63rd Annual Conference

Thursday, February 23

Afternoon Workshops

2:45-6:00 P.M.

Workshop 27

Object Relations, Spiral Groups and Other Strange Happenings

Chair:   

Cecil Rice, Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Needham,

Massachusetts

After reviewing some ideas from object relations theories, we will participate in a spiral group that will help us understand some of those ideas experientially as well as intellectually.  The spiral group with its incomplete boundaries will illustrate trust and mistrust, belonging and not belonging, networks of projections among other things.

Demonstration-experiential-sharing of work experiences-didactic

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Gain a basic understanding of the major tenants of objection relations theories including the work of Klein, Fairbairn, Winnicott & Hopper.

2. Understand the application of object relations ideas to group therapy.

3. Understand the application of object relations ideas to the healing aspects of group therapy.

4. Understand the application of object relations ideas to the therapist’s role.

5. Understand the application of object relations ideas to difficult and strange behaviors in group therapy.

Course References:

1. Rice, C. (1992). Contributions From Object Relations Theory. In R. Klein, H. Bernard, & D. Singer, (Eds.). Handbook of Contemporary Group Psychotherapy: Contributions from object relations and social system theories Madison, CT.: International University Press.

2. In  R. Klein, H. Bernard, & D. Singer. (Eds.). (1992). Introduction, in Handbook of Contemporary Group Psychotherapy: Contributions from Object Relations, Self Psychology and Social Systems Theory. New York: International Universities Press.

3. Summers, F. (1994). Object Relations Theories and Psychopathology: A comprehensive text. Hillsdale NJ: The Analytic Press.