Monthly Meeting

In this presentation for beginner to advanced learners, Beth Kita, PhD, LCSW, discusses clinical work with people who, sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of murder, have now returned home to live life after serving life, and explores their efforts to reckon with what they have done (and, frequently, what was done to them) despite being confined in traumatogenic institutions that functioned to thwart such growth. Using case material, Dr. Kita reflects on the ways in which a psychodynamic approach can help navigate the overwhelm of violent crimes and violent punishments, and the unresolved trauma that usually precedes both, and offers ideas about how we can and why we should develop our collective capacities to bear and to repair – in the hopes of transforming the trauma that incarceration reenacts.

In the face of rising oppression, authoritarianism, and climate breakdown, keeping space for social, political, and environmental concerns in psychodynamic therapy may be more important than ever. With this in mind, we will consider the impact of macro system-level social harms on our clients, the potential benefits of helping them integrate emotional impulses related to these harms, and the place of political action in mental health and psychotherapy. We will also consider suggestions, inspired by critical approaches to psychotherapy, for how we may better help our clients with these concerns… without introducing an agenda or changing what we value about psychodynamic work. Our exploration will be informed by the concepts of intrapsychic conflict, as used in experiential dynamic therapies such as Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), and emotional hegemony—the ways in which people with power teach us to fear the emotions of political resistance and solidarity (i.e., rage and love) while also steering us towards defense mechanisms that serve their interests. The didactic portion of this presentation will be complemented by recorded video of a case example to illustrate points and stir discussion.

In this presentation, Dr. Sonnenberg will explore the nature of community psychoanalysis and the ways it can foster a sustained culture of therapeutic care in a variety of settings. Beginning with a brief history of community psychoanalysis in the United States drawing on his firsthand experiences as a medical student and psychiatry resident during the 1960s, he will examine how psychoanalytic technique may be adapted when viewed through a community-focused lens. Dr. Sonnenberg will describe how he has applied this empathetic framework in his undergraduate teaching at the University of Texas at Austin, offering emerging insights into the therapeutic action of the model he has developed.

The psychoanalytic dyad is a flexible, constantly evolving entity that is nourished by reality, dreams, and a co-created creative space in which both the analysand and the analyst are influenced by their own pasts, their present and instincts that are informed by the spoken and unspoken. Creativity comes in all forms, both conscious and unconscious. How does one harness one's own creativity in the work of unraveling profound or chronic trauma with a stranger? How does one find common ground that can be transformational or healing? How can transference and counter- transference be seen as a foundation for change? These are some of the questions raised in a conversation acknowledging the value of creativity in psychoanalysis.

A new model invites participants to reach across divides of difference with curiosity and empathy rather than critiques and labels. The author has been developing multiple pilot projects designed to test this paradigm and develop theories and techniques. She developed emotional literacy curricula for middle and high school students, and she is presently working with students at a community college. She brought together a group of analysts who meet regularly to discuss their religious and political differences on Zoom. The meetings are recorded and posted on YouTube, with the audience representing the third dimension in a model that brings together different but equal individuals. She is also developing an app, a safe space to meet and struggle with differences, using AI as support.