The two loves of my life
Group for international gay and queer men in Berlin
Hello fellow Berliner!
Would you like to meet other international gay and queer men in Berlin and share experiences, ideas, thoughts and feelings? Can you imagine to commit to a group and meet on a regular basis? The group "The two loves of my life" provides a safe space to share with others and talk about who we are, where we belong and how we want to live our lives.
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Who can join the group?
Common for the group members is that we are gay and queer men who have left our home country behind. We want to reflect upon what it means to have "two loves of our lives" and to combine our “old” life with our “new” life in Berlin. In the group we talk about our challenges and passions: culture, love, relationships, sex, identity, belonging, addiction, discrimination, family, work, studies and other topics that interest us. The group language is English.
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How does the group work?
The group offers a safe space for each participant to grow and develop together with the other group members. There is no preset agenda for each meeting, and it is up to the participants to bring in topics. The group conductors keep the framework and make sure that everyone feels safe and involved. Although we sit in a circle and aim for personal growth and development, participants are not seen as "patients" but as people on a quest to understand and change something in their lives. If you would like to find out more about how the group “works”, we recommend reading “The Schopenhauer Cure” by Irvin Yalom.
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When does the group take place?
The group meets on ten weekends a year, with a 90 minutes session on Friday evening and 2x90 minutes on Saturday morning. These are the upcoming meetings:
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27/28 Sep 2024
25/26 Okt 2024
22/23 Nov 2024
13/14 Dez 2024
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17/18 Jan 2025
21/22 Feb 2025
28/29 Mar 2025
25/26 Apr 2025
23/24 Mai 2025
20/21 Jun 2025
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Where does the group meet?
Pariser Str. 54 in Wilmersdorf
Group conductors
Øyvind R. Haugen
Psychologist and psychotherapist from Norway with long experience in the field of inter-cultural counselling and coaching.
Jens Preil
MD PhD, border crosser between East and West Germany, group therapist, team coach and supervisor, senior executive and psychoanalyst.
Conditons and fees
Group membership is limited to a maximum of eight participants. Regular attendance for at least one year is expected from anyone who would like to participate. Beyond this time, each participant can stay for as long as they wish. When the group is full, new members will only be accepted if a member decides to leave the group. All these conditions are important to develop trusting relationships and a stable, safe framework in which an open exchange can take place.
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The participation fee is 90€ for each weekend block for participants who work and can afford it. For others we are willing to reduce the fee.
Get in touch!
Please tell us something about your life so far and why you want to be a member of the group. We invite all interested persons to individual talks to find out if it is a good fit for both sides. You can either use the form below or send an email to oyvind.r.haugen@protonmail.com.