64th Annual Conference

Thursday, March 8

Morning Workshops

10:00 A.M.-1:15 P.M.

Workshop 13

"Facing" Ourselves and Each Other in Our Groups

Chair:    

Pamela Torraco, M.S.W., Private Practice, Southfield, Michigan

What's in a face? The history contained in each face along with its unique expressions play important parts in group interactions. Transferential reactions are regularly stimulated in therapy groups by perceptions of kind, frightening or disengaged faces from childhood. Facial nuances provide important clues for the exploration of inner experience in groups. (Please bring a hand mirror.)
experiential, sharing of work experiences, didactic, demonstration

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify specific facial characteristics useful in diagnosis.
2. Specify areas of the face most likely to send the clearest messages.
3. Detect typical expressions of disdain, shame, embarrassment, joy, pain, sadness.
4. Describe some of his/her own unique expressions of specific emotions.

Course References:

1. Darwin, C. (1872, 1889, 1998-3rd edition). The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. Great Britain and New York: Oxford University Press.
2. Parr, L. (2003). The Discrimination of Faces and their Emotional Content by Chimpanzees. Emotions Inside Out. New York: New York Academy of Sciences, 56-78.
3. Torraco, P. (1998). Jean's Legacy: On the use of physical touch in long-term psychotherapy. Touch in Psychotherapy: Theory, research and practice, Smith, Clance and Imes, (Eds.). New York: The Guilford Press, 220-237.