June/July 2019 Newsletter – Full Text Version

by Lauren Brandt

Dear ICP+P,

I’m writing to you from the afterglow of our annual conference with Steve Stern. It was a beautiful day with a large turnout from ICP+P members and the greater community. The conference featured an extensive case presentation by Dr. Stern of his relational analytic work with a traumatized patient and their complicated negotiation of a long term healing relationship. It also included two cases presented by ICP+P members who highlighted the use of the therapist’s subjectivity in understanding impasse and growth. One of our small discussion group members shared how helpful she found it to hear cases not tied up in a happy bow, but that reflect real vulnerability and struggle in the therapy. Other small groups raised pressing themes of race and gender as they showed up and didn’t in the larger group. I am grateful to the presenters and many organizers of this event. And I am particularly grateful to our Director, Eleanor Howe who, among her many other duties, also chaired the conference.

When Eleanor agreed to become ICP+P’s Director, the one thing she said she wouldn’t do was chair a conference. She now says that the things she was not prepared to do are what she will most take with her when she steps down from her role next year. Allow me to tell you a bit about Eleanor.

Eleanor characterizes her family’s values as “mission driven — that there’s deep satisfaction in pursuing a mission greater than oneself.“ Her father was a Presbyterian minister and community organizer who trained with Saul Alinsky in Radical Action and worked with Caesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers in California. Her mother emigrated from Austria at 13 when the Nazis invaded and she attended Quaker boarding school and college. She became a church social worker and equal partner in advancing the family’s and community’s life through group worship and discernment. Eleanor was the infant passed around in organizational meetings and the five-year-old marching in Civil Rights demonstrations. Of this early exposure she says, ”I was raised to say yes if I can and that there’s benefit in doing something new and being open to experience.” She also talks of her belief in mobilizing resources in natural community and of the central importance of respect for all views as part of coming to conclusion. These attitudes shine through in her presence as our Director.

Eleanor trained as a Clinical Psychologist and worked at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in the inpatient Therapeutic Community. She vividly remembers that during a game on the unit where people had to guess who they were playing based on a sign on their back, that everyone knew “bossy” was Dr. Howe. But she also admits that she orients to running meetings when the opportunity presents itself and that she enjoys it. She was the head of the parents association at her daughter’s school, and the head of the condominium board for her office. My guess is that the sign on the unit member’s back at St. E.s could have read any number of things and they still could have guessed Eleanor!

In 2008, Eleanor joined ICP+P seeking community. She volunteered initially as CE czar looking to deepen belonging through service and started to get to know people and have fun. In 2015 she finished her certification in Organizational Development from George Washington University and in 2016 she agreed to become Director of ICP+P.

I feel privileged to consider her a friend but am also taking this opportunity to celebrate Eleanor from the perspective of now having served on the board with her for a year as Associate Director of Administration. This is a return to the board for me where I served from 2008-2012 and then started on the Executive Committee of the CAPP program through 2016.

Witnessing Eleanor come to her decision about the role and gradually step into transforming it has been a revelation. She has clarified what we need as an organization – from job descriptions to technology to how to weave diversity into every aspect of what we attend to. She will have made the position clearer and less demanding by the end of her tenure. While her warm and engaging style is generally acknowledged and appreciated, her capacity to think about the big picture and gracefully keep our process oriented membership on track is, as she put it “not hard for me + helpful to others = fun.” And fun it is, even when it’s never what she expected to do. And for this we are so grateful.

Thank you, Eleanor, for inspiring us in everything you do and for your service on our behalf.

1. Monthly study groups, free of charge, facilitated by ICP+P members. Some groups are designed for in-depth exploration of selected topics, others choose several topics, and some offer CE credits.
2. A minimum of four conferences a year featuring innovative, well-known clinicians and researchers from around the world. Two of these programs are free to members, and members receive reduced registration fees for the remaining conferences. Members also receive a reduced fee for short courses. CE credits are provided for all these programs.
3. A mentorship program for current and new members. Current members assist in orienting new members to our Institute by meeting with them, answering questions and helping them integrate into ICP+P.
4. Free use of the ICP+P library with books, journals and tapes, and a subscription to ICP+P’s monthly newsletter.
5. Members receive free admission to ICP+P’s social events, such as this year’s Community Lunch, Graduation Ceremony, and the Town Hall Meeting.
6. Opportunities to participate in the leadership of ICP+P through committees, serving on the Board, and other activities.
7. Members receive a 10% discount on International Association for Psychoanalytic Self Psychology (IAPSP) individual membership dues.

Renewal invoices will be mailed soon. You can also renew online through the member-only login area.
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We look forward to sharing the new membership year with you!

Many experienced therapists feel energized to engage in couples therapy. Yet as time passes, they often feel overwhelmed or “stuck.” Those trained and familiar with couples’ work know this phenomenon all too well. As the couple’s issues around communication, sex, trauma, affairs, rage and hopelessness unfold in the therapist’s office, the work can feel taxing and overwhelming, often deskilling the most seasoned therapist.

ICP+P’s Couples Therapy Training Program is focused on training that integrates psychodynamic theory and specific clinical skills so that clinicians can feel effective in therapeutically addressing the challenges of this work. The program consists of weekly meetings where the writings of leading couples therapists are discussed. Senior clinicians lead and enhance the discussion, as well as provide weekly group supervision on active couples cases. Participants and graduates of the program belong to a community with regular professional and social events. Many graduates of the program continue to collaborate and work together on clinical cases long after the program is completed. The program is one academic year – but has become a professional home base for many of the graduates.

The Couples Therapy Training Program is a one-year course comprised of both theoretical seminars and clinical group supervision. The trainees learn the material through lectures, case write ups and presentations and group participation. The trainees meet together for 3 hours per week from September to May. The emphasis of the program is on the application of self-psychological and relational concepts applied to the clinical practice of treating couples.

If you are interested in learning more about the program and the possibility of becoming a member of the upcoming class, please contact the Chair of the program, Michael Wannon, PhD, menaw1@aol.com. Learn more on our website or apply here.

ICP+P’s Psychoanalytic Training Program welcomes applications for the 2019-2020 class of its Fellowship Program in Contemporary Forms of Psychoanalysis. The Fellowship Program introduces participants to the ways psychoanalysis has evolved as a relevant clinical practice for the 21st century.

We hope that all members will plan to join us on Sunday, September 8, 2019 from 11:00 am-2:00 pm for a Community Lunch!

This year the Community Lunch will be held at Maggiano’s Little Italy at 5333 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20015. Please save the date and plan on joining us in September!
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Calling All ICP+P Members,

Mark Blechner will be speaking on The Evolving Landscape of Gender and Sexuality: Clinical Implications, at our fall conference on September 28, 2019. In order to give Dr. Blechner the opportunity to discuss a variety of clinical situations, we are seeking brief vignettes that address clinical issues surrounding gender and sexual diversity.

Vignettes should be 2 -3 pages, or approximately five minutes when read aloud. Each vignette will be read by its author, followed by 5 minutes for Dr. Blechner’s response and 10 minutes of audience discussion. If an author would prefer not to read their vignette aloud, someone from the program committee is available to read it (this is the same format as the Andrea Celenza conference a few years back). The program committee will select four vignettes. We are particularly hoping to have a diversity of clinicians and clinical situations represented, and participants of all experience levels are invited to submit. The conference committee will review and select the vignettes to be used, based on clinical formulation, writing and diversity of issues represented. Submissions should be emailed to Dr. Janna Sandmeyer at JannaSandmeyer@me.com by August 15, 2019. Please feel free to email Janna with any questions.

2019-2020 ICP+P Training

• 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 20, 2019, Short Course – “To Group or Not to Group” with Rob Williams, LICSW, CGP, Liz Marsh, MSW, LICSW, Art Therapist, David A. Heilman, PsyD, Jennifer McLish, LCSW. ICP+P Office, 4601 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 8, Washington, DC 20008, 12:30 – 3:45 pm (3 CEs).
• September 27, 2019, Pre-Conference – “Understanding Homophobia in our Forefathers: Rethinking How Kohut Actually Worked” with Janna Sandmeyer, PhD with Mark Blechner, PhD as discussant. Dr. Sandmeyer will present her Ralph Roughton award winning paper. 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 LGBTQ/Diversity credit requirement.
• September 28, 2019, Conference – “The Evolving Landscape of Gender and Sexuality: Clinical Implications” 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.
• November 15, 2019, Short Course – “Keeping the Body in Mind: Affect Regulation for Trauma Survivors” with Tally Tripp, LCSW, ATR-BC, CTT. ICP+P Office, 4601 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 8, Washington, DC 20008, 12:30 – 3:45 pm (3 CEs).
• December 7, 2019, Conference – with Anton H. Hart, PhD, Silver Spring Civic Building, 9:00am-12:30pm, 3 CEs. Fulfills Diversity credit requirement.
• May 1, 2020, Pre-Conference – “Misogyny, Hatred and Envy” with Adrienne Harris, PhD
• May 2, 2020, Conference – “Gender Fluidity and Gender Fixed: Contemporary Intersectional and Psychoanalytic Models of Gender and Gender Development” with Adrienne Harris, PhD. Georgetown University Conference Center, 9:00 am-5:00 pm.

Jonathan Lebolt is pleased to announce the relocation of his practice from Silver Spring to Downtown Bethesda at 4405 East West Highway as of July 1.

Space

1. Full-time office space available in downtown Silver Spring. Lovely, sunny office, in a suite with two friendly, established psychotherapists. Large waiting room, kitchen and bathroom in suite. Please contact Leslie Kent at (301)589-8696 or lmariekent@hotmail.com.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Event

1. Bob Benedetti is sharing that in 2020 there will be the first major conference in the US devoted to the work of Jean Laplanche. It is being planned for October 17-18, 2020 in New York City, Laplanche in the States: the sexual and the cultural. This two-day event will include a didactic introducing attendees to Laplanche’s thought, papers by Laplanchean analysts and scholars exploring his concepts, discussions of clinical work, and presentations intended to put Laplanche’s thinking into contact with queerness and race. Confirmed participants include: Dominique Scarfone, Adrienne Harris, Teresa de Lauretis, Tim Dean. Save the dates. More information will be available soon.

Groups

1. Please join Deborah Fox for Couples Therapy Meets Sex Therapy, a monthly seminar and consultation group, focused on the intersection of sex therapy and couples therapy. If you are a couples therapist seeking to develop skills to help your couples with their sexual life, then this is for you. If you are a sex therapist seeking to deepen the emotional connection between partners, then this is for you, too. The format will be a didactic presentation focused on sex therapy skills each session followed by the opportunity for all participants to discuss cases. An application for CE credits from AASECT has been submitted. This seminar will include: a therapeutic approach to beginning the treatment process; Behavioral strategies; Educational components; Physical and emotional factors that contribute to low sexual desire, erectile dysfunction and sexual inactivity; Interventions for those with history of sexual trauma, including somatic work; Interventions to employ when a couple becomes stuck. The seminar will meet for six sessions, 10:00-12:00 on Fridays at 4600 Connecticut Ave., NW. The dates are: Oct. 3, Nov 8, Dec 6, 2019 and Jan 10, Feb 7 and March 6, 2020. The fee is $540.00. Contact Deborah with any questions, deborahfoxdc@gmail.com, 202-363-1740, www.debfox.com.
2. 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 or Read more…
3. 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.
4. 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. Click here for the flyer.
5. 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/.