Study Group Bulletin Board
South Bay: New Study Groups Forming and Openings in Existing Study Groups
Facilitator: Lynn Alexander, Psy.D.
Title: How to invite patients into coming more frequently
Description: This is an ongoing group and they have requested this special topic.
Many different research studies show that the more often someone comes, the deeper and more effective the therapy.
But often when someone gets a new referral they do not know how to invite the patient to come more than once a week.
The same is true during an ongoing therapy when it becomes clear that the patient could really benefit from more frequent contact.
The therapist is not confident about how to respond to the patient's many fears about what this would mean.
While we will be doing some readings on this topic, this class will focus on clinical material provided both by myself, and by each of the group members.
We'll look closely at a variety of clinical situations presented by class members to determine if more frequent sessions would be useful.
If so, we will discuss in depth how to introduce the idea to the patient and how to analyze the resulting fears.
It is my intent that we will follow a couple of cases through the transition from once weekly to multiple times weekly.
Address: 550 Hamilton Ave. #240, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: 650-328-8505
Email: lynnalex@inreach.com
Status: ongoing
Day & Time: Wednesdays 11:35 AM to 12:05 PM
Start Date: ongoing
Length: ongoing
Fee: $50
CE: Yes
Group Size: 2 openings, group is limited to 8
Bio: Lynn Alexander, Psy.D., Faculty, Personal and Supervising Analyst Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California (PINC), faculty Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (NCSPP), faculty Palo Alto Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training Program (PAPPTP), International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) qualified training analyst.
Facilitator: Lynn Alexander, Psy.D.
Essentials of Object Relations Therapy
Description: In this new class we will be reading papers and discussing how to apply the ideas in everyday situations with everyday patients. Some of the topics that we will study include: The initial session: How can we start building and discussing the relationship?
Setting the frame: How do we create a space where the patient can feel safe enough to work at the deepest levels?
Listening: Object relations therapy requires a very special and disciplined way of listening. What do we listen for and how do we understand what we are hearing?
Interpretation: How can we formulate our response in a way that deepens the work and enhances the patient's sense of being understood and feeling secure?
Trauma: How do we understand and effectively work with patients who have traumatic histories, since the patient's experience of being traumatized will be repeated in the relationship with us? People who have been traumatized need us to understand this while helping them to overcome the need to repeat.
Transference: Intense transference reactions indicate that the patient is working at a deep level, but they can be confusing and overwhelming for us. How do we understand and effectively respond? And what about the patient who appears to display no transference? How can we access and work with hidden transferences?
Address: 550 Hamilton Ave. #240, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: 650-328-8505
Email: lynnalex@inreach.com
Status: existing group with 6 openings
Day & Time: Fridays 10:30 AM to 11:55 AM
Start Date: mid-September
Length: ongoing
Fee: $50 per meeting
CE: yes
Group Size: group size is 8, there are 6 openings
Bio: Lynn Alexander, Psy.D., Faculty, Personal and Supervising Analyst Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California (PINC), faculty Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (NCSPP), faculty Palo Alto Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training Program (PAPPTP), International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) qualified training analyst.
Facilitator: Alan Kessler, Ph.D.
Title: Case Consultation and Reading Group for Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Psychotherapists
Description: We seek to sharpen our clinical ears to the illusive but highly meaningful communications in sessions that are not apparent on first blush.
We try to understand the complex ways in which each presented individual experiences self, other and the potential pleasures and inevitable pains of life.
We also listen closely to ourselves in relation to the patient with the hope of gaining greater understanding of the dilemmas she/he faces in facing us and others.
We then discuss how to best communicate to the client the understandings we think we have gleaned so they may process our ideas for themselves and so we may gain greater interpretive skills.
In addition to the case discussion, readings are discussed for about the first half hour and then integrated into the clinical material being presented.
Address: 20688 Fourth Street, Saratoga, CA 95070
Phone: (408) 868-9405
Email: amkessler@comcast.net
Status: This is an existing group with openings for two members
Day & Time: Friday mornings from 10:30 to 12:00, September through June with a break in the summer
Length: ongoing
Fee: $45 per session
CE: Not offered
Group Size: A couple openings; Maximum of 6
Bio: Alan Kessler, Ph.D. is a psychoanalyst, licensed psychologist and MFT in private practice in the South Bay (i.e., Saratoga). In addition to his private practice, Alan is a member and faculty of SFCP and has taught classes in the SFCP Extension Division. Beyond teaching for SFCP, his experience teaching psychoanalytic and developmental concepts to mental health professionals is extensive.
Facilitator: Mary Jane Otte, Ph.D.
Title: Case Consultation: Developing a Better understanding of Psychoanalytic Concepts and Techniques
Description: This is a supportive consultation group for those interested in deepening their understanding of a psychoanalytic approach to working with all types of patients.
Includes case presentations, discussion of practice building techniques and supplementary reading as the group desires.
Address: 550 Hamilton Ave., #240, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: 650-326-6663
Email: mj.otte@gmail.com
Status: ongoing
Day &Time: Tuesdays, 1:10pm to 2:15pm
Length: ongoing
Fee: $60 per session
CE: Not Offered
Group Size: 2 openings; Maximum of 9; minimum of 6
Note: Formation of a second group on Thursday is a possibility. The emphasis could be child or adult.
Bio: Mary Jane Otte is a training and supervising analyst at the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis and at the Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California.
She is certified by the American Psychoanalytic Association in both child and adult analysis. She is a member of the Adjunct Clinical Faculty at the Stanford Department of Psychiatry and teaches for Stanford Continuing Studies. Her private practice is in Palo Alto.
Facilitator/Contact Person: Ann Langley, Ph.D.
Title: Using Object Relations Theory in Your Practice
Description: This group will help you apply object relations theory in your work with patients (including couples). You will learn how to listen for the transference
and how to utilize your counter transference in the treatment. The group will be a supportive environment to study and learn together with colleagues.
Address: 50 Woodside Plaza, #425, Redwood City, CA 94061
Phone: (650) 599-2612
Email: annlan@sbcglobal.net
Status: (New group forming/Existing group with openings) Existing group with openeings.
Day & Time: 11:30am to 1:00pm Mondays
Start Date: Began November 2007
Length (if time limited; otherwise state ?ngoing??: ongoing
Fee: $40.00
CE offered?: (Y/N) not yet; application being made
Group Size (or number of openings): 6 maximum members
Dr. Langley has been practicing for over 25 years and has specialized in addictions recovery, couples therapy and sexual issues. She is a candidate at the Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California and has taught couples therapy and addictions treatment at JFK University and Santa Clara University.
