February 2014

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DIRECTORS' COLUMN
By Seth Warren, PhD

I must have known that Pete Seeger would not live forever. But he was around for me from the beginning, a fixture in my life, a kind of presence always there; a part of me seems to have felt he would always be there. His passing has left me with feelings of sadness, and also feelings of the deepest gratitude for what he added to my life and to the world. When I heard about his death last month, it finally struck me that he really was one of my great heroes.

 

My parents were a just a little old for the burgeoning folk music movement of the very early 1960's, but my mother particularly loved music and singing, and so I was fortunate to be surrounded by music from the beginning of my life: great Broadway musicals, classical music, and American folk music - Pete Seeger, of course, and the Weavers; Peter, Paul and Mary; Joan Baez; Richie Havens; Arlo Guthrie, and others. Some of my mother's friends played guitar and sang songs of the 50's and early 60's folk revival, and when I was 14 years old, I bought myself a guitar with money I earned on my paper route. The first book I found to learn from was Pete Seeger's "50 American Folk Ballads." I believe I have it still, more than 40 years later. Of course, things changed fast, Bob Dylan came along, also Joni Mitchell, Neil Young - and the Beatles. Folk music was pretty quickly eclipsed in my life by the explosion of all varieties of rock and roll in the Sixties and Seventies. My acoustic guitar didn't interest me much after high school, and I never made the transition to electric.

 

But Pete Seeger was always there, in the background. When my kids were little we listened to folk songs, and I rediscovered my love sethw of Seeger's voice, crowing and full of joy, playfulness, and affection. We sang together with him, "Let's go ridin' in the car, car!" - practically an anthem of childhood. His recording of the story/song "Abiyoyo" was one of my kid's favorites, and mine too; I don't know how many nights my children and I would fall asleep to the soothing lullaby ending of the story (after the great scary excitement of the little boy and his father, cleverly dispatching the awful giant with a ukulele and a magic wand!).

 

I believe that underlying both the tradition of psychoanalysis, and the American folk music tradition, is the great transforming force of a democratic impulse. Folk songs have told stories, both of real individual people, and groups of people who have had shared experience. Slaves, sailors, lovers, immigrants, laborers, soldiers, mothers, all found their experiences mirrored in songs - reflecting both our deep and universal need for recognition, and our primordial relationship to music. But there was something more in the American folk movement, maybe starting with Woody Guthrie: a self-conscious celebration of ordinary people and their lives and experiences; a belief in the value of the individual and also the value of our relationship to a larger collective; and the importance of equality, fairness, and respect for the dignity all human beings. The great transformative revolutionary ideals of Democracy, appearing first in the 17th and 18th centuries, and remaining sadly far from complete, are expressed in our appreciation of the dialectics of difference and sameness, separateness and connectedness, and in the idea that every person's story is important and worthy of being told; and that we are enriched equally by the telling and the hearing.

 

In psychoanalytic work we strive to make room for the individual's experience, to mirror it, hold it, and allow for its formulation and expression. We believe in the great importance of human feeling, and understand the role emotional life plays in the unfolding of a particular individual story and in our collective story. It seems to me that it is a fact of our evolutionary history, that music and feeling have always gone hand-in-hand.

 

I understand that the values that Pete Seeger stood for and embodied in all he did in his lifetime - and his songs - are part of my story, woven into my own values, and a part of how I came to my calling. We, too, celebrate what it is to be human; we bear witness to suffering and loss; we help those we work with to find and tell their own stories; to discover their own voices; to find truth, beauty and meaning in their lives; and to understand their place in a history that is both personal and also shared.

 

Seth

March 8, 2014 Spring Conference

Dissociative Processes and the Toxicity of the Shame Spectrum of Emotion

Presented by Richard Chefetz, MD

Lenfell Hall, The Mansion, Fairleigh Dickinson University,
Madison, NJ
8:30am-4:00pm
6 CEUs will be offered to social workers and nurses

Richard A. Chefetz, MD is a psychiatrist in private practice in Washington, D.C., a faculty and founding member of the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis, Distinguished Visiting Lecturer at the William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis, & Psychology, Visiting Professor at Spiru-Haret University, Bucharest, Romania, past President of the International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation, and Certified and Approved Consultant of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, and is trained in Level I and II EMDR.  In addition to his numerous papers, he is on contract with Norton Publishers in their Interpersonal Neurobiology Series on a book tentatively entitled: "Feeling Real: Psychotherapy for Persistent Dissociative Processes."

 

There is something about shame experience that often leaves it embedded in our minds for a lifetime. In a series of presentations, the full spectrum of shame experience is explored and the relationship of the lengthy toxicity of shame is linked to the often hidden and persistent dissociative processes that maintain psychic homeostasis in a toxic zone. Drawing upon psychoanalytic theory of both relational and self psychological persuasions, as well as the neuroscience of emotion and advances in trauma studies and affect theory, Dr. Chefetz provides a close-process tour of the paradoxically camouflaged landmarks that can help provide the clinical dyad with longed for traction when working in the swamp of resilient negativity that profound shame experience often generates. Case presentation, video case presentation, powerpoint assisted presentation, and adequate time for give and take discussion rounds out the structure for the day.

    

 Click HERE to register for this program 

 

Plans for 2014-2015

September 21, 2014 - CPPNJ Welcome Back Brunch - Maplewood Community Center, Maplewood - 9:30am

 

October 19, 2014 - Faculty Forum - Sue Grand, PhD presents When Our Histories Collide: Exploring Trans-generational Memories in the Therapeutic Dyad - The Rutherford Room, Student Union Building, FDU Metropolitan Campus, Teaneck - 9:00am-1:00pm

 

November 8, 2014 - Richard Schwartz, PhD, Founding Developer, Center for Self Leadership presents Accessing Disowned Parts of the Self: Internal Family Systems Approach to Couples Therapy - Lenfell Hall, The Mansion, FDU Florham Park - 8:30am-4:00pm

 

March 15, 2015 - CPPNJ Faculty Supervision Workshop with Irwin Badin - Hartman Lounge,The Mansion,  FDU Florham Park - 10:00am-1:00pm

 

April 19, 2015 - Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD presents Mindfulness: Tailoring the Practice to the Person - Lenfell Hall, The Mansion, FDU Florham Park - 8:30am-4:00pm 

 

Save These Dates

February 14, 2014 - CPPNJ Bergen/Passaic Breakfast - Coach House Diner, Hackensack, NJ - RSVP to Judy Kaufman judylkaufmanphd@gmail.com - 9:00am-10:30am 

   

March 23, 2014 - CPPNJ Essex/Union/Morris Lunch - Home of Bob Morrow - RSVP to Ellie Muska elliemuska@verizon.net or 908-508-9274 - 11:00am-1:00pm 

 

April 6, 2014 - Gina Colelli, LCSW presents Integrating EMDR into Psychodynamic Treatment - Lenfell Hall,The Mansion, FDU Florham Park, Madison, NJ - 9:00am-12:30pm  

  

April 6, 2014 - CPPNJ Open House - Hartman Lounge, The Mansion, FDU Florham Park, Madison, NJ - 1:00pm-3:00pm 

 

May 18, 2014 - CPPNJ Bergen/Passaic Lunch - Presentation by Monica Carsky and Mirel Goldstein - Handling the Patient's Negative Transference and Criticism of the Therapist - Home of Chana Kahn - RSVP to Chana Kahn cmkahn23@gmail.com - 11:00am-1:00pm 

 

June 7, 2014 - CPPNJ Graduation & End of Year Celebration - Hyatt Regency, New Brunswick, NJ - 6:00pm-10:00pm

  

All public programs are co-sponsored with the New Jersey Society for Clinical Social Workers 

 

The New Jersey Society for Clinical Social Workers (NJSCSW) provides leadership and support to clinical social workers in all practice settings. NJSCSW has given voice to clinical social workers dealing with the health care industry. The organization provides outstanding education programs and opportunities for collegial contact. www.njscsw.org 


IDfest is Coming May 3, 2014

 

SAVE THE DATE! On May 3rd IDfest is coming back!  And, the IDfest 2014 committee hopes you are too.  That is, if you like to laugh, drink a little wine, and treat yourself to delicious sweets, all in the company of your CPPNJ colleagues, friends and family.  

 

Once again, Mike Keren is seeking out a fabulous line-up of comedians.  So, be sure to keep your eyes open for the grand announcement of this year's stellar set to be staged at the beautiful Lenfell Hall at FDU! 

 

Bakers and bartenders are starting to stir things up behind the scenes, and we'd like you to start your own set of mischief too.  How?  CPPNJ "Colleague" tables of ten will still earn you a discounted price, but if you commit (no pun intended) ten of your "friends and family" to a table you'll also become eligible to win a REAL PRIZE!  Seriously! 

 

Stay tuned for more intriguing details to come.  It's almost too much fun to be a fundraiser.


Demystifying Self Harm: External Wounds and Internal Strife 

By Janet S. Hoffer, MSW, LCSW

 

Janet Hoffer I first became intrigued by the mysterious and disturbing world of self harm (cutting, tattooing, piercing, skin picking) when a patient I was treating began to pick at her skin during our sessions.  The behavior, we noticed, occurred each time we discussed her relationship with her father, particularly her anger towards him.  I began to understand that the feelings she could not put into words were being expressed through her body.   I turned to the literature to make sense of this and found answers in brain research, attachment theory, as well as object relations theory.

 

We know from brain research that the infant and caregiver enter into a repetitive pattern with one another during the bonding process.  When bonding goes well, the cycle of affect arousal, attunement and regulation of the affect allows for the development of a secure attachment.  However, when the child enters the cycle with a caretaker who is inflicting emotional and/or physical pain or is neglectful, the result is a disorganized attachment style.  Research has also shown that the interaction between parent and infant will determine the way in which the child begins to adapt to their caretaker. The child is extraordinarily dependent and finds ingenious ways to adapt and cling to the much needed attachment figure, even when the caretaker is abusive.   

 

Dissociation is an invaluable survival tool in this process.  Contemporary thinkers define dissociation as a protective mechanism enlisted to separate affect from cognition.  When the child needs to compartmentalize facets of their traumatic experience while at the same time hold on to the attachment figure, dissociation makes it possible. (Howell, 2005)  Tracing this idea back historically, we find that W.D. Fairbairn is an original thinker in this arena.  He posited that the abused/neglected child needs to split off a representation of the parent as good, while at the same time internalizing the split off bad representation known as "identification with the aggressor."   Fairbairn declared: "It is better to be a sinner in a world ruled by God than to live in a world ruled by the Devil."  Faced with no choice, the child takes in the badness, thereby keeping the parent as good. The bleak alternative would be to view the parent as bad thereby living in a world ruled by the Devil.  This view offers no security for the delicate defense mechanisms of the young child.

 

Self harm behaviors are born from the processes of dissociation and splitting.  Every act of self harm can be thought to include two (or more) self states.  We can think of one self state being the part of the self inflicting the abuse and a second self state as the one being abused.  Under the pressure of rageful feelings toward the needed parents, a psychological razor takes a clean swipe to the body, thereby splitting the self into prey and predator, abuser and abused. The "inner predator" (Farber, 2008) that does the cutting is the split off identification with the aggressor. At the same time, affects are separated from cognition thereby preserving the attachment to the abusive or neglectful, but still loved parent. 

 

Self harm behavior is the expression of disordered efforts to self regulate in an insecure attachment.  The range of self harm can go from the very concrete to the more symbolic areas of dysregulated eating and addictions.  We find self harm in so many patients and in so many different ways when part of the self has been barricaded off.  We do not have to look very far to discover that an attuned adult was not present to offer explanations and consolation as trauma unfolded. The defenses I have described provided the means of coping with the projections from the abusive/neglectful caretaker.  Self harm behavior also masks the reenactment of the early trauma being perpetrated on the body. 

 

 Click HERE to read the rest of this article

Group shot 2  
Central Region Brunch
 
By Tom Johnson, LCSW, EdD
 
On Sunday morning January 5th, despite the snow and ice (and the elegant slips and falls of some of our comrades in transit), the CPPNJ Central Region (Middlesex/Somerset/Mercer/Monmouth Counties) held their first get-together brunch at the warm and lovely home of faculty member Susan Gutwill in Highland Park.
  
The event achieved what was hoped: old friends and colleagues renewed their connections and caught up with each other; new connections were begun; and time was spent talking about increasing the recruitment of new candidates in this region and increasing activity here. For example, candidate Ruth Goldsmith, who teaches the 2nd year Clinical Social Work courses at the Rutgers School of Social Work talked about ways for CPPNJ to have more of a presence there. She indicated that  time is  spent talking about psychoanalytic theory in these classes, and many of their faculty would welcome our participation by coming in to talk about the application of theory, present cases, or consult on cases presented by the MSW students.

Martha Temple and Susan Gutwill
 
We are also working on continuing to forge a closer affiliation with students at the Clinical Psychology program at Rutgers. Faculty from the Central Region talked about their new interests and projects. Jeff Savlov talked about his work with consulting to family businesses, and Paula Freed talked about her work with creative non-fiction and her interest in developing writing groups. Susan Gutwill talked about the work she and other faculty have commenced in designing a training program at CPPNJ for the Treatment of Eating and Body Image Problems. There are exciting prospects brewing in  the Central Region.


 

 Central Region Brunch 1  

 

CPPNJ Annual Holiday Party January 25, 2014
By Marion Houghton, EdS, LMFT 

 

Lorraine Morrow, Bob Morrow, Mary Lantz and Helene Schwartzbach  

I arrive at Giorgio's and, from the lobby level, look down at a sea of people-with hardly a bit of floor space visible.  There is also a joyful noise that is welcoming.  Somehow the challenge of body contact and a little jostling seems worth the experience of camaraderie and warmth on a cold winter night.

 

Laura Arrue Bob and Mana Levine A place at a table is being held for me - my anxiety level drops.  I feel fortunate to join a group of people who call CPPNJ our common affiliation.

 

There is a newly minted analyst of Caribbean origin.  There is another woman seasoned in the rigors of candidacy.  There are two brand new candidates who will begin their coursework next week and who already seem to feel safe enough in this gathering of analysts at various stages of their careers. Everyone appears quite comfortable just being together in a "harmonious mix-up" of human beings.  There is a retired analyst at ease joining those who are still actively practicing our trade.  There is a faculty member transplanted from another analytic home and who is well assimilated into CPPNJ.  And, besides myself, there is an younger analyst coming into her own as an active member of the community involved in ongoing committee work. 

 

  Stanley Moldawsky and Ronnie Bearison

My table is one of about ten-all with participants diverse in unique ways and including a number of spouses of analysts, all engaged in the energized conversations that fill the room.  A spiral staircase provides a path to a loft where more people are sharing the evening together.  I am curious about where it goes but content to remain where I am.

 

A room full of shared stories... these are just my impressions.  No doubt those of you who attended can tell so may more.

 

It was an evening that celebrated the holiday season and warmed us all in fellowship.  Happy New Year!

 

  holiday party 2013

INTRODUCING OUR TWO NEW CPPNJ CANDIDATES

Jordana Skurka, PsyD 
 
I obtained a Psy.D. from Yeshiva University, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology in 1996.  There I focused on clinical psychology gaining clinical experience with adult, child, adolescent, couples, and family therapy.  The orientation of the program was psychodynamic and this continues to be my primary orientation.  Since then I have directed a family support center in a therapeutic community for substance abusers, worked for 7 years in several university counseling centers with undergraduate and graduate students, worked with families and children in an outpatient clinic, and maintained a private practice.  In my private practice I work with children, adolescent, and adults; I also provide psychoeducational assessments.  Although I have some experience working with couples, I only recently developed an intense interest in the work, both with regards to the dynamics that impact relationships and the techniques effective when providing therapy.  Hence I am happy and excited to now be part of the couples program.

 


Linda Stewart, LCSW, LCADC  
 

I am thrilled to be a part of CPPNJ and to start my journey into contemporary psychoanalytic studies.

 

I graduated from Fordham's MSW program in 2005 with a specialization in addictions and have been in private practice in the Somerville area since 2008. Through working in the field of addictions, my practice has evolved to working with specific and complex trauma clients as well as mood and anxiety disorders. I had the privilege of working with active duty military personnel in 2012 and continue to treat veterans when possible. I work primarily with adults with complex developmental trauma, with or without addictive behaviors.

 

I have a strong interest in the mind-body connection and experiential and alternative treatments, and have completed training in EMDR and Prolonged Exposure as well as dabbling in Hakomi and Sandplay therapy. As a per diem therapist at a local agency, I have the opportunity to supervise Rutgers MSW students and have completed training to supervise LCSW candidates.

 

On a personal note, weight training and healthy eating helps keep me sane, and I love finding new and healthy recipes to try. When circumstances allow, travel is also one of my passions and I am grateful to have been able to see much of the world over the years. 

 


Member Presentations and Publications
     

Please note: If you have an announcement of either a paper you've recently published or a presentation you've given, let us know. Send Cathy Van Voorhees an email at cppnj@aol.com and we will be happy to get the word out.   

  
Book Reviews

What are you currently reading? We would like to include book recommendations and reviews. Send Cathy Van Voorhees an email at cppnj@aol.com - tell her what you are reading and we will spread the word.
  

Unsolicited articles are welcome.  Something you'd like to write?  Send it to us at cppnj@aol.com.  We're happy to hear from you.   

 

Thank you for joining us. Look for our next newsletter in March 2014 when we will feature Work fit for a psychoanalyst ...assessing applicants for political asylum," by Barry Cohen, PhD. 

 

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