66th Annual Conference

Thursday, February 20

All-Day Workshops

10:00 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. & 2:30 - 5:00 P.M.

Workshop 34a

Is Your Trauma Showing?  The Recreation of Unconscious Traumatic Experience Between Co-Leaders

Presented under the auspices of AGPA Co-Therapy in Groups SIG

Chairs:

Lorraine B. Wodiska, Ph.D., CGP, Private Practice, Bethesda, Maryland

Barbara L. Wood, Ph.D., Private Practice, Bethesda, Maryland

We will explore the re-creation of traumatic experience between co-leaders of long-term therapy groups.  New concepts, including "traumatic energy" and the "traumatic couple" will be used along with Bollas' idea of the "unthought known" to explain how unprocessed trauma is reflected within the co-leader couple.

sharing of work experiences-demonstration-didactic-experiential

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Describe the concepts of "traumatic energy", "the traumatic couple" and "the unthought known."

2.  Construct and utilize a new tool (the Traumagram) to identify areas of possible traumatic conflict that might affect their behavior as group leaders.

3.  Identify traumatic dynamics in their co-leadership relationships.

4.  Develop strategies for transforming traumatic dynamics so that greater complementarity is achieved between co-leaders.

Course References:

1. Bollas, C. (1987).  The Shadow of the Object:  Psychoanalysis of the Unthought Known.  New York:  Columbia University Press.

2. Herman, J. (1992) Trauma and Recovery:  The Aftermath of Violence from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror.  New York:  Basic Books

3. McGolderick, M. & R. Gerson. (1985).  Genograms and Family Assessment.  New York:  WW Norton and Company.

4. Roller, B., & V. Nelson. (1991). The Art of Co-Therapy.  New York:  Guilford.

van der Kolk, B. A. (1989).  The Compulsion to Repeat the Trauma:  Re-enactment, revictimization, and masochism.  Psychiatric Clinics of North American, Volume 12(2), 389-411.