Classes

Building the internal world: Dreams and Grief with Terry Hanson

One of the defining ideas of Object Relations is our life in two worlds, the waking life of consciousness and the ongoing inner life of dreams and fantasies.  It is in this inner world that values and meaning are generated for use in our waking life.  Our dreams give us brief glimpses into this complex world of stories and characters.  In the fall we will read Donald Meltzer’s Dream Life and engage directly with the experience of dreaming, bringing in patients’ dreams as well as our own.

Wilfred Bion: Groups, Thoughts and Containers with Terry Hanson

  Wilfred Bion is one of the most important figures in contemporary psychoanalysis. His work on the nature of learning and the blocks to learning have considerable impact on any understanding of the psychoanalytic process. This seminar will be an exploration of his fundamental writing and theory with a central focus on the application of his ideas to our actual work with our patients.  In the fall we will read his first book, Experiences in Groups, which outlines some of his pivotal ideas about the basic driving forces in human life.

Harold Searles on Psychotherapy and Love with Terry Hanson

Harold Searles was an American analyst greatly influenced by the British writers Klein, Bion and Winnicott and also by the American interpersonal school.  His writing is characterized by a deep honesty about the difficult nature of our work and a startling freedom in his thought.  In this seminar we will read two of his most innovative papers, the first exploring what he regards as the fundamental human motivation, to heal, and the second a reworking of the Oedipal phase as one of real romance and love.

Navigating Enactments in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy with Don Schimmel, PhD

This course explores ‘enactments’ as a dynamic and unavoidable phenomenon in psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Drawing on the seminal works of Owen Renik, Theodore Jacobson, Lewis Aron, Joseph Sandler, and other contemporary theorists, we will examine how enactments emerge at the intersection of transference, countertransference, and repetition compulsion.

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. 
 

Subscribe to Classes