55th ANNUAL INSTITUTE

Two Special Institute Presentations
Monday, February 28, 9:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.

Registration Form

SI-1. Loving, Hating and Knowing: Working with Resistance, Rebellion, and Refusal

Instructor:

Richard M. Billow, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP

Psychotherapy is about developing the capacity to tolerate and develop truth, which is limited, desired and feared. Emotional truths often are difficult to bear, much less to share with others, for they are rooted in our basic urges to love, hate, and know.  Therapists and other members struggle to cope with and make sense of these urges, which define group process and meaning.  Learn how the therapist (along with group members) assesses and responds to the need for truth, and addresses the phenomena of resistance, rebellion, and refusal.  

This presentation will highlight Dr. Billow’s relational approach, in which the group therapist remains central in the action: eliciting, evaluating and responding to the truth needs of the various individuals and the group itself as well as detecting and modulating the impact of falsity. The presentation will include a "fishbowl" demonstration group, and a whole group experience.

Richard M. Billow, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, is a clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst, and an active contributor to the psychoanalytic and group literature. He teaches and conducts workshops worldwide in psychoanalysis and group analysis. His published works, including Relational Group Psychotherapy: From Basic Assumptions to Passion (2003, Jessica Kingsley) and Resistance, Rebellion, and Refusal: The 3 Rs (2010, Karnac), have made a major contribution to the theory of psychoanalytic group therapy, and in particular, to the development of relational perspectives in various clinical modalities.  He is Clinical Professor and Director of the Derner Institute's Postgraduate Program in Group Psychotherapy (Adelphi University), and maintains a private practice in Great Neck, New York.  

 

 SI-2. The Power of Couples: Using Interpersonal Dynamics to Create Transformational Change for Clients and Health Care Communities

 

Instructor:

Judith Cochè, Ph.D., CGP, LFAGPA

Special Guests: Laurie Abraham, BFA, M.A., Juliette Anderson Galbraith, M.D., and the Couples Group Players

As clinicians trained in interpersonal dynamics, group psychotherapists are uniquely suited to extend their expertise in creating and maximizing the power of a group to heal and strengthen its members. More than other mental health professional, group therapists can utilize group expertise to strengthen communities. Since 1975, Dr. Judith Cochè, joined by her late husband (Erich Cochè, Ph.D., ABPP) and most recently, her daughter, psychiatrist Juliette Galbraith M.D., has coached, counseled and inspired colleagues to bring the best of group therapy skills to those they serve. To this end, Dr. Cochè invited prize-winning journalist Laurie Abraham into her couples' therapy group for two years, resulting in a New York Times article that received the American Psychoanalytic Association's 2008 award as best contribution to the psychoanalytic literature. Most recently this work was published in book and audiotape format and is entitled The Husbands and Wives Club: A Year in a Couples Therapy Group. Join Drs. Cochè and Galbraith, with special guest Ms. Laurie Abraham, as they inspire, coach, and counsel us all on enhancing our careers and the field of group therapy.

Using the modality of couples therapy and couples group psychotherapy as their forum for addressing evidence-based practice and multi-modal psychotherapy, this teaching triad of psychologist, psychiatrist and journalist create a stimulating day of learning. You will be informed about the interpersonal mazes in couples treatment. Your assumptions about the need for public advocacy for group psychotherapy will be reinforced as well as the importance of utilizing knowledge of interpersonal dynamics to heal couples, groups and communities.

Judith Cochè, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, FAGPA is a Board member of the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists as well as a Clinical Supervisor for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists. Author of two books and 30+ academic journal articles she has most recently authored Couples Group Psychotherapy, 2nd Edition (Taylor Francis, 2010). Dr. Cochè has designed the group therapy training program in Psychiatry at the Medical School of the University of Pennsylvania, where she and Dr. Galbraith train psychiatric residents and Dr. Cochè trains clinical psychologists.

 

Continuing Education for Special Institute Presentations: 6.0 credits/.6 units

Two-Day Institute Sections
Tuesday & Wednesday, March 1-2

INSTITUTE OPENING PLENARY SESSION
 Tuesday, March 1, 8:30-9:15 A.M.

Your Institute: A Resilience Boost

 

Instructor:

Bonnie J. Buchele, Ph.D., CGP, ABPP, DFAGPA

 

Life has many stressful events, including traumatic ones. Recent research indicates that how well we recover, and even grow, from them is related to how resilient we are. Ten years ago, after the events of 9/11, AGPA deepened the awareness of how helpful groups can be in assisting recovery from wounds and in building resilience. The AGPA Institute can serve as a source of refurbishment for group therapists. Dr. Buchele will talk about the ways that Institute participants can make their Institute experience a personal emotional resource as well as a place of learning.

Bonnie J. Buchele, Ph.D., ABBP, CGP, DFAGPA, is a past President of the American Group Psychotherapy Association.  Presently she has a private practice in Kansas City, MO, which includes the practice of group psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, individual psychotherapy and supervision.  She is a Supervising and Training Analyst with the Greater Kansas City Psychoanalytic Institute, which is affiliated with the American Psychoanalytic Association, where she is the immediate past Director. Within AGPA she has also been Treasurer for two terms, served on the Board of Directors, the Conference Committee and as the chair/member of various task forces.  She was a consultant to Certified Group Psychotherapists in New York City and Washington, D.C., who led groups for traumatized individuals following the events of September 11, 2001. Her interest in the area of trauma and groups for persons experiencing trauma spans several decades beginning with her career at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, where she was Program Director of the Trauma Unit during the 1990’s. The recipient of the Alonso Award for Excellence in Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy, she is the author, co-author and editor of many publications and has been on the Editorial Board of the International Journal for Group Psychotherapy for 15 years.  Currently, she is a Board member of the International Association for Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes.

The Institute is primarily designed for clinical professionals who meet the requirements of at least a Master’s degree in a mental health profession and who have clinical psychotherapy experience. Many sections of the Institute welcome psychiatric residents, graduate students in mental health degree programs as well as mental health workers who work in a range of human service settings. Please register for a section consistent with your experience.

The Institute is scheduled over two full days: Tuesday, March 1, 9:30 A.M. – 5:45 P.M. and Wednesday, March 2, 8:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. Registration will only be accepted for the full two-days and registrants will be expected to attend both days, including the Institute Opening Plenary Session. Continuing Education credit will not be awarded for partial attendance. Devoted to small group experiential teaching, these two-day groups are led by carefully selected experienced instructors. The secure environment of these small groups allows for rich cognitive and emotional learning about group processes and oneself as well as an opportunity for personal and professional refreshment. The Institute consists of two sections:

  • Process Group Experience (PGE) Sections:  
    These small groups provide participants an environment in which to obtain, expand and retain their skills in conducting group therapy. The PGE sections are conducted by many of the country's outstanding group therapists.  The group psychotherapy skills gained are important in conducting any group, regardless of its theoretical orientation, time parameter or patient population.  PGE sections are essential training and benefit the participants, both personally and professionally. A portion of each PGE will be didactic. A maximum of twelve registrants will be accepted per group.

  • Specific Interest Sections:  
    These groups offer intensive learning about specific theories and approaches in group treatment. Registrants can pursue current interests in greater depth or learn ways of integrating new approaches and methods into their private practice, clinic or agency work. Most of the Specific Interest Sections have extensive experiential components. Registration maximum (up to 20 registrants) has been set by each instructor.

Continuing Education for Two-Day Institute Sections: 13.0 credits/1.3 units 

EVALUATION, RESEARCH AND OBSERVATION: Institute sections will be observed by Institute Committee members. Some events have been selected for research projects approved and conducted under the auspices of the Association.  In addition all registrants will be asked to complete evaluation questionnaires, designed to aid us in continuing to provide high quality meetings, upon conclusion of their attendance at events. The last few minutes of each event will be utilized for completion of evaluations.

PROCESS GROUP EXPERIENCE (PGE) SECTIONS

I-A. GENERAL PROCESS GROUP EXPERIENCE

Entry Level
Less than 4 years of group psychotherapy experience

Instructors:
1. Elaine J. Cooper, M.S.W., Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA, Clinical Professor, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, California
2. Molly Walsh Donovan, Ph.D., CGP, Private Practice, Washington, DC
3. Hank Fallon, Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Lawrenceville, Georgia
4. Francis Kaklauskas, Psy.D., CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Boulder, Colorado
5. Judith Schaer,  M.S.W., LCSW, CGP, FAGPA, Director, Long Island Center Group, Roslyn, New York
6. Ginger M. Sullivan, M.A., LPC, CGP, Private Practice, Washington, DC
 
Intermediate Level
4-9 years of group psychotherapy experience

Instructors:

7.   Trish Cleary, LCPC-MFT-ADC, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Chevy Chase, Maryland
8.   Patricia Kyle Dennis, Ph.D., CGP, Private Practice, St. Louis, Missouri
9.   Diane Montgomery-Logan, M.A., CGP, Private Practice, Winooski, Vermont
10. Reginald Nettles, Ph.D., CGP, Private Practice, Columbia, Maryland

11. Sharan L. Schwartzberg, Ed.D., OTR/L, FAOTA, Professor of Occupational Therapy; Adjunct Professor Psychiatry, Tufts University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Medford, Massachusetts

12. Steven L. Van Wagoner, Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Washington, DC

 

Advanced Level
10+ years of group psychotherapy experience

 

Instructors:

13. Cindy Miller Aron, M.S.W., CGP, Mental Health Specialist, Samaritan Mental Health, Corvallis, Oregon

14. Barbara Finn, Ph.D., CGP, Private Practice, Menlo Park,California

15. Marty Livingston, Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA, Director, Group Therapy Training, Postgraduate Center for Mental Health, New York, New York

16. Robert Schulte M.S.W., CGP, Private Practice, Alexandria, Virginia

17. Esther G. Stone, M.S.S.W., CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, San Francisco, California

18. Barry J. Wepman, Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA, Faculty, Washington School of Psychiatry, Washington, DC

I-B. PROCESS GROUP EXPERIENCE SECTION WITH MIXED LEVELS OF EXPERIENCE

Instructors:

1.   Bernard Frankel, Ph.D., ABPP, LICSW, BCD, LFAGPA, Clinical Professor, Adelphi University, Derner Institute, Postgraduate Training, Garden City, New York

2.   Josephine M. Tervalon, M.S.W., CGP, LFAGPA, Private Practice, Cunningham Tervalon Associates, Houston, Texas

 

I-C. PROCESS GROUP EXPERIENCE SECTION FOR SENIOR THERAPISTS

Limited to prior AGPA Institute instructors or registrants who have participated in four or more AGPA Institutes.

 

Instructor:

Michael P. Andronico, Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Somerset, New Jersey

 

I-D. TWO-YEAR CONTINUOUS SECTION HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE EASTERN GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY SOCIETY (EGPS) ANNUAL MEETING

Registration for this section assumes attendance at the 2011 AGPA Annual Meeting, the EGPS Annual Meeting (November, 2011) and the AGPA 2012 Annual Meeting. (This is the first session of this group.)

 

Instructor:

Mary Dluhy, M.S.W., CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Washington, DC

 

I-E. TWO-YEAR CONTINUOUS SECTION WITH INTERMEDIATE CONFERENCE CALL MEETINGS

(This is the 2nd year of this two-year group, new participants will not be accepted.)

 

Instructors:

Gil Spielberg, M.S.W., Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, FAGPA, Training and Supervising Analyst, Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis, Los Angeles, California

Robert Unger, M.S.W., Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA, Adjunct Faculty, Naropa University, Boulder, Colorado  

 

I-F. THREE-YEAR CONTINUOUS SECTION

Registration for this section assumes attendance at three consecutive Annual Meetings.

 

Instructors:

1. Jerome S. Gans, M.D., CGP, DLFAPA, DFAGPA, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (This is the 3rd and final year of this group; new participants will not be accepted.)

2. Walter Evans Smith, LMFT, M.Div., CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Atlanta, Georgia (This is the 2nd year of this 3-year group, new participants will not be accepted.)

 

SPECIFIC INTEREST SECTIONS

 

Section II

Attachment Theory & Group Psychotherapy

 

Instructor:

Philip J. Flores, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, FAGPA, Adjunct Faculty, Georgia School of Professional Psychology, Argosy University, Atlanta, Georgia   

            

This section will experientially demonstrate attachment theory as an effective theoretical basis for the delivery of group treatment. Particular attention will be paid to the process of attachment, the inevitable rupture, repair, and reunion that occurs in all healthy, functional, and authentic relationships.

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Describe the ways that attachment theory can be applied to group psychotherapy.

2. Define the different styles of attachment (Avoidant, Ambivalent, Disorganized, & Secure) and their relationship to group.

3. Identify the ways that secure base and exploration are intricately connected.

 

Course References:

1. Lewis, T., Amini, F., & Landon, R. (2000). A general theory of love. New York: Random House.

2. Flores, P. J. (2004). Addiction as an attachment disorder. Northvale, NJ, Jason Aronson Press.

3. Fonagy, P., Gergely, G. Jurist, E.L. & Target, M. (2002). Affect regulation, mentalization and the development of the self. New York: Other Press.

 

Section III

CANCELLED

 

Section IV

Defining and Experiencing the Social Unconscious

 

Presented in cooperation with the International Association of Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes

and under the auspices of the AGPA International Relations SIG

 

Instructor:        

Haim Weinberg, Ph.D., CGP,  FAGPA, Senior Tutor, Professional School of Psychology, Sacramento, California

The social unconscious refers to the existence, restraints and constraints of social, cultural and communicational arrangements of which people are "unaware." It includes anxieties, fantasies, defenses and object relations, as well as various socio-cultural-economic-political factors and forces. Aspects of the social unconscious are also co-constructed by basic assumption processes, phases of group development, gender role definitions, myths, and collective memories. Chosen trauma and chosen glories warrant special consideration. In this section we will explore the social unconscious theoretically and experientially, and examine its applications to individual and group therapy.

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Define the social unconscious.

2. Identify misconceptions about the social unconscious.

3. Apply the social unconscious to individual and group therapy.

 

Course References:

1. Brown, D., & Zinkin, L. (eds.). (1994). The Psyche and the social world. London: Routledge.

2. Dalal, F. (2001). The social unconscious: A Post-Foulkesian perspective. Group Analysis, 34(4), 539-555.

3. Hopper, E. (1996). The social unconscious in clinical work. Group, 20(1), 7-42.

4. Weinberg H. (2007). So what is this social unconscious anyway? Group Analysis, 40 (1), 35-49.

 

Section V

Developing the Role of the Leader in Organizational Group Process (AGPA Leadership Track)

 

Presented under the auspices of the Affiliate Societies Assembly and the AGPA Nominating Committee

 

Instructor:

David M. Hawkins, M.D., CGP, DLFAGPA, Private Practice, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

                               

This is a process-oriented section that focuses primarily on issues of organizational leadership.  Members will have the opportunity to explore issues related to their excitement, successes, fears, and concerns with regard to moving into leadership positions.  Elements parallel to and different from leadership of therapy groups will be addressed.

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify excitement, potential successes related to accepting organizational leadership.

2. Identify fears and concerns regarding organizational leadership.

3. Identify various personal leadership issues.

4. Differentiate between therapy group and organizational leadership.

 

Course References:

1. Klein, R. (2005). How we steer our course. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 55(2).

2. MacKenzie, K. R. (1981). The concept of role as a boundary structure in small groups. In Durkin, J. E. (Ed.), Living groups: Group psychotherapy and general systems theory. New York, Brunner-Mazel, Inc.

3. Wheatly, M. J. (1994). Leadership and the new science. San Francisco: Berret-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

 

Section VI

The Development of the Interpersonal Ego in Modern Psychoanalysis

 

Instructor:        

Elliot Zeisel, Ph.D., LCSW, CGP, FAGPA, Director, Group Department, Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies, New York, New York

               

This section will focus on the development of the emotional skills that are needed to form and maintain relationships.  Learning to live in the moment with knowledge of the feelings you’re experiencing about yourself and toward the person you’re interacting with is crucial to interpersonal functioning. Through didactic and experiential learning, we will explore the development of the interpersonal ego in the group leader and in our patients. 

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Build a group contract and culture that supports exploration of resistance.

2. Describe resistance analysis.

3. Discuss the leader's use of self in crafting interventions.

 

Course References:

1. Zeisel, E. (2009) Affect education and the development of the interpersonal ego in modern group analysis. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 59 (3), pp. 421-431.

2. Meadow, P. (1996). Modern psychoanalysis: Selected theoretical and clinical papers. New York: Center for Mordern Psychoanalytic Studies.

3. Ormont, L. (1992). The group therapy experience. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

4. Furgeri, Lena (editor), The Technique of Group Treatment: The Collected Papers of Louis R. Ormont, Ph.D.

5. Ormont, L. (1992). Subjective countertransference in the group setting: The modern analytic experience.  Modern Psychoanalysis, 17 (1), pp. 3-12.

 

Section VII

Double Feature: Intergenerational Issues in Group Psychotherapy

 

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Issues in Aging SIG and the AGPA Racial and Ethnic Diversity SIG

 

Instructors:

George Max Saiger M.D., CGP, FAGPA, Faculty, The Washington School of Psychiatry, Washington, DC

Ira Saiger Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor, Yeshivah University, New York, New York

 

Intergenerational as well as multicultural issues that emerge in group psychotherapy, e.g., cultural shifts between generations, unresolved childhood conflicts manifested in midlife and later, multicultural and immigrant experience, transference and countertransference manifestations, will be examined through the use of video materials, didactic presentations, sharing of work experience, and, centrally, experiential learning within this section.

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify important psychological issues in his/her patients, her/himself, and in the therapy group that relate to intergenerational phenomena (e.g., respect, envy, disdain, attachments, dependency, honor, miscommunication).

2. Apply these concepts to clinical material involving older and younger clients as well as older/younger therapists.

3. Analyze how these concepts impact larger societal groups.

 

Course References:

1. Erikson, E. (1994). The Life Cycle Completed  New York: WW Norton & Company.

2. Obama, B. (2007). Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. Crown Publishers.

3. Osherson, S. (1986). Finding our Fathers.  New York: Fawcett Columbine.

4. Umberson, D. (1992). Relationships Between Adult Children and their Parents: Psychological Consequences for Both Generations. Journal of Marriage and the Family 54, 664-674.

 

Section VIII

Expanding the Emotional Range in Group: The Leader's Emotional Receptivity

 

Instructor:

Jeffrey S. Hudson, M.Ed., LPC, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Austin, Texas

               

This section will help participants examine the impact of the leader's emotional capacity and receptivity on groups.  Of special significance is the leader's openness to all the emotions experienced as countertransference-including love, hate, liking, and disliking our clients.  We will explore ways of encouraging a wide range of feelings in our groups.  This includes learning to welcome and explore positive and negative transferences with interest and freedom.

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify emotions that you may discourage in your groups.

2. Define countertransference resistance and develop a greater appreciation for its role in group leadership.

3. Distinguish between objective and subjective countertransference reactions.

 

Course References:

1. Bernstein, A. (2001). The Fear of Compassion. CMPS/Modern Psychoanalysis, 26(2), 200-219.

2. Ormont, L. R. (1988). The Leader‚s Role in Resolving Resistances to Intimacy in the Group Setting. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy,

38(1), 29-45.

3. Zeisel, E. M. (2009). Affect Education and the Development of the Interpersonal Ego in Modern Group Psychoanalysis. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 59(3), 421-432.

 

Section IX

Functional Subgrouping and Building the Group Mind: Linking Systems-Centered Training (SCT) and Interpersonal Neurobiology

 

Presented in cooperation with the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute

 

Instructor:

Susan P. Gantt, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, FAGPA, Director, Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, Atlanta, Georgia               

 

Building on Siegel’s definition of mind as the process of regulating the flow of energy and information,  we will explore how functional subgrouping regulates this flow in the group and builds the group mind in a direction of greater neuroplasticity.  Particularly, we will consider to what extent functional subgrouping increases emotional containment, neural integration, and capacity for resonance.

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Discriminate between explaining that which activates top down invariant experience and exploring that which orients to bottom up or spontaneous experience.

2. Apply functional subgrouping to develop the group system and  potentiate greater neural integration.

3. Identify the experiential conditions that promote neural development.  

 

Course References:

1. Gantt, S. P. & Agazarian, Y. M. (In press Oct, 2010.) Developing the Group Mind through Functional Subgrouping: Linking Systems-Centered Training (SCT) and Interpersonal Neurobiology. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy.

2. Siegel, D. (1999). The developing mind.  New York: Guilford.

3. Agazarian, Y. (1997). Systems-centered therapy for groups. New York: Guilford.

 

Section X

Individual Work in Group: It's More Than You Think

 

Instructors: 

Shari Porter Jung, LCSW, LMFT, CGP, Private Practice, Dallas, Texas

Marti Kranzberg, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Dallas, Texas

               

Participants will experience one-on-one therapy in group. Using the Redecision model, they will learn about the function of individual therapy in a group and the unique role of group in individual therapy. Together these create a cohesive experience for individuals and for the group.  The role of the therapist will be discussed as creating a safe environment for exploration and change.

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Describe basic Redecision theory.

2. Identify process of individual therapy in group.

3. Identify the function of group in Redecision therapy.

4. Distinguish the role of therapist in Redecision therapy versus psychodynamic group process.

 

Course References:

1. Gladfelter, J. (1992). Redecision therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 42, 319-334.

2. Goulding, M. M., & Goulding, R. L. (1997). Changing lives through redecision therapy (Rev. ed.). New York: Grove Press.

3. Kranzberg, M. B. (1999). Redecision therapy: More than just individual therapy in a group. Journal of Redecision Therapy, 1 (2), 116-133.

 

Section XI

It Takes Courage to Live in a Good Fit:  The Omnipotent Child in all its Glory and Shame

 

Instructor:

Stewart L. Aledort, M.D., CGP, FAGPA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, George Washington University Hospital, Washington, DC

               

This section will demonstrate the power of the Omnipotent Child in its function to stabilize identity and serve as a template for intimacy. Excitement as a powerful affect will be explored, in particular as it gets expressed in the sexual and sensual aspects of the group. One sees how the group struggles to imagine that the passion of a "good fit" can ever compare to the passion of the "bad fit."

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify and list the characteristics of the Omnipotent Child.

2. Identify the power of the passion in the group.

3. Understand and see how the role of the leader, over time, keeps the passion flowing, and, at the same time, organizes the themes around developmental issues.

 

Course References:

1. Aledort, S. (2009). Excitement: A Crucial Marker for Group Psychotherapy. Group, 33.1,45-62.

2. Aledort, S. (2002). The Omnipotent Child Syndrome: The role of passionately held bad fits in the formation of Identity.

3. Mahler, M.S. (1968). On Human Symbiosis and the Vicissitudes of Individuation. New York: International Universities Press.

 

Section XII

Mother-Daughter Interaction through the Group's “Hall of Mirrors”

 

      Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Women in Group Psychotherapy SIG

 

Instructor: Shoshana Ben-Noam, PsyD, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, New York, New York

 

This all-women's group will explore mother-daughter interactions through the group's "hall of mirrors" and didactic learning. It will examine how this relationship affects: women's interactions in the "here-and-now" in areas such as intimacy, competition or conflict; and, the development of the daughters' professional selves. Working through difficulties stemming from this relationship will be addressed both in ourselves and in our groups.

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify the impact of mother-daughter interactions on daughters in areas of intimacy, competition or conflict.

2. Formulate the effects of "mother loving" and/ or "mother blaming" on daughters' relationships with others.

3. Identify the impact of mother-daughter interactions on women's development of professional selves.

4. Cite interventions for working through women's difficulties stemming from unresolved issues with their mothers.

 

Course References:

1. Brenner, J. R. (2002). Mother and Daughters in Israel-Only Human: A Group Experience. In Women in the Therapy Space by Brenner, J.R., Savran, B. & Singer, I. (Eds). Jerusalem, Israel: The Counseling Center for Women.

2. Mendell, D. & Turrini. P. (Eds)(2003). The Inner World of the Mother. Connecticut: Psychosocial Press.

3. Caplan, P. J. (2000). The New Don't Blame Mother: Mending the mother-daughter relationship.

New York: Routledge.

 

Section XIII

A Process Group for Psychiatric Residents: Exploring Issues of Safety, Confidentiality, and Competition

 

Instructors:

Patricia A Barth, Ph.D., CGP, LFAGPA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Texas

Robert E. White, M.D., CGP, LFAGPA, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Texas

 

This section, for psychiatry residents only, will explore the issues of safety, confidentiality, and competition that frequently emerge in psychiatric residency programs and their training group experiences.  Utilizing sharing of information and experiential group process in a setting removed from the home program, the psychiatric resident experience can be explored safely and comprehensively.

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify specific psychiatry residents' concerns about training groups.

2. Compare characteristics of various training programs.

3. Describe concerns about faculty evaluations.

4. Illustrate benefits of working with a co-therapy team.

 

Course References:

1. Myers & Gabbard. (2008). The Physician as Patient: A Clinical Handbook for Mental Health Professionals. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.

2. Swiller, Lang, & Halplerin. (1993). Process groups for training psychiatric residents, In Alonso & Swiller (Eds.) Group Therapy in Clinical Practice, pp. 533-545. Washington: American Psychiatric Press.

3. Rutan, J. S., Stone, W. N., & Shay, J. J. (2007). Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy. New York: Guilford.

 

Section XIV

Projective Identification and Countertransference

 

Instructor:        

Barbara Keezell, M.S.W., CGP, Associate Staff, Boston Institute for Psychotherapy, Brookline, Massachusetts

               

This experiential group will explore the power of projective identification and how best to understand and utilize it in the group process. We will also examine countertransference and how both countertransference and projective identification can inform the leader and how they can affect the work of the group.

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Define the process of projective identification.

2. Identify and utilize the process of projective identification in his/her groups.

3. Identify his/her own countertransference reactions.

 

Course References:

1. Motherwell, L., & Shay, J. J. (Eds.). (2005). Complex dilemmas in group therapy. New York: Brunner-Routledge.

2. Ogden, T. H. (1982). Projective identification and psychotherapeutic technique. New York: Jason Aronson, Inc.

3. Rutan, J. S., & Stone, W. N. (2001). Psychodynamic group psychotherapy. New York: Guilford Press.

 

Section XV

Shaken, Rattled, and Rolled:  Preserving the Emotional Health of the Group Leader

 

Instructor:

Janice M. Morris, Ph.D., CGP, Private Practice, Austin, Texas

               

As group leaders, we are faced with the challenge of tolerating toxic and painful feelings while functioning as competent therapists and maintaining emotional health. This Modern Analytic group will provide experiential and didactic learning that: 1) promotes productive use of subjective and objective countertransference in clinical work; 2) identifies forms of countertransference resistance that inhibit the leader’s effectiveness; and 3) provides a framework for reducing the suffering and anxiety of the group leader.

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Distinguish between objective and subjective countertransference.

2. Integrate objective countertransference with effective group interventions.

3. Describe three types of countertransference resistance.

4. Describe how subjective countertransference can be supervised by the group.

5. Name five elements of the Modern Analytic contract.

 

Course References:

1. Epstein, L. (1983). The therapeutic function of hate in the countertransference. In L. Epstein & A. Feiner (Eds.), Countertransference: The therapist’s contribution to the therapeutic situation (pp. 213-234).  New York:  Jason Aronson.

2. Ormont, L. (2001). The use of the group in resolving the subjective countertransference (1991). In L. Furgeri (Ed.), The technique of group treatment: The collected papers of Louis R. Ormont, Ph.D. (Ch. 13).  Madison, CT:  Psychosocial Press.

3. Spotnitz, H. (1985). Countertransference: Resistance and therapeutic leverage. In H. Spotnitz (Ed.), Modern psychoanalysis of the schizophrenic patient (2nd ed., Ch. 9). New York: Human Sciences Press Inc.

 

Section XVI

Spiritual-Meditative Group Therapy

 

Instructor:

Kenneth Porter, M.D., CGP, FAGPA, Past-President, Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy, New York, New York

               

We will experience the new paradigm of spiritual-meditative group therapy and its theories of the self, the healing process and therapeutic technique. Most time will be spent in spiritual-meditative group process, with instruction in several types of meditation and with didactic discussion.

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Describe three features of spiritual-meditative group therapy.

2. Practice several different types of meditation.

3. Integrate spiritual-meditative techniques into the clinical practice of group therapy.

 

Course References:

1. Porter, K. (2005). Who We Really Are: Buddhist Approaches to Psychotherapy and Group Psychotherapy. Group, 28(4).

2. Schermer, V. (2003). Spirit and Psyche. London: Jessica Kingsley.

3. Welwood, J. (2000). Toward a Psychology of Awakening. Boston: Shambhala.

 

Section XVII

Symbol, Mind, and Psyche: A Jungian Approach to Group Psychotherapy

 

Instructor:        

Justin Hecht, Ph.D., CGP, Clinical Instructor, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California

               

This section will approach group from a Jungian perspective.  The leader will use a symbolic approach to facilitate appreciation of the dynamic unconscious and the influence of archetypes.  We will attend to paradox, transference, individuation, and the problem of the opposites.  A didactic presentation will conclude the section.

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Apply a Jungian orientation to group psychotherapy interventions.

2. Identify archetypal material in group settings.

2. Utilize a Jungian approach to the transference to facilitate individuation.

 

Course References:

1. Whitmont, E. C. (1964). Group therapy and analytical psychology. Journal of Analytical Psychology.

2. Willeford, W. (1967). Group psychotherapy and symbol formation. Journal of Analytical Psychology, 12, 137-160.

3. Zinkin, L. (1989). The group’s search for wholeness: a Jungian perspective. Group, 13, 252-264.

 

Section XVIII

Transformative Forces of Desire, Envy & Competition

 

Instructor:

Leyla Navaro, M.A., Adjunct Faculty, Bogazici University, BUREM Counseling Center, Istanbul, Turkey

 

Is envy the stifled face of desire?  This section is designed for the exploration of our desires through envy and its elicited competitive feelings.  Different modes of art will help for self-expression.  Objectives include the reframing of envy, desire, jealousy, competition, and the proactive use of their emotional energy for relational survival and personal re-creation.

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Trace and understand one’s defined or unmet desires.

2. Explore and discover ways to actualize them.

3. Distinguish between healthy and unhealthy envy and competitiveness.

4. Revise envy and explore ways of using its transformative energy for further growth.

5. Explore the gender differences in attending to one’s own desires, envy and competitiveness.

6. Explore the role of family dynamics in the construction of those differences.

 

Course References:

1.  Nitsun, M. (2008). The Group as an Object of Desire: Exploring Sexuality in Group Therapy, London: Routledge.

2.  Maguire, M. (2004). Men, Women, Passion and Power: Gender Issues in Psychotherapy, London: Psychology Press.

3.  Navaro, L. (2007). Snow Whites, Stepmothers and Hunters, Gender Dynamics in Envy and Competition in the Family, in Navaro, L. and Schwartzberg, L. S. Envy, Competition & Gender, Theory, Clinical Applications and Group Work. London: Routledge.

 

Section XIX 

Using Effective Co-Therapy Collaboration to Build a Therapeutic Group Culture

 

Instructors:

Frederic Ilfeld, Jr., M.D., CGP, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada

Barbara Squire-Ilfeld, M.S.N., RNCS, CGP, Private Practice, Olympic Valley, California

 

Utilizing the experiential group process as well as a fishbowl and didactic discussion, the co-leader team will demonstrate their collaborative live process analysis.  The leaders will: 1) clarify the concept and mechanism of the group's "culture" as a paramount therapeutic factor; 2) highlight those cultural elements (shared norms and values) that maximize therapeutic movement; and 3) illustrate techniques for encouraging these therapeutic norms and values. 

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Describe the manner in which cultural norms and values influence the group process.

2. Identify those specific norms and values that best contribute to therapeutic change.

3. Utilize specific therapist techniques that help therapeutic norms and values evolve, thereby contributing to individual change within the group.

4. Specify mechanisms for working in a co-therapy team including when and how to utilize the fishbowl demonstration.

 

Course References:

1. Greene, L.R. (2003). The state of group psychotherapy process research. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 53, 130-134.

2. Leszcz, M. (1992). The interpersonal approach to group psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 42, 37-62.

3. Yalom, I.D. & Leszcz, M. (2005). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (5th ed.). New York: Basic Books.

 

Section XX

Working with Love and Hate: Bringing Passion to Group Therapy

 

Instructor:

Ronnie Levine, Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA, Faculty, Center for Group Studies, New York, New York

               

This section is designed to help therapists understand and work more comfortably with loving and angry feelings in groups and in themselves.  Beginning with the leader's reluctance to experience intimate feelings, participants will learn to identify disguised feelings, control destructive aggression and transform love and hate into their creative potential.

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify the leader's fears that interfere with addressing loving and angry feelings in group.

2. Identify individual and group manifestations of love and hate.

3. Formulate interventions that address emotional needs of group members.

 

Course References:

1. Levine, R. (2007). Treating idealized hope and hopelessness. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 57(3), 297-315.

2. Ormont, L. (1984). The leader's role in dealing with aggression in groups. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 34(4), 353-372.

3. Ormont, L. (1988). The leader's role in resolving resistances to intimacy in the group setting. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 38, 29-45.

 

Section XXI

Working with Trauma: Anniversary Reactions    

                                                        

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Community Outreach Task Force

 

Instructors:

Robert H. Klein, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, DLFAGPA, Lecturer, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut

Suzanne B. Phillips Psy.D., ABPP, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Northport, New York

 

Dealing with anniversary reactions based upon the reawakening of painful past experiences is an essential aspect of working with trauma. Both public and private remembrances can stimulate the reemergence of prior reactions. Participants will have the opportunity to carefully examine how anniversary reactions take shape, their emotional impact and ways of coping with them. Working with trauma involves conscious and unconscious process. The movement across themes and within the group, as well as in individuals is meant to facilitate a meaningful didactic and emotional understanding of working with the anniversary reactions to trauma.

 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify anniversary reactions and their triggers.

2. Increase their understanding of the similarities and differences between public and private remembrances.

3. Determine successful versus unsuccessful modes of coping with anniversary reactions.

 

Course References:

1. Buchele, B. J. & Spitz, H. I. (Eds.). (2004). Group interventions for treatment of psychological trauma. New York: American Group Psychotherapy Association.

2. Klein, R. H. & Phillips, S. (Eds.). (2008). Public mental health service delivery protocols: Group interventions for disaster preparedness and response. New York: American Group Psychotherapy Association.

3. Klein, R. H. & Schermer, V. L. (Eds.). (2000). Group psychotherapy for psychological trauma. New York: Guilford Press.

 

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