67th Annual Conference

Thursday, February 25

Afternoon Workshops

2:30 - 5:00 P.M.

Workshop 30

Plunging In, Splitting Off and Catching Affect: The Back-and-Forth of Boundary Crossings

Chairs:                

Brigid Cahill, Ph.D., CGP, Director of Training, University of Rochester Counseling Center, Rochester, New York

Sheila Cummings, Ph.D., Psychologist, University of Rochester Counseling Center, Rochester, New York

Lisa Willis, Ph.D., CGP, Director, University of Rochester Counseling Center, Rochester, New York

Open to participants with less than four years of group psychotherapy experience.

Experiences create affect and affect create attachments.  Attachments inevitable create unwanted affect which travels to the nearest "other" who can "contain" or "enact" the unwanted feeling.  By using two groups to differentiate the immersion experience from the containing-reflection experience, then "linking" the two, we will illuminate the immersion-reflection cycle of deep learning in groups. 

experiential-demonstration-sharing of work experiences-didactic

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify the types of boundary crossings between individuals, group members and subgroups that are vital to group learning.
2. Demonstrate how to contain and reflect upon one's affective experience in the interpersonal arena of the group.
3. Integrate the disowned affect in order to grow and re-immerse into the group experience.

Course References:

Mindell, A. (1995). Sitting in the Fire: Large group transformation using conflict and diversity. Lao Tse Press Portland, Oregon.

Nitsun, M. (1996). The Antigroup: Destructive forces in the group and their creative potential. Routledge London & New York.

Shapiro, E. (Ed.) (1997). The inner world in the outer world psychoanalytic perspectives. Yale University Press New Haven and London.