65th Annual Conference

Friday, February 22

Afternoon Workshops

2:45-6:00 P.M.

Master Workshop 61

The Therapist's Struggles with Power & Powerlessness in Group Psychotherapy

Chair:

Natan HarPaz, Ph.D., ACSW, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Southfield, MI

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

In every group session a battle ensues between pathology & health. The therapist must utilize his/her appropriate power, knowledge & skill to affect change in the direction of health. Often the therapist experiences a sense of powerlessness facing this task. This workshop will explore the causes for the therapist's sense of powerlessness and ways to restore it.
experiential-didactic-sharing of work experiences-demonstration
 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify elements in the transference which attribute power to the therapist.
2. Identify power elements which are part of the real relationship.
3. Identify elements which contribute to the therapist's experience of powerlessness.
 

Course References:

1. Bar-Levav, Reuven, 1988. Thinking in the Shadow of Feelings, New York, Simon Schuster.

2. HarPaz, Natan 1994. Failures in Group Psychotherapy: The Therapist Variable. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Vol. 44, 1, January 1994.