65th Annual Conference

Friday, February 22

Afternoon Workshops

2:45-6:00 P.M.

Master Workshop 41

Therapeutic Ideals and Therapists' Humanity: Guilt, Shame and Secrets

Chair:  

Esther G. Stone, M.S.S.W., CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Corte Madera, California

Open to participants with more than ten years of group psychotherapy experience

As clinicians we internalize therapeutic models that do not always include an acceptance of some of our human responses to our patients. We label these, "misdemeanors." Though not ethical violations, we experience guilt and shame and hide these responses. Following a theoretical overview, participants will be asked to share their experiences of therapeutic "delinquencies," their awareness of their emotional state during such happenings and the impact upon patient and group.

sharing of work experiences-didactic-experiential-demonstration
 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify which therapist enactments are exploitive, harmful and or/shameful.
2. which therapeutic enactments are therapist induced and which are patient induced.
3. Identify those enactments which facilitate the therapist's ability to be with the patient and those that are exploitive.
4. Identify with their patients experience with secrets, shame and guilt.
 

Course References:

1. Psychoanalytic Dialogues: A Journal of Relational Perspectives: 13(4), 451-533
2. Rutan, J. & Stone, W. (2001). Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy (3rd Ed). The Guilford Press
3. Simon, R. (1992). Treatment Boundary Violations: Clinical, ethical and legal consideration. Bulletin of Academy of Psychiatry and Law. 20(3), 269-288.