Contemporary Freudian Society NY Division–Scientific Program
Tuesday, October 8th, 2013
8:30 – 10:00 pm
The Culture Center
410 Columbus Avenue (between 79th & 80th)
Admission is free.
What Psychotherapists Need to Know about the Phenomenon of Parental Alienation
Linda Gunsberg, PhD, Presenter; Steven Demby, PhD, Discussant
It is essential for therapists of children, adolescents and adults to understand both the parental influences and the child/adolescent contributions to the destructive phenomenon referred to as Parental Alienation. Therapists who work with adults need to be familiar with how a mother or father who is in treatment may be fostering or stimulating the alienation of the child from the other parent. The adult patient may be the alienator or the parent who is alienated. Parental Alienation is often not readily revealed in individual treatment, since the adult patient/parent may avoid bringing relevant material into therapy that would allow the therapist to observe the patient’s contributions to Parental Alienation.
This presentation will describe the concept of Parental Alienation. Clinical illustrations that demonstrate the roles of the child and each parent in the creation and maintenance of this phenomenon will be offered. Techniques that can enable therapists to elicit information about the parent’s contribution to Parental Alienation will be discussed, and several therapeutic interventions that may be used to address Parental Alienation in conjunction with individual treatment will be described.
Linda Gunsberg, PhD, is Chair of the Family Law and Family Forensics Training Program at Washington Square Institute. She is a member of IPTAR and of the International Psychoanalytical Association. She is also a graduate of the NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. Dr. Gunsberg is on the Editorial Board of Psychoanalytic Inquiry, and has co-edited and contributed chapters in three books (Fathers and Their Families, 1989; Handbook of Divorce and Custody, 2005; and In Celebration of the Life and Inquiring Spirit of Joseph D. Lichtenberg [in press]). She has also co-edited and contributed to an issue of Psychoanalytic Inquiry, The Psychoanalyst in the Courtroom (2009). Dr. Gunsberg co-chairs the Psychoanalysis and Law Discussion Group of the American Psychoanalytic Association. Her private practice is devoted to infant-parent(s) consultations, child and adolescent psychotherapy, adult individual psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, couples treatment, and family therapy. Her forensic practice includes nationwide and international appointments to conduct family, civil, and criminal evaluations for the Court, consultation to and strategy meetings with legal teams, and peer review of mental health forensic evaluations. Dr. Gunsberg also runs a Parental Alienation Support Group for alienated parents.
Steven Demby, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst in independent practice with offices in Chelsea and Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. He provides divorce-related services including forensic custody evaluations, parenting coordination, and mediation of parenting plans, as well as individual psychotherapy and psychoanalysis with adults. Dr. Demby is on the Executive Committee of the Interdisciplinary Forum on Family Law and Mental Health. He is a former Co-President and current Board Member of the NY Chapter of the Association for Family and Conciliation Courts. He is a member of the Contemporary Freudian Society, the International Psychoanalytical Association, and he is on the faculty of the Family Law and Family Forensics Training Program at Washington Square Institute. Dr. Demby has published papers on the psychological impact of separation/divorce on parents and children, including “Interparent Hatred and Its Impact on Parenting: Assessment in Forensic Custody Evaluations,” in Psychoanalytic Inquiry (2009).
Learning Objectives – After attending this program, participants will be able to:
1. describe the phenomenon of Parental Alienation;
2. delineate several ways to elicit information about the patient’s parenting so that the patient’s contribution to Parental Alienation can be illuminated and understood;
3. illustrate specific therapeutic interventions that may be used to address Parental Alienation in conjunction with individual treatment.
Who Should Attend:
Mental Health Professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, licensed professional counselors, eg, LP’s, LCAT’s, pastoral counselors), and people with an interest in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic thinking and clinical applications.
CE Credits:
Psychologists: The Contemporary Freudian Society is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education programs for psychologists. CFS maintains responsibility for this program and its content. CE credits are granted to participants with documented attendance and completed evaluation forms. Attendance is monitored. Credit will not be granted to registrants who arrive late, or depart early. It is the responsibility of participants seeking CE credits to comply with the requirements outlined below. Upon completion of these requirements, participants will be given 1.5 CE credits.
Registration Fees, Certificates of Attendance and CE Credit Information:
Admission is free.
Basic Certification of Attendance forms will be emailed to ATR-BC’s and others at no charge if requested on the sign-in sheet.
The fee for 1.5 CE Credits for Members of CFS and Candidates of the PTI of CFS is $15, and for all others it is $30. If you would like CE credit, please check the appropriate box on the sign-in sheet. An evaluation form will be emailed to you. You will receive a PDF via email of your CE credits upon receipt of a hard copy of the completed evaluation form and your check (written to The Contemporary Freudian Society).
Important disclosure information:
None of the planners and presenters of this CE program have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
If you have any questions, please contact: Connie Stroboulis at ConnieS3@aol.com
CFS-NY Scientific Program Committee:
Vivian Eskin & Ani Buk, Co-Chairs; Jill Alberts, Kristina MacGaffin, Batya Monder
The Psychoanalytic Training Institute of CFS offers a variety of programs in both New York City and Washington, DC for students interested in adult psychoanalysis, child/adolescent psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and parent-infant treatment. Our NY Adult Psychoanalysis Program is registered as licensure qualifying by the NYSED. All Masters-level and Doctoral-level professionals are welcome to apply. Please visit instituteofcfs.org for further information