Hello Community,

The dog days of summer are upon us. Labor day weekend and the week leading up to it are an exciting time in Auburn. We get a chance to see cars and trucks, trucks with trailers, old school buses, hippy vans, very old motor-homes, Volkswagen Vans and all manner of vehicles taking people to Burning Man. Attached to those trailers along with the inevitable decorated bicycles, are often amazing, gigantic motorized floats, and statutes. Sometimes the vehicles break down and we are able to get an up-close experience of the artist detail of those works of love. For those of you unfamiliar with Burning Man, it started in San Francisco at Bakers Beach when in 1986 Larry Harvey planned a party where he burned an 8-foot effigy of a man in celebration of the Summer Solstice and to mark the end of a relationship. There were 20 people there. Today the celebration is held in Nevada, the Burning Man is 50 feet tall and in 2012 there were 56,149 participants. Pretty impressive (maybe we need to hire their marketer, lol). This is attraction versus promotion at it's best.

Why am I bringing this up you ask? The annual burning of the effigy reminds me of the process of acceptance, letting go and renewal. In many of the great spiritual traditions there is an annual renewal process. We are in that process now at SFPRG. We are evaluating what is working, what needs to be accepted and what needs to change. Although we are not planning to burn anything, on September 20th we are going to begin to change our environment at 9 Funston Ave. I would like to invite you to be apart of that process. Rob and I have inspected all the nooks and crannies of the building and have a list and a plan for what needs to be discarded, stored, cleaned, organized and purchased. We need about 12 people to work in teams in 6 different areas of the building. Cleaning, discarding and organizing will be our first step. If there are more then 12 people, we will be most appreciative. The time is 9-2. Lunch will be provided. Please email us to let us know you are coming so we can have enough food.

In other news our annual honorary dinner is September 13th. Join us in celebrating the contributions of Denny Zeitlin and Peter Schumacher to SFPRG. We will be having a fabulous dinner and contributing to the growth of the organization through our contributions. Hope to see you there.

The Summer Samba was a big success. Thank you Jessica for opening up your home for the party. We had delicious Mexican food and the same two musicians as last year who towards the end of the party had many of us up and dancing.

We are in the planning process for the Art Party and Auction December 6th and need to gather more items and art. Please contact Rob for more details.

Take care,
Susan Landes

Classes are up on the website. Our ongoing case conferences are open for enrollment as well as the November 15th conference with Dan Wile and George Silberschatz.

Fall approaches- I always get so excited at the beginning of the new "school" year. I wonder if one ever gets over that? Things are very busy at the clinic. We have just said goodbye to Joy, Ilysa, Valerie, Patrick, Gena, Valerie and Miya. Happily, they are all still close by with new practices of their own. Please consider them for referrals!

We welcome Trina, Victoria, Brittany and Erika and are also very pleased that Dr. Nina Grayson will be coming as well. Nina is a post doc from Pepperdine in the LA area. She has a background and Masters in the expressive arts (an ex ballet dancer) and lots of great experience. We have a great group of interns and know it will be a good year!

As always we are incredibly appreciative of all the support the community gives us. We couldn't begin to run this program without all your help. This year the following 20 people (in no particular order), besides Carol, Ginger and I, have supervised our interns: Bill Meehan, Claire Arbour, Susan Badger, Jane Weisbin, John Gibbins, Heather Clague, Susan Landes, Merrie Jaffe, Michael Lowenstein, Joe Cristofalo, Jamie Edmund, Steve Foreman, Molly Sullivan, David Auld, Tim Lewis, Helga Fasching, Ilysa Goldblatt, John Snyder, John Curtis, Peter Schumacher, and Norman Sohn.

Case conferences were graciously provided by: Peter Schumacher, Ginger Rhodes, Jane Weisbin, Molly Sullivan, Barabra Sapienza, and Alan Rappoport.

Didactic Trainings were provided on:
Working with the new records system by John Snyder, Adolescents by Susan Badger, Groups by Jack Maslow, Working w/ Addictions by Claire Arbour, Psychoanalytic underpinning of CMT by John Gibbins, Cultural issues by Gena Castro Rodriguez, Couples by Jay Seiff-Heron, Children by Steve Foreman and Medications by Larry Hetrick.

It was a fantastic year and we thank you all for the support teaching our wonderful interns! This year we are launching a new group program headed by Jack Maslow and facilitated by Camerin Ross. The first group offered is on Chronic pain run by Jodi Engstrom and David Becker and is offered off site at the UCSF Osher center, Thursdays from 6-7:30. This group will explore the connections between our bodily experiences and our feelings and emotions. Please mention this group to your patients. More groups to come! It is our intention to have an ongoing relationship group.

We are thrilled that one third of all of this year's trainings will be taught by former interns! We are also beginning to tape appropriate trainings in the hopes of posting them online. We are joining the 21st century!

As I enter my 4th and final year at the clinic, I'm preparing for the transition into private practice and am pleased to say hello and introduce myself to many of you. I hope our paths cross at a future SFPRG event -- Samba anyone?

CMT was first on my radar through a case presentation by Karly Kaplan, PsyD, which grabbed my attention. I was impressed with the attention paid to individual factors and the clarity the framework brought to Karly's presentation that day. I continue to appreciate Joe Weiss' and Hal Sampson's work and each year, as I learn and grow, I value the variety of voices in our group and the depth they bring to CMT.

CMT's collaborative nature suits me well. I describe my work as integrative and CMT gives me a solid base from which I utilize aspects of CBT/DBT and mindfulness with my patients, as indicated. I enjoy working with adolescents to older adults, individually or in dyads, and with couples and groups. I'm experienced in treating a wide range of presenting issues, including anxiety and depression, trauma, relational issues and life transitions. I welcome diversity, in its many forms, and have pursued clinical training in size diversity from a Health At Every Size® perspective, which honors that bodies come in all kinds of sizes, shapes and weights and respects the rights of all people to define and pursue their individual health goals. In 2010, I pursued training and supervision in treating eating disorders and body image problems. I became a licensed facilitator of the Am I Hungry? ® Mindful Eating program and an Am I Hungry? ® Mindful Eating for Binge Eating therapist, supervised by Deborah Brenner-Liss PhD.

Group work has become an important part of my clinical development and I'm helping the clinic this year as the group coordinator. I'm especially interested in working collaboratively with my group participants' individual therapists to better attend to patients' plans and help facilitate their goals. If you see fliers around the clinic or read an announcement of a newly forming group, I invite you to contact me for more information.

Warmly, Camerin Ross, PhD registered psych assistant #PSB37918, supervised by Ginger Rhodes, PhD #PSY20214 415.937.0403 cjross@hushmail.com

This is the fourth year that we at SFPRG are honoring members who have made significant and meaningful contributions to our research group, whether it be through teaching, doing research, giving workshops, presenting at conferences, supervising, administering programs, or promoting Control Mastery Theory and the mission of SFPRG. This event is a yearly opportunity for old and new friends to socialize, to appreciate each other, and to recognize important work that many people have made to our group. In addition to being an honorary dinner, it is a fundraiser. We want to raise the profile of what our group is doing and what individuals have done for our group. We would like to see many of you attend with your friends and families to toast this year's honorees.

This year, 2014, we recognize Dennis J. Zeitlin, M.D. and Peter Schumacher for their outstanding contributions to SFPRG and Control Mastery Theory. We will be honoring Denny and Peter at a dinner at the very lovely Piatti Ristorante in Mill Valley, on Saturday, September 13, at 6:00 pm. The cost of the dinner will be $125 per person, proceeds going to SFPRG. Reservations and payment can be made through our website. Students/interns should email the office for a reduced price: sfprg@sfprg.org. Don't wait to the last minute as we have to give a head count to the restaurant soon!

Peter Schumacher
This year, the San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group is honoring Peter Schumacher for his contribution to SFPRG and to Control Mastery Theory. Peter has a long and varied career. Like Joe Weiss, he studied mathematics as an undergraduate. He worked at Esalen Institute in the early 1970's and has led private psychotherapy groups in France and Switzerland. He has done individual and group therapy for criminal sex offenders and substance abusers. He has consulted to and supervised staff for a court mandated substance abuse treatment program that Peter developed at the request of the United States Probation and Parole offices in San Francisco and Oakland. The United States Department of Courts used Peter's program as a model for drug and alcohol treatment programs nationally. Peter has supervised interns and trainees at the California Institute for Integral Studies as well as at John F. Kennedy University. He has practiced as a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist since 1986. 



Affiliated with the research group since 1990, Peter has made a major contribution to SFPRG through service and teaching. Peter served as Treasurer on the Board of Directors from 1999 until 2012. Peter has been instrumental in developing and designing our website, SFPRG.org. He continues to serve on the Fundraising Committee. Peter is a major contributor to the yearly SFPRG Art Show and Fundraiser as an organizer and as an artist. He has also recruited Judith May, his wife, as auctioneer for the art show.

As a teacher, Peter has been an important asset to SFPRG. With Marshall Bush, he took over co-leadership of Joe Weiss' Monday seminar, "How Psychotherapy Works" at Joe's request in 2004. He has led the Monday group alone since 2006 where he conducts an ongoing case conference and leads an in depth discussion of Joe Weiss' writings. Peter has been a popular supervisor for interns and trainees at the Clinic since 2004. 



He has taught the core seminar "On Technique" for several years at the Annual International Conference on Control Mastery Theory. He has also lectured on "Guilt, Blame, and Shame" and "Plan Formulation" at the March Conference. He recently returned from presenting an excellent paper, "The Beauty Behind Control Mastery Theory" at a conference entitled "New Directions In Control Mastery Theory" in Bergen, Norway in July, 2014.

Dr. Dennis J. Zeitlin
At this year's annual dinner we are honoring Dr. Denny Zeitlin for his long involvement in SFPRG, and his many contributions to Control Mastery Theory. As a clinician, teacher, and jazz pianist extraordinare, Denny brings a creativity and intellectual curiosity to his work. He has been instrumental in expanding control mastery theory into work with couples as well as in group therapy. For those who have taken his courses in couples therapy, you are well aware of the depth of his thinking, the uniqueness of his approach, and the pleasure he takes in his work. He has added significantly to our thinking about how family of origin loyalties play out in marital relationships and the role these loyalties and their resultant pathogenic beliefs play in contributing to relationship stresses and conflicts.

This same clinical acumen is also applied to his work with groups. His interest in groups goes back to the 1960s and 70s with the Human Potential movement, and his work with groups continues today, utilizing Control Mastery theory as a means of orienting and conceptualizing the group process. Building on the early Control Mastery work of Lowell Cooper, Denny has helped shed a light on the concepts of pro-plan and anti-plan in a group setting, as well as the role of vicarious learning.

It is fitting that we should be honoring Denny. His commitment to the theory and to the research group itself has been ongoing since his first meeting with Joe Weiss in 1975. His clinical thinking, like his music continues to evolve, and his influence has been significant in both arenas. For Denny, learning and teaching are lifelong endeavors, and SFPRG has both contributed to and benefited from these endeavors.

Please join us in honoring Denny Zeitlin and Peter Schumacher at Piatti Ristorante in Mill Valley on September 13. Click here to join us at the dinner.

Amazon.com has a new program called AmazonSmile which will give a small donation from your purchase to the nonprofit of your choice. Please bookmark AmazonSmile and designate the San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group as your charity of choice! Link to AmazonSmile here

Daniel Wile, PhD & George Silberschatz, PhD

Saturday, November 15, 2014, 9 am - 4:30 pm. 6 hours CE
JCCSF, 3200 California St. (at Presidio Ave), San Francisco

This workshop focuses on similarities and differences between Dan Wile's Collaborative Couple therapy and Control Mastery Couple therapy. The presenters will briefly discuss their respective theories and show how they work clinically through case examples and couple role plays. Dan Wile will highlight the principle of doubling, which is the signature method of his approach and George Silberschatz will illustrate how understanding pathogenic schemas can facilitate more effective communication among partners. Plenty of practical clinical application.

Daniel B. Wile, PhD, is in private practice in Oakland, California. He is a clinical psychologist with thirty-five years experience as a couple therapist. He is a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology of the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has published on psychotherapeutic theory as well as couples therapy, has taught at several graduate programs in the San Francisco Bay Area, gives professional workshops on couples therapy throughout the United States and internationally, and is author of Couples Therapy: A Nontraditional Approach; After the Honeymoon, How Conflict Can Improve Your Relationship; and After the Fight: Using Your Disagreements to Build a Stronger Relationship. www.danwile.com

George Silberschatz, PhD, is a Psychologist and Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine and past president of the international Society for Psychotherapy Research. He has published extensively in professional journals and books and is a sought after presenter at professional meetings and workshops throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. He currently divides his time between a private practice in San Francisco, teaching and supervising psychotherapy, and writing clinical and research papers. His book, Transformative Relationships, has been widely acclaimed for the clarity of its theoretical foundations, the rigor of the research presented and its clinical relevance.

Register for this class here.
Check with your licensure board for rules pertaining to claiming CE hours.
PSYCHOLOGISTS: SFPRG is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. SFPRG maintains responsibility for these programs and their contents.
SFPRG does not report your attendance to the MCEPAA.
L.C.S.W.s/M.F.C.C.s: SFPRG is a provider approved by the Board of Behavioral Sciences, Provider Number PCE104, for CE credit on an hour-for-hour basis.

Hello members and friends of the San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group. It is my pleasure to join the Board of Directors and serve as the Treasurer for the group. I was introduced to the group and the board through my wife Jodi Engstrom who has been and pre-doc and post-doc intern at the clinic and has also served on the board as Intern Rep for several recent years. I have a great respect and value the care and effort that the Control Mastery theory and the therapist put into their work with their patients and hope that my service to the board and the group will echo those same values.

A little bit about my background, I graduated with and MBA from San Diego State University in 2003. I spent a year and a half working in the mortgage industry serving as an underwriter and then account executive for a wholesale mortgage lender. I then spent nearly nine years at Dominican University of California in San Rafael, initially holding the financial analyst position and then promoted to Manager of Budgets and Financial Planning. In this capacity I worked directly with the CFO, Controller, and University Leadership in developing, implementing, and monitoring the university's annual budget while providing multi-year forecasts.

Currently, I have made somewhat of a career change in becoming a Financial Advisor with Ameriprise Financial. My focus is working with individuals and families to help them make smart financial decisions so that they can accomplish their financial goals in a simplified and systematized manner. My experience in helping the university and department managers develop and implement their budgets has transitioned well into this new position and affords me the ability to provide a unique perspective to people's finances. I feel that my university financial experience will provide the most impact within SFPRG and allow me to provide a professional and critical view of the finances of the group. I believe that I will be able to offer insights and analysis into how operational matters affect the finances of the group and work with the leadership to ensure that the group, the Control Mastery theory, and the value that you provide to your patients and the community will persist.

I look forward to meeting all of you at future SFPRG events like the upcoming honoree dinner and listening to your perspectives on what value you get from being a member and what you think we can do to help this group grow.
John Engstrom

We have had another office open up in our building at The Presidio. It's a large downstairs office with lots of windows available now. High ceiling, decorative (nonfunctional) fireplace. Shared large kitchen, waiting room, bathroom. Easy cheap parking. Bus line 2 blocks away. Utilities & janitorial split with other therapists in addition to base rent. Prefer 4 year lease.

May have smaller, less expensive office available as well.

Contact Rob in the SFPRG office: rob@sfprg.org

On December 6th we will hold our annual Art Show Reception and Auction. We are looking for donations for the auction. At last year's auction we had many great bottles of wine which folks had fun bidding on! If you can procure an item for auction, please let the office know. We are hoping for donations of wine, dinner certificates (ask your favorite restaurant if they donate to non-profits), vacation homes, tickets to shows (theater, concerts, sports), and of course, art. Anything you think would be a good auction item for our fundraiser, please donate it!

We would be happy to provide a receipt for tax records.

Note to artists - please think about what art you might like to show in December!

If you live outside of the Bay Area, SFPRG needs your help!

We want to present conferences on CMT outside of the Bay Area. Do you have connections with an organization that could either sponsor us or allow us use of a mailing list? We are APA approved so we can give CE hours anywhere in the U.S. If you know of an organization that would sponsor us, we can provide a lecturer; if you can get us a mailing list and leads on venues, we can do the rest.

Please contact Rob in our office (rob@sfprg.org) if you can help!

Thank you to those that renewed your membership with SFPRG. We count on membership support to keep our sliding scale clinic open and our education programs running.

The profiles of those who have not renewed will be deleted off the website in the coming weeks. Don't let this happen to your profile! renew now on the website!