A Global Gathering to Experience Dialogical Approaches
Once a month, we open the room to anyone who wants to explore what Open Dialogue and Dialogical Practice actually feel like. No agenda, just genuine conversation.
Next Gathering:
Date: Wednesday, 28 October 2026
Time: 7:00PM to 9:00PM (AEDT) (check your local time)
Location: Online, via Zoom
What Exactly is Dialogue Space?
Dialogue Space is a 2-hour online gathering hosted by Shubhangi Kaushik and Mark Hopfenbeck. It is open to everyone, individuals, families, carers, and practitioners, from anywhere in the world.
Participants are invited to suggest topics when they register, and we share those with the group. Where the conversation goes from there is up to the people in the room. We explore together using dialogical practice: slowing down, listening carefully, and making room for every voice.
It is not a support group or education session. It is a community space; a place to think together, to feel less alone, and to experience what it means to be genuinely heard.
If you have been curious about Open Dialogue, Dialogue Space is a good place to start.
Who Is This For?
Dialogue Space draws people from all corners. Some are practitioners deeply embedded in the approach, who believe in a relational way of working and want a space to think alongside others who feel the same. Some are family members who have experienced Open Dialogue firsthand, or heard about it and are curious about what it might offer. Some are individuals who have navigated the mental health system themselves and arrived here because they know there is a better way. Some are researchers, students, or people who simply stumbled across the idea and wanted to understand it more.
There is no right reason to be here – just a willingness to listen and be listened to.
Meet Your Hosts
Two Facilitators. One Shared Space. A Conversation That Matters.
We host these gatherings together, which is part of the point. Dialogical work is rarely done alone, and the conversation is different when two people are holding it.
Shubhangi Kaushik
Registered Psychologist & Founder
Shubhangi is a Registered Psychologist with a career spanning the mental health system in both clinical and strategic leadership roles. After years of leading change in health projects, she returned to clinical work to address the gap between systemic processes and genuine relational care. Her work centres on creating environments that allow families to navigate uncertainty and distress without the pressure of rushing to solutions.
Mark Hopfenbeck
Anthropologist, Open Dialogue Trainer & Associate Director
Mark is an anthropologist and an international leader in the Open Dialogue community. As one of the co-investigators of the ODDESSI trial in UK, he has spent decades teaching practitioners across Europe and Australia how to work more relationally. He is a long-time advocate for a mental health system that prioritises human connection and presence over labels and treatment plans.
Support Dialogue Space
We believe meaningful connection should be available to everyone, which is why our gatherings will always be free to attend. If a gathering has offered you something, a new perspective, a sense of belonging, a moment of feeling heard, we invite you to contribute what you can to help us keep this space going.
Every contribution goes directly toward the sustainability of Dialogue Space, ensuring it remains open and welcoming for everyone, now and into the future.
The Details
Date: Wednesday, 28 October 2026
Time: 7:00PM to 9:00PM (AEDT)
Location: Online via Zoom
Enquiries: info@dialogueroom.com.au
Reserve Your Spot
Emergency and Crisis Support
Dialogue Room is a telehealth service and does not provide emergency or crisis support.
If you are in crisis, feeling unsafe, or need immediate support, please contact your local emergency services.
The Dialogue Room aims to provide safe and supportive spaces for conversation, but in times of crisis, immediate specialist support is essential.