Newsletter – April 2015

Director’s Column

The next several Director’s Columns will feature the Associate Directors.

On Being Associate Director of Administration

Eleanor Howe, PhD

I joined ICP+P in 2008 at which time it had already outgrown its original cozy “I knew everybody” membership of 100 or so.  After volunteering to be the CE Chair, I became aware of the administrative complexity of this much-loved organization.  Too, I saw that it was by choice a class act, and this made me want to unpack my bags and stay.

In the past few years, it has been difficult to identify candidates willing to run for our top leadership positions because the roles seemed to require daunting levels of effort and collections of skills (seemingly more fit for a demigod than for mere mortals!). The truth is that we needed to create volunteer positions better matched to the real lives and availability of our members. Leadership is so much more than responsibility:  It is an honor. And, just as we honor our leaders by conveying our respect for them, we must honor the limits on what ought to be required of them.

And so the pilot program in which I’m taking part was born. This past summer I stepped into the pilot position of Assoc. Director of Administration. My silo oversees the tasks assigned to our Administrator and to our Finance Committee, of which the Treasurer is chair. From a practical point of view, I speak weekly by phone with Nancy Der to stay abreast of operations, and we email each other. She and I figure out what are our questions and decide on how we will find the answers to them. Nancy maintains our accounting, so the conversations she and I have also cover developments in our fiscal operations. I stay in email communication with the Treasurer and Finance Committee and I make myself available to them as needed. My tasks are eased by Nancy’s being a skillful, perceptive and capable Administrator, and by the healthy financial situation that ICP+P maintains. I attend monthly board meetings. The Executive Committee meets about every other month. Through job-sharing and including the Director, Roger, we are seven people sitting around a table with cheese and crackers and a glass of red wine.

What it’s like to be in this role? It’s really great. In early fall the Associate Directors agreed on how to divvy up the Co-Director’s tasks among the five silos, so now we each know what the other is overseeing. There is no re-inventing the wheel, no “too many cooks” in the kitchen. My responsibilities are defined and finite. I donate less time than previously and I no longer feel vulnerable that “anything could be thrown my way.” Roger looks relaxed. We’ve had four Executive Committee meetings so far, and I find them rich with trust, mutual respect, laughter, problem solving, teamwork and gazing into the future. We are able to function like a think tank and therefore better able to hash out issues. Best yet, we are finding breathing room to be creative together.

Note from the Editor – Jonathan Lebolt, PhD, DCSW, CGP

Jonathan Lebolt, PhD, DCSW, CGP

Spring is here! Bees are buzzing, flowers blooming, and tree sap flowing–and, I hope, your creative juices, as well. If you’re an ICP+P candidate, faculty member, or just a general member, like myself, please consider submitting a brief article to Connections about a clinical, practice, or theoretical issue. This month’s issue of Connections features the first in a series of Associate Director’s Columns, starting with Eleanor Howe, PhD, Associate Director of Administration, and the Guest Blog of Trish Cleary, MS, LCPC-MFT-ADC,CGP for the Middle Atlantic Division of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Trish’s article offers a vivid and moving depiction of the influence of Virginia Satir on Trish’s work. Trish is an excellent veteran blogger; please see her personal blog, Spoken Truths: A Shared Journey at https://www.trishcleary.com/spokentruthssharedjourney/.

Let me know if you’re interested in contributing an article or reviewing a journal article or issue, or a book (I’d particularly welcome any interest in reviewing newer books by our members.) I’d love to hear from you!

Jonathan

March 16th Board Meeting Highlights

Mary Jean Kane, MSW

Below are highlights from the last Board of Directors meeting that was held on March 16th:
Programs Committee

• Joe Lichtenberg’s 90th Birthday Celebration
  • Date:  September 12th – free morning event for members.
  • Joe Lichtenberg will present on his upcoming book.
  • Sandra Hershberg and  Linda Gunsberg, who are co-authoring a book on Joe’s life, will also present how and why they went about this writing project.
  • Luncheon:  There will be a paid luncheon, including speakers, to honor Joe.
  • Luncheon is open to all members.

Training Programs Committee

• Annual Graduation Ceremony:  May 31st
  • All ICP+P members are most welcome to attend.

Marketing & Website Committee

• Ruth Migler and Sarah Pillsbury are working very hard on exploring professional options to redesign the ICP+P website.  A website serves to make a good public impression of our organization, informs the public of our mission and programs, attracts members and trainees to ICP+P, and can generate revenue through donations, attendance at conferences, and enrollment in our training programs.

The Board greatly appreciates the time and effort Ruth and Sarah are putting into this effort!

Further Board Appreciations: 

• Gary Brown, Treasurer:  The Board extended a heartfelt appreciation to Gary Brown for his service as Treasurer.  Gary will be relocating to Charlottesville.  Though he will no longer attend Board meetings, he will continue to serve as Treasurer until the end of this fiscal year; and he will continue his membership in ICP+P and will serve on the finance committee next year.  Gary will be greatly missed!
• Nancy Der, ICP+P Administrator:  The Board extended a heartfelt appreciation to our Administrator, Nancy Der, who began her work with ICP+P in September 2014.  Nancy works with commitment, responsiveness, and efficiency. We are very grateful to Nancy for all she does for us!

The Importance of Study Groups

Rosemary Segalla, PhD and Joe Lichtenberg, MD

Hi All,

Joe Lichtenberg and I were speaking recently and he commented on the fact that every ICP+P member was not in a study group. So here is a bit of a reminder regarding why we thought study groups would be an integral part of our beloved institute. I hope it serves to reacquaint all the old members with our original plan and to give newer members a sense of the importance of the study groups:

When we planned ICP+P as a membership group centering on Self Psychology but open to all ideas, we envisioned a large group attending periodic meetings with local and invited speakers.  At the same time, we recognized that the intimacy – the collegiality we hoped to promote was difficult to bring about in large groups.  So we asked all our members to participate in one or more study groups that would self organize for reading and discussion on any subject at whatever time and place the members chose.  We recognized that in the study groups, participants could and would truly get acquainted – and informed.

Consequently we want to renew our plea – recommendation – appeal to all members of ICP+P to join/form a study group that represents your area/areas of interest.

Rosemary and Joe

Founding Members of ICP+P

Call For Nominations for the ICP+P Board Election 2015-2017 Term

“ICP+P gets its strength, vitality and creativity from our membership participation in our activities. With 240 members, we have tremendous membership potential.”  (Roger Segalla, Director, ICP+P)

On March 21, you received a Call for Nominations, from our Committee.  We hope some of you will consider becoming active in the governance of ICP+P.  It is through the work of the Board, that speaker programs, training programs, and study groups are conceived and supported.  Board members serve in varied capacities:  as committee members, Board Representatives, and as officers.  Please take a look at our Membership Directory online (https://icpeast.org/icpp-about/) for a list of the Board members, and feel free to contact them to discuss any questions you may have about their work.

We encourage you to consider nominating a colleague or yourself to run in the current election.  Please see the Board Nominations memo for a list and description of the current open Board positions.

Thank you for your participation in the nominations process.

Don’t delay, the nominations are due on April 3rd.

ICP+P Nominations and Elections Committee
Lynne Greenwald, Chair
Martha Gibbons
Dawn Taylor
Caron Trout
Leslie Westbrook

Board Opening for Treasurer Position

ICP+P BOARD ANNOUNCEMENT:
TREASURER OPENING ON FINANCE COMMITTEE 2015-2017 TERM
We are looking for someone to chair the Board’s Finance Committee.  Gary Brown, our dedicated and talented Treasurer, is moving out of the DC area and leaving his leadership role on the Finance Committee.

The Treasurer works in collaboration with the members of the Finance Committee to report on and respond to inquiries about our financial standing from the Board and to create our annual budget.  Either the Treasurer or our Administrator may prepare financial reports to share with the Board.

At this time, the Finance Committee is in the enviable position of having resolved the “thorny problems” that were previously on its agenda. Our organization is on sound financial footing and has a solid infrastructure to maintain it. Our Administrator is strong in the area of accounting. Consequently, the role of Treasurer will be a relatively uncomplicated one. Well beyond providing service to our organization, the position offers the opportunity to make friends with the other Board members and to achieve greater familiarity with how the parts of ICP+P work together to achieve our mission.

The Board is looking for someone with some familiarity with budgeting, tracking financial performance, and the use of spread sheets.  If you have an interest in and some familiarity with these areas and would like to consider becoming a nominee for this position in the upcoming spring Board election, please let us know.

If you have any questions about the Treasurer Position Description, feel free to contact Eleanor Howe, PhD, Associate Director of Administration @ 301-587-7148 or eleanorhowe.phd@verizon.net.

ICP+P Nominations and Elections Committee
Lynne Greenwald, LICSW, Chair

The Group as Family: Using Group Psychotherapy to Promote Relationship Regulation

Trish Cleary, MS, LCMFT, LCPC, LCADC, CCMHC, CGP, FAGPA

“Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture It!”
(The UN’s 2015 international theme for March – Women’s History Month)

As I was preparing this blog post, I noticed earlier essays reflected commemorative themes for the given month. When I learned March is Women’s History Month, I immediately thought of Virginia Satir, one of our very own, as well as an international leader in Family Therapy. The UN’s March 2015 theme, noted above, evokes the empowering dynamics of Virginia Satir and resonates with her affirmation: “Peace Within, Peace Between, Peace Among.”
I had the privilege of participating in half-a-dozen training conferences with Virginia Satir held between 1977 and 1981 during the launch of her Avanta Network Conferences. It was thrilling to experience her innovative principles of human validation through personal empowerment demonstrated with individuals, couples, and families.

Click Here to Read More…

Review of the International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology, 10 (1), January – March, 2015

Jonathan Lebolt, PhD, DCSW, CGP

Jonathan Lebolt, PhD, LCSW, CGP

This year’s inaugural issue of IJPSP opens with the lovely query of Marcia D.-S. Dobson, PhD, “Transcendent Dimensions of the Self: A Spiritual Home for Self Psychology?” I was fortunate enough to hear Dobson’s paper read at last year’s conference of the International Association for Psychoanalytic Self Psychology in Jerusalem.  I chose to attend her presentation because spirituality is important to me personally, and I try to incorporate it into my work with clients who are so inclined. I was curious about how to integrate it with self psychological practice, having had some limited exposure to Jungian depth psychology. (Dobson also alludes to her evolution from Jungian to Kohutian in this paper.)

Dobson starts by noting “that both Jung and Kohut place the discovery of the self at the center of their psychological theories” (p. 1).
Click Here to Read More…

New Member Introduction – Janice Krupnick
Martha Blechar Gibbons, PhD, APRN, BC

Martha Blechar Gibbons, PhD, APRN, BC

Years ago I had the privilege of working with Janice Krupnick  on a project focusing on losses experienced by children in inner city schools in the District of Columbia, so I was particularly delighted to learn that she decided to join ICP+P.

A graduate of Oberlin College with a BA in English Literature, Jan later obtained an MSW in Social Work from the University of Michigan, followed by an MA and finally a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley.  Since 1991 Jan has held part-time positions at Georgetown University, first as Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and currently Research Professor of Psychiatry which she assumed in 2002. Jan’s professional productivity is reflected in her many publications, awards and honors, including her recent appointment to the Advisory Board on Special Populations, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences.

Jan’s primary area of research has been in treatment development and efficacy and effectiveness studies of interventions for depression and PTSD.   Over the course of the last ten years her focus has been on the development and assessment of treatments for low-income, predominantly minority women.  Jan has developed group interpersonal psychotherapy for low-income women with chronic PTSD following interpersonal traumas, adapted IPT for women Veterans, collaborated in a large-scale group intervention for low-income women with depression, and adapted IPT as a phone-based intervention for women with comorbid HIV and depression.

Having served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Traumatic Stress and the Journal  of Psychotherapy Research, Jan joined the editorial board of Psychiatry in 1998, a position she currently maintains.

While living in San Francisco, Jan developed a private practice of psychotherapy, and she has continued to practice in Chevy Chase, Maryland for more than thirty years.  She treats adolescents and adults encountering depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders, and self- esteem issues, among other presenting problems. The diversity of experiences offered through clinical work, teaching, consulting, editing and conducting research appeals to Jan.

The challenging experience that Jan could not predict began more than one year ago when her husband Richard Suzman was diagnosed with ALS.  With support from colleagues, family and friends, (Jan declares, “There is a steady stream of visitors”) they have learned to live with this disease.  Incorporating necessary adaptations, Richard has been able to continue his work from home as Director of the Division of Social and Behavioral Research at the National Institute of Aging.  A profile, a tribute to Richard and his accomplishments was published in the journal Lancet.

While she is not able to enjoy the foreign travel that she and Richard shared before the diagnosis, Jan continues to attend concerts at the Kennedy Center with frequency (“I should have my own endowed chair”) and she participates in the same Yoga class that she joined twelve years ago.  Pilates is also included in her activities and she is considering studying piano again, an endeavor that she relinquished when her piano instructor succumbed to a neurological disease.  Jan is the mother of a 27 year old daughter and a 32 year old married son.

One of the consequences of living with ALS that Jan acknowledges is a heightened appreciation of the value of family and friends, those who have made themselves available for support.  Now in the role of caregiver, she is the one responsible for making the multiple ongoing arrangements, providing and coordinating care. Jan believes that she has been able to use this experience to inform her clinical practice; now as caregiver she can provide another perspective.

Annual Conference

The Many Faces of Eros:

Countertransference Revelations
Featuring Andrea Celenza, PhD

More information on the Annual Conference

Short Courses

Basics of Sex Therapy
with Deborah Fox, LICSW
Saturday, April 11, 2015

Varieties of Interaction: Analyst’s Use of Self
Through Empathic Listening, Self-Disclosure and Enactment
with Rhoda Spindel, MSW
Sunday, April 26, 2015

The Collaboration between Couples and Individual Therapists: Clarifying or Complicating?
with Rachel Miller, PsyD and Adrienne Simenhoff, PsyD
Sponsored by the ICP+P Couples Training Program
Friday, May 22, 2015

More information and registration for the Short Courses

Psychoanalytic Training Program Invites Your Participation

In conjunction with the International Association of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology (IAPSP), the ICP+P Psychoanalytic Training Program is proud to offer a free program  on May 13th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in which participants will have a close view of a major theoretical innovator and integrator of developmental research findings into clinical psychoanalysis, Joseph D. Lichtenberg, MD.

In this live supervision session, Rhoda Spindel, LICSW, graduate of the ICP+P Psychoanalytic Training program, will present a case that will include process material. Dr. Lichtenberg will share his thinking about the patient, his understanding of their intersubjective dyadic engagement, and his ideas about helping the analyst move the treatment forward.

Following the supervision session, there will be a discussion with the audience. This event is part of a larger international effort within IAPSP to form an archive of live supervision sessions by master psychoanalysts and will be filmed. However, the audience and the large group discussion following the supervision session will not be filmed.

We hope that individuals interested in considering psychoanalytic training will join us for this event. See the article below for more information on upcoming ICP+P Psychoanalytic Training Programs.

The supervision event on May 13th will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at 6256 Clearwood Road, Bethesda, MD 20817. Limited space is available. Please RSVP via Nancy Der, ICP+P Administrator, administrator@icpeast.org, to reserve a space.

Click here for a copy of this notice…

More Ways the Psychoanalytic Training Program Invites Your Participation

The Psychoanalytic Training Program is recruiting for a class to begin in September 2015. If you are interested in learning more about the training program, please contact Chair of Admissions, Elizabeth Carr, APRN, MSN, BC, emcarr@aol.com, or Chair of the Psychoanalytic Training Program, Sandra Hershberg, MD,  hershbs@verizon.net. Both would be delighted to speak with you and answer your questions.

An additional program offered by the ICP+P Psychoanalytic Training Program is the monthly Fellowship Program in Contemporary Forms of Psychoanalysis. The program introduces participants to the ways psychoanalysis has evolved and to its relevance for clinical practice in the 21st century. A new year will begin in September 2015. For additional information contact Monica Callahan, mleoniemeerbaum@gmail.com.

ICP+P Graduation Ceremony

Sunday, May 31, 2015
Mid-morning ceremony followed by a champagne luncheon

Maggiano’s Little Italy
Chevy Chase Pavilion
5333 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20015

Contact Linda Kanefield (lkanefieldphd@gmail.com) or
Kathy Beck (kathy.beck@rcn.com) for any questions.

Members in the Arts

Rachel Hewitt, LGSW, ICP+P psychoanalytic fellow, will be performing first violin in “Northern Masters at 150” with the Symphony of the Potomac on April 12th at 3 pm at the Cultural Arts Center at Montgomery College, Silver Spring. Go to www.SymphonyPotomac.org for more information.

Please submit artwork in JPG or PNG format or announcements of performances to Jonathan Lebolt at Therapy@Doctor-Jon.com or Nancy Der at administrator@icpeast.org.

News and Notes

• James H. Kleiger, PsyD, ABPP, ABAP just had a book released by Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. It is entitled, Assessing Psychosis: A Clinician’s Guide. See the link below for more information:
  https://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415715119/
• Peer Supervision Group Forming. Meets on first Sundays (new day) from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm in downtown Silver Spring. Supportive and collegial. Focus on case discussion and practice issues. Please contact Jonathan Lebolt, PhD, DCSW, CGP at (240) 507-7696 or Therapy@Doctor-Jon.com for more information.
• Jonathan Lebolt, PhD, DCSW, CGP is pleased to announce the opening of his private practice in Downtown Silver Spring at 8811 Colesville Road, Suite 102, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Jonathan provides group, couples, and individual psychotherapy and relational psychoanalysis to adults of all ages, clinical supervision for licensure, consultation for seasoned professionals, and training for clinicians of all levels. He accepts Anthem Blue Cross PPO and EAP has a sliding fee scale and is available day, evening and weekends. For more information, please contact him at (240) 507-7696, Therapy@Doctor-Jon.com, or https://www.Doctor-Jon.com.
• Krystal Stanley, PhD, of  Re-New Psychological Services has a new location in Silver Spring (8501 Colesville Rd, Ste 210), about 1 block away from the Metro. She and the clinical staff include Licensed Psychologists and Masters level practitioners, who bring a range of experiences and clinical expertise to their clients in the Silver Spring/Bethesda/Takoma Park area. They work with adult clients (18+) and are currently scheduling new appointments. They accept a variety of insurances (such as Magellan, CareFirst BCBS and Cigna), and appointment requests for a free face-to-face initial consultation can be submitted on their website: https://www.renewpsych.com/contact.
• MAGPS Spring Conference, Integrating Authentic Cultural Competence Into Group Psychotherapy, is being held on Saturday, April 18 from 8 am to 7 pm & Sunday, April 19 from 8 am to 1:15 pm at at Saint Elizabeths Hospital, 1100 Alabama Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20032.  The guest presenters are Kimberly Ewing, PhD & Bridget Rivera, PsyD.Integrating Authentic Cultural Competence Into Group Psychotherapy: Multicultural competence is essential for group psychotherapists. Therapists need to be aware of their own cultural values and able to work from an informed and sensitive perspective. This conference will help group therapists analyze their specific cultural identity dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender identification, sexual orientation/identity, religion/spirituality, and socio -economic class, and will assist them in bringing this knowledge to their work as group psychotherapists. Participants will gain knowledge of how group therapy clients are informed by their own identity dimensions, and how the group’s dynamics are subsequently informed by each member’s identity dimensions.To register online, please click visit: www.magps.org and click on the Conferences tab. For more information, please contact the Conference Co-Chairs, Nancy Hafkin, PhD, CGP, nhafkin@aol.com, 301-951-9002  or  Jen Bissell, LICSW, jenbissellLICSW@gmail.com, 202-642-9692.
• Ted Billings, LCSW, and Bill Pinney, PhD, both members of the Contemporary Approaches to Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (CAPP) faculty, will be presenting papers at the upcoming conference for the International Association of Relational Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis (IARPP) on June 25-28 in Toronto. Ted Billings’ paper is entitled “Cancer Pain: Collective, Subjective Experience.” Bill Pinney’s paper is entitled “Tigger, Eeyore, and the ‘Crunch’ of Misrecognition.” Janna Sandmeyer, PhD, chair of the CAPP program, will be moderating a panel entitled, “Contradiction, Empathy, and Multiplicity.”  Shoshanna Ringel, PhD, LCSW-C, graduate of the ICP+P Psychoanalytic Training Program, in collaboration with Faye Mishna, will be presenting a paper titled: “Developing a Reflective Self in Cyberspace”.

Upcoming Events

• Saturday, April 11, 9:30 am-12:45 pm – Short Course – Basics of Sex Therapy with Deborah Fox, LICSW at the ICP+P office.
  Click HERE to register. Only a couple of spots remain.

• Sunday, April 26, 1:00-3:00 pm – Short Course – Varieties of Interaction: Analyst’s Use of Self Through Empathic Listening, Self-Disclosure and Enactment with Rhoda Spindel, MSW at the ICP+P office. Click HERE to register.

Bulletin Board