April 2019 Newsletter – Full Text Version

by Eleanor Howe

We are thrilled to welcome Steven Stern, PsyD, as our speaker at our 25^th Annual Conference on May 4. He will address “Needed Relationships, the Forward Edge and the Transformation of Traumatized States.” In reading his recently published book, “Needed Relationships and Psychoanalytic Healing,” I could feel how his love and mastery of analytic theory undergirds every word. I experienced him as generous in the integration he offers of the theoretical and technical principles that lead a therapist to keep focused on what a patient needs, rather than where a theory would lead. I thrill to his explanation of working clinically with the dialectical nature of the human experience. Contemporary theory acknowledges that non-linear dynamic systems theory best accounts for the human experience, and yet dialectical thinking is tricky, and it is all too common for reductionistic thinking to sneak into clinical accounts. Providing description and clinical detail, Dr. Stern demonstrates how one may hold analytic empathy in dialectical tension with analytic freedom to serve the aim of treatment.

Reading Steven Stern’s work, I am reminded once again of the extraordinary depth of effort that underlies our work – in his words, the “dense complexity of analytic interaction.” Sometimes I lose awareness, whether in or out of my work context, of those processes at play under my surface. I may assume I know what someone means and I may initially miss their actual meaning.

For instance, when my father was in hospice care, I spent several days by his side, talking over his life and that of our family. At one point when we were alone, he made declarations of the qualities he especially saw in our nuclear family members. I felt I was about to be knighted when he looked me in the eyes and stated, “You go to great lengths to be courteous.” “‘Courteous?!?’ ” I thought to myself, “I would have thought there’s a lot more to me than manners. Hmm. What is he saying?” It’s now been twelve years since we had that conversation, but it’s actually become a touchstone for me. I suspect the courtesy he named may be something akin to the empathy toward which I strive in my clinical work, and that he was saying, “It’s not just good manners. I see what goes into your effort.”

Acting with maturity, managing self-regulation of emotion, finding one’s generosity of spirit, being just who you are needed to be – these are not simple tasks, are they? This striving is incredibly complex, an aspiration, and realized sometimes in glorious unscripted moments of grace. Precious moments — whether they occur in or out of the therapeutic encounter — are built on a foundation of depth and complexity and made possible through a state of freedom. Steven Stern’s articulation of how to work in the complexity will doubtless inspire.

The program is designed for practicing clinicians, residents, interns, and advanced graduate students from mental health fields including psychology, psychiatry, social work, counseling, and nursing. The Fellowship gives participants a feel for the types of learning experiences available in ICP+P’s training programs and professional community.

To learn more about the topics, benefits, CEs, when and where the meetings are held, click here to go to our website.

Applications are being accepted now with a deadline of July 15th.

Nominations have come in, and it is time to cast your votes for the open positions on the ICP+P Board of Directors. Members will be receiving an electronic ballot on Monday, April 8th, and will have until Tuesday, April 23rd to vote. Along with the ballot will be the statements written by each of the candidates describing themselves and their potential contributions to the Board.

There are three Board positions open this cycle: Associate Director of Membership, Secretary, and CE Chair. The Associate Director of Membership is currently being shared by two members. This position as well as the CE Chair are running unopposed. The Secretary position has two candidates running together to share the role, and are also running unopposed. Please vote for all three positions.

We need more than 50% of all members to vote in an election of Board officers and representatives (Article Four of our By-Laws).

Your vote is extremely important!

ICP+P Nominations and Elections Committee

25th Annual Conference

Needed Relationships, The Forward Edge, and the Transformation of Traumatized States

with Steven Stern, PsyD

Saturday, May 4, 2019

Registration: 8:30-9am ● Program: 9am-4:30pm

National 4-H Conference Center

7100 Connecticut Avenue ● Chevy Chase, MD 20815

About the Conference:

Dr. Steven Stern will present his richly integrative clinical approach organized around the principle of co-creating needed relationships uniquely with each of our patients. His model is deeply rooted in self psychology and intersubjective systems theory, but is equally grounded in neighboring theories, including Winnicottian, Bionian and Relational theories, a non-linear dynamic systems perspective, and especially Louis Sander’s developmental process principles. At the center of Stern’s approach is the idea of “meeting the patient” – a process which, paradoxically, requires the full complexity of multiple psychoanalytic theories and frames of reference (vertices) in order to provide the “simply human” responses our patients need from us.

Dr. Stern will begin with an overview of the major elements of his model, interspersing theory with illustrative clinical material. He will then present an extended clinical example — a challenging case in which the nature of what was needed only emerged over a long period of time.

This conference aims to stimulate our capacity to develop, integrate and hold in mind a range of theoretical models while remaining open and curious to discover the unique path of growth for each of our patients.

In addition to the talk and clinical illustration by Dr. Stern, our format includes smaller discussion groups and members’ clinical vignettes for Dr. Stern’s and audience members’ commentary and discussion.

At the conclusion of the conference, attendees will be able to:

1. Apply the principles of co-creating needed analytic relationships with traumatized psychotherapy patients to their therapy practice.
2. Orient and respond to traumatized patients using a multi-theoretical, relationally-integrative framework.
3. Develop competence in the process of “meeting” traumatized patients in ways that are “fitted to” and transformative of their most traumatized states.
4. Apply an expanded, more fully relational understanding of the concept of “the forward edge” in work with developmentally traumatized patients.
5. Apply the concepts of “contouring” and “necessity” in work with relationally traumatized patients.
6. Respond to traumatized patients with greater freedom of both apprehension and expressiveness, exercised within a fundamentally empathic stance.

This conference is appropriate for mental health professionals at all levels of experience and offers 6 CEs.

Other 2019 ICP+P Training

• April 28, 2019 – Psychoanalytic Training Program / Joint Institutes Candidates’ Committee (JICC) 22nd Annual Conference, Washington DC Metropolitan Area, 3:00-6:30 pm, 3 CEs.
• May 4, 2019, Annual Conference – Needed Relationships, The Forward Edge, and the Transformation of Traumatized States, with Steven Stern, PsyD, National 4-H Conference Center, Chevy Chase, MD, 9:00am-4:30pm, 6.0 CEs.
• June 2, 2019, ICP+P Training Graduation – Maggiano’s Little Italy Chevy Chase, 5333 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 11:00 am-2:00 pm.
• September 27, 2019, Pre-Conference – with Janna Sandmeyer, PhD with Mark Blechner, PhD as discussant. Dr. Sandmeyer will present her Ralph Roughton award winning paper, “Understanding Homophobia in our Forefathers: Rethinking How Kohut Actually Worked.” In this presentation, we will consider Kohut’s perspective on homosexuality, as well as grapple with ethical considerations in addressing the history of homophobia in psychoanalysis. Silver Spring Civic Building, 3:30-5:30 pm, 2 CEs. Fulfills Ethics credit requirement.
• September 28, 2019, Conference – The Evolving Landscape of Gender and Sexuality: Clinical Implications Conference with Mark J. Blechner, PhD, Silver Spring Civic Building, 9:00am-12:30pm, 3 CEs. Dr. Blechner will discuss gender and sexual fluidity, and how attitudes and social norms about sexuality and gender identification have changed over the last 50 years. In his clinically focused presentation, Dr. Blechner will address how this has led to changes in psychotherapeutic aims and practices, and he will outline countertransference dilemmas and ways that clinicians can use them productively. Fulfills LGBTQ/Diversity credit requirement.
• December 7, 2019, Conference – with Anton H. Hart, PhD, Silver Spring Civic Building, 9:00am-12:30pm, 3 CEs. Fulfills Diversity credit requirement.

• Georgia Royalty will present and discuss “The Meanings of Pain” at the Washington Area Case Conference co-sponsored by the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis and the Contemporary Freudian Society. It will be on Friday, April 12, 2019, from 12:15 – 2:15 p.m., at River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Bethesda.
• Curtis Bristol’s article “An Essay on Narrative, Truth and Imagination” will be published in the Psychoanalytic Inquiry. Also, he presented in two Discussion Groups at the winter meeting of the American Psychoanalytic Association:
  1. Love, Sex and the American Psyche: The psychoanalysis of a Young Woman entrenched in Sadomasochism.
  2. Ernest Hemingway and His Iceberg Theory of Literature: The relationship to Psychoanalysis.
• Greetings! I am now accepting clients in my southeast DC (Eastern Market Metro) and northwest DC (Dupont Circle Metro) locations. I am a licensed clinical psychologist with specialities in LGBT affirming psychotherapy and partners therapy. My approach is primarily psychodynamic and relational. I have extensive experience providing evidence based therapy for sexual trauma/PTSD, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD, eating disorders, personality disorders, and chronic pain. In addition to therapy, I am also trained to provide trans-affirming evaluations for folks seeking hormones or gender reassignment surgery. I do not currently accept insurance but can offer a sliding scale, evening and weekend hours. I appreciate any referrals to help me get my practice going.
  Thank you!
  Katie Wagner, former ICP+P fellow (drkatiewagner.com)
• Janna Sandmeyer presented her paper, Understanding Homophobia in our Forefathers: Rethinking How Kohut Actually Worked on Thursday, March 28th, 2019 at The Institute for the Psychoanalytic Study of Subjectivity (IPSS) in New York City.
• Bill Pinney will present, Treatment Impasses and the Work of Paul Russell for the Baltimore Society for Psychoanalytic Studies. The conference will be on Sunday, May 19, 2019 from 10:00 am-1:00 pm at The Sheppard Pratt Conference Center in Baltimore, MD.

Space

1. Available for immediate long term, full time sublease, a large sunny office in our suite of five, and are hoping to find a psychodynamically oriented colleague join us. We’re located in the West End neighborhood of DC, convenient to the blue/orange and red lines of Metro, downtown, GW and Georgetown. Our suite is in a medical building with easy after hours and Saturday access. Please contact any of us for more information: Becky Bailey, babaileyphd@aol.com ~ Bill Pinney, drwgpinney@gmail.com ~ Lucy Pugh, lucypugh@gmail.com ~ Steve Van Wagoner, slwagoner@verizon.net.
2. Cozy, sunny office available for rent or sale in the Washington Professional Group suite at 3 Washington Circle, NW. The 112 sq ft office overlooks Washington Circle across from GWU and the Foggy Bottom metro stop. Within walking distance of Georgetown. Paid parking is available in an underground garage in the building. Nightly cleaning, wi fi, and use of a printer is included. If you are interested in buying, the owner also owns shares in 2 other offices in the suite, both of which are rented. You may purchase those shares as well when you buy the office. The rental income from the shares in those offices covers the condo fees and property taxes. Contact Virginia Voigt, 410-808-3422 for more information.
3. Three half days and one full week day available in beautifully furnished and spacious office suite in Dupont Circle neighborhood. Private waiting room, en suite bathroom, microwave and fridge. Steps from the red line train at both Dupont Circle exits. 24-hour doorman residential building, with offices on the first floor. In door and outdoor parking available at additional charge. Contact Sheila Cahill, sheilacahill@mac.com.
4. Beautiful DuPont Circle Office Available to Rent in the Corcoran House Building at the corner of 18th and Corcoran Sts. NW, all day Friday + additional half day on Tuesday. Spacious, recently painted and re-decorated, a sunny office, waiting room and private bathroom. Many other amenities available, including wi-fi and fax. Excellent location, 2 blocks from DuPont Circle metro. 2 parking spaces available (1 inside bldg. and 1 outside for patients). If interested, please contact Sarah Pillsbury by email, pillsburysarah@gmail.com or by telephone at (202) 904-7510. Photos are available. Thank you.
5. Space available in therapy suite a block from the Tenleytown metro. Situated behind the Best Buy & Container Store in a professional building with a garden courtyard and easy neighborhood parking for your clients. The nicely appointed suite has been recently renovated and has a waiting room and kitchenette. Available Mondays & Fridays, Wednesday after 12 and Thurs evenings. Images of the building and one of the offices can be found here: https://www.kirstenchadwick.com/location/. Please contact Jennifer Grosman, jengrosman@yahoo.com or Kirsten Chadwick, kirsten_chadwick@yahoo.com.

Groups

1. Space available in a longterm, experiential process group of high functioning, creative professionals. The age range is from 30 – 56 at present. This group meets on Tuesday evenings from 7 – 8:20 pm. Most clients are in concurrent, individual psychotherapy with me or the referring therapist. Therapists have self-referred themselves for the group. Clients are motivated for increasing relational capacity and personal development. The focus of the group is interpersonal. I’d be happy to talk with you if you have questions about whether this group might fit your client’s needs. ~ Tybe A. Diamond, MSW, BCD | O: 202.966.1381 |M: 202. 213. 9871 | http://www.tybediamond.com | 5225 Connecticut Ave., NW, Ste. 214, Washington, DC 20008
2. Opening in ongoing psychotherapy supervision group. From a broadly psychodynamic standpoint, our group focuses on the use of the therapist’s self in psychotherapy, while also paying attention to contextual and cultural factors surrounding the clinical work. Group members present cases on a rotating basis, and also serve as case consultants to other members. Group process will be used to illuminate the psychology of client, therapist, and their jointly created relationship, and also to clarify the therapeutic process itself. The group meets weekly on Tuesdays, 10:00–11:15 am in Friendship Heights. If interested, or have questions, please contact Barbara Wayne, (202) 363-0185, bhwayne@verizon.net or Cherian Verghese, (202) 296-2822, cverghese@mindspring.com.
3. Process Group for Therapists – This long-term experiential group promotes self-reflection and relational awareness needed for clinical insight and therapeutic expertise. Contact Trish Cleary for more information, trishcleary@comcast.net
4. Consultation Group for Group Therapists. This group is a combination of case presentations, process group, the business side of group, and journal readings/discussion. This is the group for you if you lead groups or want to start a group. Our goal is to gain first-hand insight into group dynamics allowing us to be more secure and effective in our own groups. Cases presented in the supervision group are worked with by association through the parts that are stimulated in the group members. This parallel material is then used to gain insight into what has taken place in the case presented and to inform future work with the group. The group meets biweekly at 1801 Connecticut Ave NW, on Fridays, 9 – 11 am. Contact Rob Williams for information: (202) 455-5546, rob.williams.msw@gmail.com, or this http://aida-therapy.com/aida/group-therapists/.