ICP+P Celebrates Gender and Sexual Diversity, Sept. 27 & 28

by Janna Sandmeyer

I hope you will join us for a special upcoming weekend, in which ICP+P will celebrate gender and sexual diversity. Embedded in rapidly changing societal and cultural times, the clinical landscape surrounding gender and sexual fluidity is fast moving and complex. As such, clinical challenges abound.

We will start the weekend with a preconference on Friday afternoon, during which I will present my paper, “Understanding Homophobia in our Forefathers: Rethinking How Kohut Actually Worked.” The paper was conceived as both a critique of the homophobic aspects of Jule Miller’s article, “How Kohut Actually Worked,” as well as an update to Kohut’s clinical principles that are depicted in the article. The idea for the paper came about a few years ago, when I assigned Miller’s article for an introduction to Self Psychology course. It had been taught to me many years prior in my own training at ICP+P, and I found it valuable and accessible, but increasingly troubling. After we discussed Miller’s article, I asked the class if they believed that the utility of the article outweighed the pain of reading the homophobic aspects of it. One of the students replied that no, the utility did not outweigh the pain. It was the first time that a student had said that. This comment led to my concern that assigning Miller’s article was an act of homophobia in which I had become the perpetrator. While discussing the students’ reactions to Miller’s article, I off-handedly commented that I should write a ‘corrective’ for it. The class was enthusiastic. This paper is my attempt at correction and was originally conceived as a companion piece for Miller’s article.

Since that time, the paper won the Ralph Roughton award for an “unpublished manuscript that makes an original and outstanding contribution to the psychoanalytic understanding and/or treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, trans or gender-variant people,” and I have presented it at several institutes. I have been struck by the wide resonance it has had with therapists who are current students/candidates, as well as senior therapists and analysts who have faced various forms of homophobia in training, literature, treatment, and in the psychoanalytic community at large. I am very much looking forward to sharing this paper with our community, and especially to having Dr. Mark Blechner to join us as a discussant.

I am thrilled for us to host Dr. Mark Blecher for our Saturday conference, “The Evolving Landscape of Gender and Sexuality: Clinical Implications.” Mark is a dynamic speaker and expert on gender and sexuality. He is the author of Sex Changes: Transformations in Society and Psychoanalysis (2009), in addition to over fifty articles on gender, sexuality, and dreams. He is a leader in the psychoanalytic community, Faculty and Supervisor at the William Alanson White Institute, former Editor in Chief of Contemporary Psychoanalysis, and has worked for decades as an advocate for LGBTQ folks. As Founder and Director of the William Alanson White Institute’s HIV Clinical Service from 1991 – 2001, Mark led the first psychoanalytic clinic devoted to working with people with AIDS, their relatives, and caregivers. The White Institute has recently created the Mark J. Blechner Psychoanalytic Scholarship, which is an award given to a person of color or a transgender person who demonstrates financial need and high ability.

In his clinically based presentation, Mark will help us focus on countertransference reactions and challenges when working in the realm of gender and sexual diversity and fluidity. He will discuss his own clinical work, as well as several vignettes presented by members of our community. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their own assumptions and biases, as well as open themselves to reflection and discussion. Mark’s presentation is geared toward therapists at all levels of clinical experience, and all degrees of familiarity with issues surrounding sexuality and gender. All are welcome, and I look forward to seeing you there.

Call for Submissions for Clinical Reflections Day Due by October 1, 2019

by Dawn Taylor

Clinical Reflections Day is Saturday, February 22, 2020

This conference, formerly known as Scientific Day, is an opportunity for ICP+P members to present clinical material to the membership at large.

We are looking for presentations that educate the audience and generate rich discussion. Articles, case presentations, experiential sessions, psychodrama, creative writing and other art forms, and therapeutic or educational use of media are all examples of approaches we would welcome. In general, we encourage you to think creatively about ways of sharing your concepts or insights. All work is expected to be rooted in contemporary psychoanalytic thought.

Members are invited to submit a paper or other media form and, if necessary, a note about how it will be shared with the audience. To make this event successful and welcoming, we will facilitate consultation and guidance to help each presenter.Each presenter will have 30-35 minutes, followed by 15-20 minutes for discussion. We plan to have three speakers.

Please send your submission to Dawn Taylor, Conference Chair, at dawney66@aol.com by October 1st. The Clinical Reflections Committee will then review the applications. We look forward to sharing the insights and creativity of our excellent community!

Welcome Our New Couples Therapy Training Class

The Couples Therapy Training Program is pleased to announce that we have 7 Members in Training in our 2019/2020 class. Welcome!

Anne Bell, LICSW. Georgetown, DC
Constance Cannon, PhD. Silver Spring, MD
Emily Foster, LPC. Washington, DC
Victoria Harley, PsyD. Georgetown, DC
Amy McNelly, LMFT. Bethesda, MD
Laura Miskimins, LCSW. Burke, VA
Raquel Willerman, LCSW. Falls Church, VA

Members in training are available for referrals for couples therapy, and all referrals will benefit from group supervision.

Upcoming Training + Education

Short Course

Circling the Chairs: Starting Groups in Private Practice

Friday, September 20, 2019 from 12:30-3:45 pm ~ ICP+P Office, 4601 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 8, Washington, DC 20008

Presented by:

About the Short Course:

Launching a group can be one of the most challenging tasks you face as a group therapist. It is easy to get stuck because you are unsure what to do next. In this workshop participants will explore the potential pitfalls of starting a group and learn how to avoid them. Using practical advice that is grounded in group theory, participants are guided through a stepwise process of launching a group.

At the conclusion of the short course, attendees will be able to:

  1. Define the parameters (open, closed, time-limited, population, etc.) and focus of the group they want to start.
  2. Evaluate how to identify and connect with referral sources, and to promote your group, to ensure a successful group therapy experience for the participants.
  3. Identify the important elements of forming a group.
  4. Plan how to launch a group.

This program is appropriate for introductory and intermediate level clinicians and offers 3 CEs.

Pre-Conference

Understanding Homophobia in our Forefathers: Rethinking How Kohut Actually Worked
Featuring Janna Sandmeyer, PhD and Discussant Mark J. Blechner, PhD

Friday, September 27, 2019, 3:30 – 5:30 pm ~ Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring, MD

About the Conference:

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 explore the impact of Jule Miller’s (1985) account of his supervision with Heinz Kohut, depicted in Miller’s seminal paper, “How Kohut Actually Worked.”

Through the lens of contemporary self psychology, we will revisit the supervision with an eye toward leading edge interpretations that support the patient’s same-sex striving as a healthy expression of his sexuality. We will consider the context of the times in which the supervision occurred, as well as more personal and theoretical factors that may have influenced Kohut and Miller’s thinking. Dr. Blechner will bring his decades of experience as an analyst working with LGBTQ people to this discussion, in which attendees will be encouraged to participate.

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

  1. Describe the clinical principles that exemplified Kohut’s way of thinking toward the end of his life.
  2. Identify the heterosexist and homophobic aspects of Jule Miller’s (1985) article, ‘How Kohut Actually Worked.’
  3. Describe correctives for the heterosexist and homophobic aspects of Jule Miller’s (1985) article, ‘How Kohut Actually Worked.’

This conference is appropriate for mental health professionals at all levels of experience and offers 2 LGBTQ/Diversity CEs.

Conference

The Evolving Landscape of Gender and Sexuality: Clinical Implications

Featuring Mark J. Blechner, PhD

Saturday, September 28, 2019, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm ~ Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring, MD

About the Conference:

Attitudes and social norms about sexuality and gender identification are changing rapidly, both culturally and clinically. Please join us as Dr. Mark Blechner addresses how these changes impact psychotherapeutic aims and practices. In his clinically based presentation, Dr. Blechner will explore countertransference dilemmas and ways that therapists can use them productively. Several case presentations will be presented. This conference is geared toward therapists at all levels of clinical experience, and all degrees of familiarity with issues surrounding sexuality and gender.
At the conclusion of this conference, participants will be able to:
  1. Discuss issues of gender, sexual orientation, and sexual problems that are commonly seen in psychotherapy today;
  2. Analyze the influence of culture on these issues and explain how personal beliefs and attitudes affect clinical work;
  3. Prepare a strategy for educating yourself about sexual issues well beyond the training offered in mental health programs, and describe ways of dealing with transference and countertransference dilemmas that affect such work.
This conference is appropriate for mental health professionals at all levels of experience and offers 3 LGBTQ/Diversity CEs.

2019-2020 ICP+P Training

  • September 20, 2019, Short Course – “Circling the Chairs: Starting Groups in Private Practice” 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. 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. 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 – “Engaging Diversity through the Therapist’s Being Moved: Radical Openness and the Patient Who is ‘Other'” with Anton H. Hart, PhD, Silver Spring Civic Building, 9:00am-12:30pm, 3 CEs. Fulfills Diversity credit requirement.
  • February 22, 2020, Conference – “Clinical Reflections” (previously Scientific Day), Silver Spring Civic Building, 9:00am-12:30pm, 3 CEs.
  • 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.

News + Notes

Sarah Pillsbury just published an article in the Journal of Psychoanalysis, Self and Context, Volume 14, No. 3, 247-258, 2019. It is entitled “Mutual Empathy: Imagined Symbol and Realization in the Treatment of Trauma.”

Joanne Zucchetto, Simone Jacobs and Ly Vick Johnson have co-written “Understanding The Paradox of Surviving Childhood Trauma: Techniques and Tools for Working With Suicidality and Dissociation “ which was published by Routledge on July 25th.

Shoshana Ringel has had two recent publications:
  1. (2019) “Traumatic factors and dissociative narratives of unresolved loss in the AAI.” Attachment: New directions in psychotherapy and relational psychoanalysis, 13(1), 1-14.
  2. (2019) “The role of culture and ethnicity in the long term treatment of childhood trauma.” In Lord, S. (ed). Reflections on long term relational psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. NY: Routledge, 74-85.

Another paper was just accepted for publication at Psychoanalytic Dialogues. The title is “Video communication and transgenerational shame in the mother/daughter bond.”

Numerous ICP+P members will be featured at the 42nd Annual IAPSP Conference October 17-20 in Vancouver. Their participation includes:
  1. Plenary V: Gendered Power and Powerlessness in a Clinical Dyad — Engaging the Limits of Empathy, Speaker: Elizabeth Carr, APRN, MSN, BC
  2. Education and Psychoanalysis: Enriching Awareness of the Contextualities of Contemporary Subjectivity, Co-Presenter: Leslie F. Smith, MSW
  3. Looking for Love in All the Same Places: Accessibility, Shame, and Digital Collisions, Discussant: Marie Hellinger, MSW
  4. The Complexity or Sameness and Difference in Needed Relationship, Presenter: Robert Benedetti, PhD, Moderator: Leslie F. Smith, MSW
  5. Race, Melancholia, and the Fantasy of Whiteness, Presenter: Cherian Verghese, PhD
  6. Gender as Perspective: The On-Going Psychoanalytic Privilege of the Penis, Discussant: Janna Sandmeyer, PhD
  7. Metaphors of Agony: The Culture Bound Syndromes of Hyper-independence, Discussant: Rosemary Segalla, PhD
  8. Suffering Together: When Accessing the Analyst’s Suffering Serves a Twinship Need, Discussant: Sandra Hershberg, MD
  9. Revisiting Resistance: The Patient’s Effort to Make Therapy Work, Moderator: Lawrence Ballon, MD
  10. Similarities, Dissimilarities, and Blind Spots in Therapeutic Relations, Discussant: Joseph Lichtenberg, MD
  11. Meet-the-Author: Revisiting Charles B. Strozier’s Heinz Kohut, The Making of a Psychoanalyst, upon the occasion of its Hebrew translation’s publication, Moderator: Roger Segalla, PhD

Bulletin Board

Beautiful DuPont Circle office available to rent

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, PhD by email, pillsburysarah@gmail.com or by telephone at (202) 904-7510. Photos are available. Thank you.

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.

Bethesda office space to rent

Interior, furnished office (10′ x 9′) in attractive suite on the 11th floor of downtown Bethesda office building. Perfect for part-time or beginning practice. Five minute walk from Red Line. On street & county parking. Complementary coffee and tea for patients. Private, insuite restroom for therapists. Wifi and fax/copier, office cleaning included. Available August 1. Contact Jacob Melamed at 301-656-5360 or email jmelamed@jacobimelamedphd.com.

Full-Time office in bethesda available

Full-Time Office in Bethesda Available December 1. Large office with window overlooking trees. Share suite with two other collegial therapists and with waiting room, kitchenette and bathroom. Limited on-site parking; (2) blocks from Metro and county garage. Reasonable rent. For more information, contact Jonathan Lebolt at Therapy@Doctor-Jon.com or (240) 507-7696.

U.S. Census Bureau is looking for psychiatrists to interview

The U.S. Census Bureau is looking for Psychiatrists to participate in an interview about the state of psychiatry in the U.S. Specifically, we are seeking psychiatrists who can provide information about their work and profession for a new survey that the Census Bureau is running on behalf of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Survey questions are related to the work experiences in clinical care and other settings of MDs and DOs who have completed a residency in psychiatry, and the characteristics of those individuals. Any licensed psychiatrist is welcome to participate.
Interviews should take around 60 minutes and will take place in the DC metropolitan area during the month of September 2019. Interviews can take place at the Psychiatrists’ place of business or at another convenient location. Participants will receive a $100 in appreciation for their time and participation.
If you know anyone who meets these criteria, please let them know about this research opportunity. Please have them e-mail their contact information to csm.participate@census.gov or call Kevin at 301-763-4979 and mention Psychiatrists to learn more.
All data collected in the interview are confidential.

Openings in group for men who survived sexual trauma

Joanne Zucchetto and Cornelia Tietke have openings in their group for men who survived sexual trauma. It is an open-ended, psychodynamic process group that meets Tuesdays from 5:00 to 6:30 PM in Friendship Heights, DC. Previous members have commented that this group is one of the only places they can be honest and real about their abuse. The group creates space that allows members to become curious about their experiences, let go of shame, and embrace self-understanding and compassion.

If you would like to learn more about the group, please call Joanne at 410-507-2569 or Cornelia at 202-271-5673.

Two Clinical Groups co-facilitated by Trish Cleary & Ginger Sullivan

Two Clinical Groups co-facilitated by Trish Cleary & Ginger Sullivan in downtown Bethesda. #1 – Process Group for Therapists. Ongoing long-term experiential group has openings. #2 – Clinical Training Group. New 4-Session case focused group starts in September.

Remove Barriers to Love group forming

Remove Barriers to Love ~ A 12 week experiential group, and a 2-hour workshop.

Angie Snyder, PsyD is accepting members for a group targeted to single women who are seeking to deepen their potential for happy, healthy love. The group will meet on Tuesday Evenings, 6:30 – 7:45 pm, beginning October 2019 in Dupont Circle. The cost is $150/session. The Group Membership Requirements are an ability to be self-reflective; willingness to embrace radical self-responsibility in an empowered manner; openness to spirituality; a commitment to move into a place of possibility rather than staying in victimization; desire and capacity to support others in their vision and intention for love; and commitment to spend 30-60 minutes/day engaging in reading and exercises. This group will integrate psychodynamic, spiritual, somatic, metaphysical and mindfulness principles to create a supportive, vibrant, and transformational experience.

In addition, there will be an optional 2-hour workshop on Thursday, September 19 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm that will introduce concepts offered in this group. For more information about the workshop.

Angie is excited to offer this group and workshop, and looks forward to collaborating with you about any patient you believe to be a good fit. Contact Angie Snyder at (202) 549-7310, Drangelamsnyder@gmail.com or www.angelasnyder.com.

Case consultation group openings

Openings are available in the psychotherapy case consultation group run by Cherian Verghese and Barbara Wayne. The group has been ongoing for several years and has developed a style of working that is warm, collegial, curious, and thoughtful. They are eager to incorporate new members.
The group works from a broadly psychodynamic standpoint. Cherian Verghese has particular expertise in self psychology and relational theory and practice, as well as contemporary racial and cultural issues. Barbara Wayne has taught British object relations theories, especially Fairbairn, Winnicott, and Klein, as applied to both individual and couple psychotherapy. The members share expertise in numerous areas, including Jungian, cognitive behavioral, and other types of psychotherapy. Members present cases on a rotating basis.
The group meets weekly on Tuesdays, 10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. at 5225 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 310, in Friendship Heights (across from the Jenifer St. entrance to the Friendship Heights Metro Station), Washington, DC 20015. Contact Cherian, cverghese@mindspring.com, or Barbara, bhwayne@verizon.net.

Mixed and men’s groups forming

Mixed and Men’s Groups Forming for adults of all ages to start in December. Relational approach; leader is Certified Group Psychotherapist with many years of experience collaborating with individual therapists. Both groups will meet weekly and focus on improving relationships with self and others (partners, family, friends, colleagues) and issues in members’ lives. Men’s Group tentatively scheduled for Tuesdays at 12 pm, Mixed Group for Thursdays at 5 pm. Bethesda office near Metro and county garage. Sliding fee scale. For more information, contact (or have client contact) Jonathan Lebolt at Therapy@Doctor-Jon.com or (240) 507-7696.

Space available in a longterm, experiential process group

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.

Couples therapy meets sex therapy monthly seminar and consultation group

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 15, 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.