62nd Annual Conference

The Schopenhauer Cure
Irvin Yalom, M.D., CGP, DFAGPA

This presentation will center around Dr. Yalom's novel (to be published in January 2005) called The Schopenhauer Cure (Harper Collins), which mostly takes place in a contemporary therapy group.  In part the novel is a response to the highly inaccurate and unfavorable depictions of group therapy in current fiction and visual media.  It is meant to be a teaching novel illustrating aspects of group leader techniques including selection of patients, preparation, self-disclosure and the here-and-now focus.  He will discuss coping with fatal illness and the difference between a philosophic and a dynamic therapy approach.  He will also explore the often overlooked contributions of Arthur Schopenhauer to the field of psychotherapy.

Dr. Irvin Yalom is an Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the Stanford University of Medicine in Stanford, California.  Dr. Yalom has received numerous honors and as an author, he has written many articles and books.  His most recent works include: The Gift of Therapy and Momma and the Meaning of Life.

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Describe how to focus the group upon the here-and-now

2. Explain how to prepare patients for therapy

3. Cite Arthur Schopenhauer's contributions to the field of psychotherapy