66th Annual Conference

Thursday, February 19

Afternoon Workshops

2:30 - 5:00 P.M.

Workshop 31

Exploring Reunions - Communities That Endure Beyond Pomp and Circumstance

Chair:                

Joan-Dianne Smith, M.S.W., RSW, FCGPA, Private Practice, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Class or group reunions become markers along life’s trajectory, evoking powerful reactions: from nostalgia to competition, from pride to shame, from belonging to exclusion. This workshop will explore individual and group issues involved in the reunion experience. What about reunions at AGPA?  What lies beneath the appetite or distaste for reunions?  How can these perspectives enrich our clinical work?

sharing of work experiences-didactic-experiential-demonstration

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify and differentiate factors influencing positive and negative reunion experiences.

2. Analyze elements of identity and self-esteem related to reunion experiences.

3.  Describe the impact of group climate and norms, past and present, on the reunion experience.

4.  Discuss a variety of theoretical perspectives on reunion experiences.

5.  Apply relevant concepts of the reunion experience to the process of group psychotherapy.

Course References:

1. Billow, Richard M. (1980).  Reunions.  Psychoanalytic Review  67 (2), 253-270.

2. Vinitzky-Seroussi, Vered. (1996). High School Reunions and the Management of Anxiety.  Caliber19 (3), 225-239.

3. Vinitzky-Seroussi, Vered. (2000)  “My God, What am I Gonna Say?” Class Reunions as Social Control.  Qualitative Sociology 10 (23A) 57-75.