervisor.
He studied social-clinical psychology, criminology and organizational psychology. In his long career since 1975, he has worked in many professional areas, including addiction therapy, resocialization and forensic psychotherapy.
In the 1980s, he passed the PBSP training with Albert Pesso and became a certified PBSP therapist. Since then, he has worked for many years as a clinical PBSP psychotherapist, learning therapist and PBSP training supervisor. In 2009 he became Chairman of the 6th International PBSP Conference "The Embodied Mind" held in Amsterdam.
Wim Jan Trügg is an author of several publications on PBSP and addiction, trauma and dissociation, attachment, symbolisation and mentalisation as well as a large number of editorials.
In addition to his psychological profession, he wrote two poetry albums, made two films and created several sculptures.
Scientific Adviser
Petra Winnette, PhD (CZ)
Petra Winnette is a neuroscientist, certified PBSP therapist, counselor and lecturer.
She has a Master's degree from the Faculty of Pedagogy at Charles University in Prague. She studied developmental psychology at University College Cork in Ireland and graduated from Charles University with a Doctorate in Comparative Science. She was a Fulbright Scholar at the Affective Developmental Neuroscience Lab in the Psychology Department of Columbia University in New York (2017–2018).
She was a lecturer and a member of the scientific committee for the ICAPAP conference (International Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Affiliated Professions) in 2018.
As a clinician and scientist, she is interested in how early childhood experiences influence brain development and behavior throughout the life span and how neuroscience relates to psychotherapy.
Petra Winnette is an author of several books in this area.
Organizational Committee
Mgr. Lucie Kašová (CZ)
Lucie Kašová is a psychotherapist working in private practice in Prague.
She attended the PBSP training in Prague from 2012 to 2016 and became a Board Member of the Czech PBSP Association.
Since 2018 she has been a training coordinator of the current four-year PBSP training and an organizer of the 7th International PBSP® Conference.
Ing. Alena Šiková (CZ)
Alena Šiková is an economist with a lifelong interest in psychology, psychotherapy and education, an occasional teacher, editor, graphic designer and webmaster.
She has been an executive assistant of the Czech PBSP Association since 2010, providing administrative support and organizing PBSP workshops, seminars and conferences.
The committee members are listed in alphabetical order.