September 18, 2011

Dear Colleagues,

It is a new fall. There are two very important new events happening in October. On Saturday night, October 1, 2011 the first SFPRG honorary fundraising dinner will honor Suzanne Gassner and Irwin Gootnick. Both are psychoanalysts, teachers, and writers who have made substantial contributions to the San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group by introducing the theory to countless current members, and by putting their own special interpretation and application of Control Mastery theory. This dinner will take place at Quon Bac restaurant, 4112 Geary Street in San Francisco between 5th and 6th Avenues at 6:30 p.m. Please see SFPRG.org homepage (or use the Quick Link at the left) and click on Announcements: SFPRG Dinner on the upper right. It gives more information about what Suzanne and Irwin have achieved and you can sign up for the dinner by clicking on the Brown Paper Bag button.

The second important event in October is the beginning of this year's post-graduate certificate comprehensive course on Control Mastery Theory beginning October 5, 2011 from 7-9:15 p.m. in the conference room at 9 Funston. The first semester will consist of nine two-hour sessions, one didactic and one case conference. The classes will begin with an overview of the theory and a history of Control Mastery Theory. We will discuss the theory of how psychopathology develops including the role of guilt, altruism, attachment, identifications and compliances, trauma and the development of pathogenic beliefs. We will review the theory of how psychotherapy works including the importance of safety, unconscious control, a drive to master trauma, transference and passive into active testing, and how pathogenic beliefs get undermined. Students with learn how to make Plan Formulations from history and assessing the patient-therapist interaction. The Research of the San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group will be reviewed. Read On

This fall we're pleased to offer another in our series of Post-Graduate courses. The course takes place in the evening, on Wednesdays from 7-9:15, at our Funston St. location. In addition to lecture and discussion on basic topics, with an emphasis on practical clinical applications, there is an case conference, led by Irwin Gootnick, which will be guided by the approach of watching a case unfold based on plan-informed assessments of patient process. Past courses using the lecture + conference teaching method have been enthusiastically received by participants, and we look forward to an exciting course this time. The course will continue in the New Year; details to follow.

Steve Foreman and John Gibbins and Terry Meyers are teaching an introductory course on the theory with an emphasis on case formulation and participant involvement. The course will be more intimate than some of our recent introductory courses, taking place in a conference room at our Funston St. location, so space is somewhat limited.

Denny Zeitlin's exciting course on applying CMT to treating couples takes place later in the fall. Susan Landes will be offering the third in a series of Control Mastery trainings in the Sacramento area. This training titled Control Mastery the Basics and Beyond is intended for therapists and student therapists who are new to the theory or are knowledgeable of the theory but want to delve deeper into plan formulation and the role of the therapist. Additionally, in our international teaching, Susan has been invited by the Royal Thai College of Psychiatry to speak about Control Mastery Theory at their Annual Conference in Bangkok.

Planning for our International Workshop in March of next year is already underway, as well as planning for spring courses.

John Gibbins

We are continuing to bring in renewals, so if you haven't sent yours in you will receive a snail mail membership renewal form to fill our and renew for the upcoming year.

The membership drive has moved more slowly than we expected and hope this is only due to our financial times. If you have doubts about renewing please talk with me or with a board member. We want to know how best to be valuable to you.

Also note that we will soon be updating our online Therapist Finder and Directory. If you haven't renewed, unfortunately your name will be dropped from these benefits of membership. In addition, the cost for workshops and consultation groups will also revert to non-member fees.

These are only three of the benefits of membership in SFPRG. Another less tangible benefit is that your support of Control Mastery theory, the Clinic and Training Center and our research program will be sorely missed as will you.

Our members are very important to us and we want to provide the best possible bang for your buck. We are moving into a new arena of public view with our plans to become an institute for Control Mastery theory. We want you with us as we move in that exciting direction.

You can click the link below, go to membership and renew online (or use the Membership Quick Link at the left). One, two, three!! Please hesitate no longer! We want and need your support!

Kathie Dunn kathiedummmft@comcast.net

The San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group (SFPRG) is pleased to announce a 2-semester Post-Graduate Course in Control Mastery Theory (CMT). The intensive course is designed for mental health professionals in practice who wish to further their understanding of CMT, a relational, psychodynamic theory of human behavior and the therapeutic process that has received considerable support through numerous research studies.

This course is open to therapists from diverse theoretical backgrounds, whether familiar with CMT or not. The course will cover in detail such CMT concepts as: the role of unconscious pathogenic beliefs in psychopathology; the effect of trauma and unconscious guilt in producing pathogenic beliefs; the patient's unconscious plan to master pathogenic beliefs; how the patient works within the therapeutic relationship to pursue their unconscious plan; safety and the unconscious regulation of defenses; testing within the relationship such as transference testing and passive-into-active testing; interpretation and treatment by attitude; and following the therapeutic process after making interpretations and responding to tests.

Course meetings will consist of a 60 minute seminar followed by a 60 minute case conference. The first semester will have 9 sessions, beginning the 1st Wednesday in October, 7-9:15 pm, at our offices in The Presidio. Check the website for further info and to register.

Marshall Bush's Friday 2 PM research group restarts on September 9. We are going to carry out a testing study on the case of MB. All are welcome. Ratings of how well the therapist is passing the pt's tests will be done in the group. It will be fun and informative.

Office to sublet on Bush Street near Octavia. Mondays, Tuesdays and possibly Fridays. Spacious, private bathroom, and shared deck. Possibility of a psych assistantship. Please email Michael Bader, DMH at michael.bader@gmail.com

In the second semester, topics will include further discussion of recent research studies on the therapeutic process, practical Plan Formulations: formulating cases of class participants, shame and guilt, treating anxiety (OCD) CBT & CMT, rethinking safety, sexual disorders, dreams, comparative theories: Attachment Theory, Mentalization, and Intersubjectivity, treatment of couples, families and groups, treatment of children and adolescents and their families, affects and emotions, and addictions.

The two semester course will be a comprehensive course on formulation and treatment from a Control Mastery perspective. Previous participants who have taken this course have been very satisfied. We hope to see many of you in October. I encourage readers to consult John Gibbins' report in this newsletter about all of the other conferences, case conferences, and seminars offered this semester.

I want to add two more announcements of new offerings since they are coming up in October. There will be a new version of an Introductory Course in Control Mastery Theory given on October 15, 2011. This will be a smaller, more intimate day long course given in the Conference Room at 9 Funston, focusing on how to do Case Formulations, given by John Gibbins, Terry Meyers, and myself. In addition to our usual list of wonderful case conferences, Larry Hetrick is offering a new case conference integrating Schema Therapy with CMT on 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays starting October 4, 2011.

Please come to the first Honorary Dinner. See old friends. Raise a glass to recognize jobs well done by Irwin and Suzanne. We hope this will be the first of many more yearly dinners. Come to the seminars old and new. We hope to see you there.

Have a great beginning of autumn. I will see you next month

Steve Foreman