Examining Racial Enactments:
Learning Through Experience
How Power, Authority, Demographics, and Privilege Shape Group Dynamics in Organizations
The Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis (CCP) is pleased to announce a workshop opportunity for growth, learning, and connection as part of its 2026–2027 Racial Equity Initiative.
This experiential workshop offers participants the opportunity to deepen their understanding of how race, power, authority, demographics, privilege, and other social identities shape relationships and group dynamics in organizations. Through direct experience and guided reflection, participants will develop greater awareness of the conscious and unconscious processes that influence conversations about race and diversity.
Instructor: Isabelle Reiniger, LCSW
Workshop Dates: March 13, March 20, and April 3, 2027
Meeting Time: Saturdays, 2:00–5:00 p.m. (CT)
Location: 1132 S. Wabash Ave., Suite 502, Chicago
This workshop is based on the group relations model developed by the Tavistock Institute in the 1950s and influenced by the work of Kurt Lewin, W.R. Bion, and others. Following an introduction to key concepts, participants will engage in Small Study Groups to examine group dynamics as they emerge in the here and now.
Participants will observe and explore the roles they assume within the group and examine how power, authority, demographics, privilege, and other factors influence group processes. Rather than focusing solely on intellectual discussion, the workshop emphasizes learning through experience, allowing participants to gain deeper insight into the dynamics that shape interactions around race and diversity.
Throughout the Small Study Groups, Isabelle Reiniger, LCSW, will serve as consultant to the group, helping participants recognize and reflect on the racial enactments and group processes unfolding in real time.
Who Should Attend
This workshop is designed for professionals who work with groups, teams, and organizations, including:
- Mental health professionals
- Organizational consultants
- Executive and leadership coaches
- Human resource and DEI professionals
- Educators
- Leaders and managers
- Anyone interested in understanding race and group dynamics through an experiential learning process
No previous group relations experience is required.
Isabelle Reiniger is a psychotherapist and organizational consultant with a full-time private practice in Evanston, Illinois. She is a Fellow of the A.K. Rice Institute and a Co-Creator of Group Relations International. From 2021–2024, she served as Chair of the AKRI Reparations Committee.
She is a member of the Chicago Center for the Study of Groups and Organizations and the New York Center for the Study of Groups, Organizations, and Social Systems. Isabelle received her graduate degree from New York University and completed the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Program at the William Alanson White Institute in New York. In addition to her psychodynamic training, she has completed Level I training through the Internal Family Systems Institute.
Workshop Fee: $250
Participation is limited to 10 individuals to foster an intimate learning environment that supports meaningful experiential learning, consultation, and discussion.
Registration is required. The registration fee includes participation in all three workshop sessions. Because each session builds upon the previous one, participants are expected to attend the full series to receive the greatest benefit from this experiential learning opportunity.
(Please note: Refunds for registrations cancelled at least 3 weeks before a course begins are issued as credit for CCP memberships, courses, and programs. There are no refunds for registrations cancelled within 3 weeks of a course’s start date.)