66th Annual Conference

Thursday, February 19

Early Morning Colloquies

Colloquy 1

Boundaries, Ethics and Chaos Theory in Group Psychotherapy

Presenter:        

Robert S. Pepper, CSW, Ph.D., CGP, Director of Training, Long Island Institute for Mental Health, New York, New York

Physicists tell us that to fully understand a phenomenon is to know its boundaries.  This session examines the impact of blurred boundaries in group psychotherapy from the perspective of  chaos theory, rather than from a psychoanalytic one.  The premise is that when leaders allow boundaries to blur there may be untoward ethical and treatment reactions that are often interpreted as transference or resistance when in fact they are not.

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Understand  the concept of 'sensitive dependence on initial conditions' from chaos theory.

2. Analyze iatrogenic treatment reactions from a non-psychoanalytic perspective.

3. Predict situations that may lead to untoward group treatment reactions.

Course References:

1. Gleick, J.(1987). Chaos: Making a New Science.New York: Penquin Books.

2. Pepper, R.(1990). "When Transference isn't Transference: Iatrogenesis of Multiple Role Relations between practicing therapists". Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 20, p.141-153.

3. Slater, P. (1977). Footholds. Boston: Beacon Press.