61st Annual Conference

Session 211
Uncovering the Roots of Emotional Abuse in Group Therapy's Dynamic Process

Presenter:           

SaraKay Smullens, M.S.W., BCD, CFLE, CGP, Private Practice, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania    

Emotional abuse is an unrecognized source of great despair and destruction. Group psychotherapy offers a powerful setting for recognizing this invisible malignancy and beginning a successful healing process. Group psychotherapists can benefit from a clear codification of the 5 cycles of emotional abuse  (rage, rejection, embarrassment, complete neglect, extreme overprotection), the effect of the cycles on family, love relationships, friendships and work settings, and a model to facilitate healing.

Course References:

1. Marcovitz, E. (1970). Dignity. Bulletin of the  Philadelphia Association for Psychoanalysis, 20(2),

    105-116.

2. Marcovitz, E. (1973). Aggression in Human Adaptation. The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 42(2),

    226-233.

3. Smullens, S. (2002). The 5 Cycles of Emotional Abuse: Investigating a Malignant Victimization.

    Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association, 5(5), 16-17.