66th Annual Conference

Saturday, February 21

Morning Open Session

9:00 - 11:30 A.M.

Louis R. Ormont Lecture

Session 315
Progressing while Regressing in Relationships

Presenter:              

Ronnie Levine, Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA

The journey to mature relating is difficult and does not often follow a straight path. Regressive pulls emerge at vulnerable moments, effecting ways of relating.  Fluctuating from mature relating to narcissistic relating is part of any intimate relationship.  Life's transitions and disturbing interactions can disrupt the stable, integrative relational processes that have developed. These challenges create a dialectical development, with the integration processes causing regression to an earlier narcissistic state, in a search for stability and comfort.  Where there is resilience, however, new ways of relating may again be sought.  The challenge for the therapist is to help individuals and groups to become more resilient and fluid, while in the process of developing self-cohesion and self/ object differentiation.

Dr. Ronnie Levine has been practicing individual, couples and group psychotherapy for over 30 years. She has been influenced by Lou Ormont, Modern Psychoanalysis, Object Relations and Relational theories. Dr. Levine is a graduate of the NYU Postdoctoral program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis.  She enjoys teaching and has been on a number of medical school and group training program faculties, and was the Director of a psychology internship program for 10 years. Dr. Levine serves on the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society Board and is on the faculties of the EGPS Group Training Program and The Center for the Advancement of Group Studies. Dr. Levine is a Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association. Her private practice, which is in New York, includes individual, couples, and group psychotherapy and individual and group supervision.

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Distinquish the ways narcissistic states are beneficial.

2. Distinguish the ways narcissistic states are harmful.

3. Identify how group therapy can be useful with working with the individual and the group with varying narcissistic and relational states.

4. Describe interventions that are utilized when working with different narcissistic and relational states.

Course References:

2. Levine, R. (2008). Modern Psychoanalysis and Leslie Rosenthal. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy,  58(3), 381-389.