Classes

The Making of a Psychotherapist with D. Michael Louderback

With all of the theories and knowledge and wisdom of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy—now, more than ever—at our fingertips, what (and how and when) do we make use of these when we are actually sitting with another complicated person? How do we begin to distill and understand the essences of these many ideas to not only to change our own souls, but also the souls of others? How do we creatively become the kind of psychotherapist that is not only helpful and kind, but transformative and challenging?

The Poet’s Voice in the Making of Mind: Russell Meares on Borderline Experience and Therapeutic Conversation with Carol Poole, MA LMHC

Russell Meares is an Australian distinguished emeritus professor of psychiatry and innovator of psychotherapeutic approaches for complex developmental trauma. His work is appreciated by thinkers including Thomas Ogden and Allan Schore as a contribution toward neuroscience-informed psychoanalytic theory which offers a complex yet affirming view of human creativity and the development of a reflective, robust sense of self. 

Working with Narcissistically Vulnerable Clients through the Lens of Contemporary Self Psychology with Don Schimmel, PhD

Join me for a four-part course where we delve into the challenges of working with narcissistically vulnerable clients. We will explore both traditional Kohutian and contemporary perspectives on Self Psychology, beginning with an overview of Freud's original theory of narcissism and moving on to Kohut's radical redefinition. I will address critical questions such as how to empathically meet the psychological needs of clients who experienced deficits in mirroring, mutual idealization, or twinship in childhood.

The Difficult Superego - the Work of Harold Searles

One of the most challenging aspects of our work is a pervasive perfectionism that can so dominate our own minds as therapists and greatly inhibit the emotional growth of our patients. The pressure to get it right and have the answers can undermine therapeutic work with both participants.  One of the psychoanalytic writers who has most directly addressed these problems is Harold Searles, an American psychoanalyst greatly influenced both by the British object relations tradition, especially Bion, and the American interpersonal tradition.

Working With Adolescents and Their Parents with Don Schimmel, Ph.D.

Join me for a three-part seminar exploring the dynamics of working with adolescents and their parents, framed through the prism of Contemporary Self Psychology and Winnicottian Theory. Whether you are an established therapist specializing in teens and their parents, a newcomer to adolescent psychotherapy, or someone seeking insights into recognizing similar developmental struggles in adults, this course aims to enhance your understanding of the technical and developmental challenges of effectively addressing resistant adolescents and skeptical parents. 
 

Unconscious Process in the ER with Erin Wright, LMHC

Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy are not immune from having to confront suicidality, and many of us do not understand what happens when a patient ends up in an emergency department to be assessed for psychiatric hospitalization.

The air is often thick with transference and countertransference, as the unconscious of both the therapist and patient can collide in a battle of anxiety regulation and desperation on multiple fronts.

Unconscious Process in the ER with Erin Wright, LMHC

Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy are not immune from having to confront suicidality, and many of us do not understand what happens when a patient ends up in an emergency department to be assessed for psychiatric hospitalization.

The air is often thick with transference and countertransference, as the unconscious of both the therapist and patient can collide in a battle of anxiety regulation and desperation on multiple fronts.

“Desire, Guilt, and the Ethics of Speech: A Close Reading of Lacan” with Adam Schneider PhD

This course is designed to be beginner friendly to those who do not have much familiarity with Lacan.

Jacques Lacan (1901-81) was a French psychoanalyst who pioneered what he described as a “return to Freud.” Lacan’s yearly seminars made extensive references to Freud’s writing and critiqued, extended, and innovated psychoanalytic theory into a new school of psychoanalysis.