Contemporary Freudian Society – NY Division
Scientific Program
Thursday, April 11, 2013, 8:00 – 10:00 pm
Seating is limited, pre-registration by April 1 is required.
Attendance fee is $20 ($10 for Candidates and full-time students).
Upper West Side (low 80’s) location will be sent via email upon receipt of pre-registration.
Unconscious Beliefs about the Couple, Mary Morgan, presenter
This presentation explores the concept of unconscious belief as it manifests in the couple relationship, drawing on the work of Ron Britton. Particular attention is paid to the couple’s beliefs about what a couple relationship is. Other concepts, such as shared phantasy, the internal couple, and the ‘proleptic imagination’ (James Fisher), are defined and contrasted with the concept of unconscious belief. Typical kinds of unconscious beliefs in the couple are outlined. How the therapist can identify the couple’s unconscious beliefs, specifically through the use of countertransference, is described. Clinical material highlights the ways in which the therapist can use this material to help the couple develop insight. Of special importance is how the couple can learn to develop the capacity to take a ‘third position’ (Ron Britton) in order to discover that what is felt in the unconscious as a fact is actually a belief. By engaging in the process of understanding and mourning these unconscious beliefs, each partner can begin to see the other in a different and more realistic way.
Mary Morgan is a Couple Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist, Psychoanalyst and Member of the British Psychoanalytical Society. At the Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships she is the director of both the MA Program in Couple Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and the Professional Doctorate Program in Couple Psychotherapy. She has a particular interest in the psychoanalytic understanding of couple relationships and the technique of couple psychoanalytic psychotherapy, about which she has published many papers. She is a member of the International Psychoanalytical Association’s Psychoanalytic Perspectives of Families and Couples Working Group, which is studying similarities and differences in psychoanalytic theories and techniques of treating couples. She has been invited to develop and lead couple psychotherapy training programs in several countries, lectures internationally, and has worked closely for many years with colleagues in Sweden and the USA.
Learning objectives – Participants will be able to:
1. describe the concept of unconscious belief and its application to the couple relationship.
2. explain the clinical usefulness of the concept of unconscious beliefs in analytic work with couples.
3. illustrate how the therapist can identify a couple’s unconscious beliefs, particularly through the use of countertransference.
4. delineate specific clinical techniques that can be used to help couples work with their unconscious beliefs.
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 2 CE credits.
Registration Fees, Certificates of Attendance and CE Credit Information:
Seating is limited. Please pre-register by sending the form below with a check for $20 ($10 for Candidates and full-time students), post-marked by April 1st.
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 2 CE Credits for Members of CFS and Candidates of the PTI of CFS is $20, and for all others it is $40. 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:
Vivian Eskin, PhD, at veskinphd@gmail.com