Note from the Director and Co-Director
Elizabeth Carr and Maxine Ellenberg Arnsdorf

We want to provide you with more information about the new initiatives that we mentioned in our October note in the Newsletter. We have changed the method of evaluating conferences and programs related to the Relational Perspectives Institute. Rather than handing out the evaluation form and Continuing Education Certificate onsite, participants are directed to a link on the Survey Monkey website. Once the questionnaire found there is completed, participants are given instructions for printing a Continuing Education Certificate. While the process generally went well, we are aware that there were some glitches in the system following the October 10 program with Lewis Aron. We are addressing these and expect to have the system running smoothly for our program on December 5 with Donnel Stern. Our reasons for developing a system using Survey Monkey relates primarily to the ease with which we can tabulate participants responses and the belief that reducing paper consumption is better for the environment. We welcome your feedback about any aspect of the evaluation process.

There have been a couple of changes in the ICP&P office. First, we have a new computer system with a large screen used to connect to long-distance learners via Skype technology. The first year Psychotherapy class is using this technology with an MIT in Atlanta. By all reports, the new system is superior to our prior system of a speaker phone. We anticipate being able to use this technology to beam in speakers from other parts of the country for classes and short courses. A conference table and chairs for the office has been ordered which will provide alternative space for classes and meetings.

The election of the Member-in-Training Board Representative is currently in process and we anticipate the newly elected MIT Board Representative will participate in the November Board meeting.

Note from the Secretary
Leslie Westbrook

In an effort to keep the membership informed about issues that are being discussed by the ICP&P Board, a brief summary of each meeting is published in the Newsletter. If there are items about which you have questions, opinions or concerns, please feel free to contact a Board member. We welcome your input. All Board members are listed in the front of the ICP&P Directory and on the website. Here are some highlights from the October meeting:

• A new computer was purchased for administrative purposes when the old one stopped working. This impacted the preparation of materials needed for the Relational Perspectives Institute. In addition, the October treasurers report will be distributed to the Board at a later time.
• The Relational Perspective Institute conference on October 9-10 went very well. There were 160 registrants at the Saturday portion of the conference. Discussion ensued relative to tweaking the conference process. The Board voted to give the Director and Co-Director the same discount that the three Program Coordinators receive.
• Scientific Day will be January 23, 2010 and the Bruce Wine Memorial Conference will be December 4, 2010.
• The Reduced Fee Referral Service is fully operational and is sending clients to members of the various training programs.
• Russell Carr, a Member-in-Training, has been nominated to run for the Member-in-Training position on the Board. A ballot has been mailed out to the MIT’s.

Note from the Programs Co-Chairs
Sharon Ballard and Tripp Reed

Our first conference of the year, Relational Perspectives: Origins, Growth and Frontiers featuring Lewis Aron, PhD was a huge success. In conjunction with the Relational Perspectives weekend, Aron provided a fascinating overview of the history of Relational Psychoanalysis including the distinction between psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. His presentation incorporated the impact of multiple historical events and social contexts including anti-Semitism, immigration and the two World Wars.

Our next program, Partners in Thought: Witnessing, Enactment and Unformulated Experience on Saturday, December 5, will feature Donnel Stern, PhD who will discuss therapeutic action. Please register early.

Please consider developing and submitting a paper to Morgan Theriot for Scientific Day, scheduled for January 23, 2010. We are very excited to have another opportunity to hear from our ICP&P colleagues. It will be held at the National 4-H Center in Chevy Chase.

Note from Chair, Psychotherapy Training Program
Faith Lewis

Below are biographies for six of the nine MIT's of this year's Psychotherapy Training Program. The other three will follow next month:

Liz Merrill, LICSW, LCSW MSW, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Social Work, 2003, BA in English / Creative Writing, East Carolina University, 1992

I'm currently employed as a school social worker for Chantilly High School in Fairfax County, and recently left my therapist position at The Women’s Center in DC to build up a part-time private practice. I work with children and adults and have experience in the following areas: adjustment disorders, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, ADHD and educational difficulties, intimacy and relationship issues, and trauma.

When not gearing up to build my private practice, I also love walking on the beach, observing wild cat antics with my boyfriend, training for half marathons, and reading Kohut!

Beth Brocato, LCSW MSW, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Social Work, 2003, BS in Family and Child Development, Minor in Sociology, Virginia Tech 2001

Past Experience: In-home therapy/case management (individual/family) for severely emotionally disturbed children/adolescents in foster care; therapy/case management for adults with severe/chronic mental illness; head of a day-rehabilitation program for SED children ages 6-8; individual/group/family therapy for adolescents within a partial hospitalization program.

Current Experience: Outpatient Therapist at the Inova Kellar Center in Fairfax VA 22030 in individual and family therapy, and co-facilitator of a DBT group for adolescents.

Following grad school I moved to LA to get a taste of life outside my comfort zone. I fell in love with the city all 4 1/2 years there. It was an extremely difficult choice to leave, but my husband, Matt, and I, having officially met out there (even though we went to the same high school and college back here!), both decided it made sense for us to start the "rest of our lives" in VA. I moved back to the east coast in 2007; we were married in 2008. We joke that I moved 3000 miles away to essentially meet the boy next door :) Personal interests include running, dancing, reading, and Hokie football.

Gretchen Fair, MSW, MSW, Catholic University, 2008, Law Degree/MS in Bioethics, University of Virginia, BA, Duke University, 1999

After receiving my MSW from Catholic University, I have been working at the House of Ruth Domestic Violence Support Center with women who have experienced complex trauma. Before that, after my law and bioethics degrees, I practiced labor and employment law with a firm in DC.

I joined ICP&P last year and have been participating in a study group on the integration of relational psychotherapy and mind-body technique, as suggested by the latest findings of neuroscience. I have also co-taught a short course at ICP&P on the same subject with Steve Stein. I’m very excited to be starting the training program and to be a part of the ICP&P community!

Sophia Coudenhove, LGSW, MSW, Howard University, 2008, BS in Russian, Georgetown University, 1992

I began a career in journalism in Prague, Moscow, London, and New York, focusing on refugees and international victims of trauma. I then began working with refugees and decided to pursue an MSW. I now work with adolescents and adults and, following a maternity leave of absence, hope to begin private practice in the next few months. My areas of interest remain cross-cultural issues, loss and trauma.

Oksana Zadoro MSW, MSW, Catholic University, 2007, MS Foreign Service, Georgetown University, BA Literature & Linguistics, Moscow State University

I came to the US from Russia in the early 1990s, following graduation from Moscow State University with a degree in literature and linguistics. After graduating from Georgetown with an MS in Foreign Service in 1995, I worked around the world in international development and, later, journalism.

Starting a family in 2004 and the desire to stay in the DC area for awhile each played a role in my decision to pursue an MSW at Catholic University in clinical social work. I now work for the United Nations High Commission on Refugees program, providing therapy for unaccompanied teenagers and young adults from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Liberia, and Burma. In addition, I conduct psychiatric evaluations for the Washington Hospital Center Department of Psychiatry.

Rev. Matthew V. Johnson, Sr., PhD, Postdoctoral psychoanalytic work at Duke & UNC/Chapel Hill for two years, MA/PhD in Religious Studies/Philosophical Theology, University of Chicago, 1986 and 1991, BA in History and Philosophy, Morehouse College, 1983

In addition to preaching in the Baptist Church, teaching, and pastoral counseling, I have been published in both The Encyclopedia of Religion and The Encyclopedia of American Religion and Politics. My article entitled "The Middle Passage, Trauma and the Tragic Re-imagination of African American Theology" is published in The Journal of Pastoral Psychology. I am co-editor of the book The Passion of the Lord: African America Reflections, author of the recently published novel The Cicada's Song, and co-editor of the upcoming book Onesimus Our Brother scheduled for publication by Fortress Press.

I enjoy golfing, reading and hunting, and have been married to Arnetta Nicholson Johnson for twenty-five years. We are the proud parents of five children: Muriel (2006 graduate of North Carolina Central University), Nile (2008 graduate of Spelman College), Selah (Junior at Spelman College), Matthew, Jr. (Sophomore at Morehouse College), Danube (High School Junior), and the grandparents of one: Moriah (born Sept. 2007).

Note on the Reduced Fee Referral Service
Susan Gorman

The Reduced Fee Referral Service was started in September of this year. The program was created to help MITs in the Psychotherapy, Psychoanalytic and Couples Training Programs fulfill their clinical requirements. The service also provides an opportunity for people in the community to have access to reduced fee therapy. Fees will be negotiated on an individual basis. The Service was organized by the Reduced Fee Referral Committee: Susan Gorman (Chair), Kathy Beck and Linda Kanefield.

Clinicians who are interested in referring to this service can call the main number at ICP&P (202-686-9300) or e-mail Morgan at icpeastadmin@att.net .We hope this will be a useful and productive service for everyone involved.

Note from the Chair, Relational Perspectives Institute
Roger Segalla

The Relational Perspectives Institute was officially launched this month with a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm. This first weekend: Relational Perspectives: Origins, Growth, and Frontiers featured Lewis Aron, PhD who spoke about the growth of the relational movement and his perspective on the distinctions between psychotherapy and psychoanalysis within a relational model. His presentations were very well received by both the RPI participants and the Saturday only attendees. The 83 RPI participants (a full house) met for the first time with their discussion groups to begin a process of co-constructing a deeper, more integrated understanding of the relational perspectives and their application to the clinical process.

I want to thank our planning committee and group leaders: Maxine Arnsdorf, Sharon Ballard, Sally Bloom-Feshbach, Mary T. Brennan, Sheila Cahill, Elizabeth Carr, Rich Chefetz, Molly Donovan, Sandra G. Hershberg, Elaine Hoffman, Bill Pinney, Tripp Reed, Janna Sandmeyer, Adina Shapiro, Damon Silvers, Rosemary Segalla, Barry Wepman, Susan Jacobson, Joyce Lowenstein, Marie Hellinger, Marianne Tamulevich, Pat Petrash and Leslie F. Smith. This hard working and dedicated group of individuals went above and beyond the call of duty working steadily over the last two years to plan for RPI; all the hard work has really paid off. Congratulations and thank you for making the RPI such a big success! I also want to thank our administrator Morgan Theriot for all her work behind the scenes - we couldn't have done it without you!

We are already in the process of preparing for our next weekend: Relational Perspectives on Therapeutic Action which will be held on December 4th and 5th and will feature Donnel Stern, PhD.

Note from the Sponsor Coordinator
Janna Sandmeyer

We are in need of additional sponsors for new ICP&P members. Sponsoring a new member is a great way to meet new people and welcome them into our organization. The expectation is that the sponsor will contact a designated new member and invite him or her to an upcoming event the sponsor is planning to attend. At the event, the sponsor will greet the new member and introduce him or her to other ICP&P members. If you are interested, please contact me at jannalou@starpower.net

Thank you!

New Member Introductions
Jeffrey Jay

Sue Robbins Marks, a new ICP&P member, embodies a breadth of experience. Born in Indiana, she lived in California, and studied in Chicago. In her training, she had a brush with history, starting her training at what was formerly the Chicago State Hospital, made infamous in the movie, The Snake Pit. By the time she was there it was already giving way to modernization and new analytic theories. In Chicago, Sue was supervised by clinicians trained by Bruno Bettelheim, and she incorporated his theory and approach into her own work. She came to Washington thirty three years ago, raised two children and maintains a full time practice in Arlington. Welcome Sue.

Cornelia Groat, a new member of ICP&P, is completing her degree at Catholic University in the School of Social Work. Cornelia has returned to school after an earlier career in law and raising a family, with one child currently in college and the other in law school. Graduation from Social Work School will be the fulfillment of a long standing dream to become a therapist. Now, she works at the University Counseling Center where Cornelia finds a strong interest in psychodynamic and relational perspectives. Her own experience is replete with devoted relationships and forward-looking transitions: born in Germany, she came to the United States at age seven when her father took a position at the University of Texas Medical School, transplanting her to a childhood in Dallas. After law school, marriage, working as an attorney, and raising a family, she says she is ready for the next opportunity to study dynamic and relational perspectives in depth at ICP&P. Welcome Cornelia.

Alice Faulkner, originally from Georgia, lived for a short time in Europe where her two children were born. She returned to settle in Washington in 1984. Alice began her graduate studies in English and continues to write short stories and teach writing as a small group leader in the New Directions Program. But her real muse was to be found in therapy and she transferred into the School of Social Work at Catholic University. Since her graduation in 1990, she has established a private practice in Dupont Circle where she sees individuals, couples and groups, and has a particular interest in providing supervision. Now with her son learning to be pilot in Colorado, and her daughter practicing as an attorney in Philadelphia, Alice is joining ICP&P for the community and training opportunities. Welcome Alice.

News and Notes

Thomas Hoffman’s paper, Who’s Termination is it Anyway? has been published in the Fall 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry, 37 (3):457-476. He will present the case described in the paper at the Winter Meetings of the American Psychoanalytic Association in New York at The Termination Phase of Analysis Discussion Group (#53) on Thursday, January 14, 2010, at 9:00 AM.

Upcoming Events

• Saturday, November 7, 2009 Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Study Center (PPSC) presents The Third Annual Conference Celebrating a Lifetime of Achievement Honoring Anna Ornstein, MD and Paul Ornstein, MD. The Kimmel Center at NYU, 60 Washington Square South, New York, NY. For more information, visit http://lifetime03.eventbrite.com
• Sunday, November 15, 2009 The Washington School of Psychiatry Center for the Study of Aging presents Innocence as part of their Seminar Cinema Series from 12:15 – 4:00 pm Innocence is an award winning Australian film directed by Paul Cox. The discussion will be moderated by Tybe Diamond, MSW, LICSW and Kathryn Chefetz, MSW, LICSW. For more information visit www.wspdc.org or call 202-237-2700.
• Saturday, November 21 – Monday, November 23, 2009 The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation presents its 26th Annual Conference Pathways to Integration of Traumatic Experience: Individuals, Groups and Society at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.isst-d.org or email info@isst-d.org
• Saturday, December 5, 2009 ICP&P presents Partners in Thought: Witnessing, Enactment and Unformulated Experience with Donnel Stern, PhD. The Cosmos Club, 2121 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC.
• Saturday, January 23, 2010 ICP&P presents Scientific Day at the National 4-H Center, Chevy Chase, MD.

Bulletin Board

The Policy for Bulletin Board items is: Members can place items three months a year. Items can be up to eight lines in length. Longer items or additional months are available for a fee. Please contact the administrator for the fee schedule.

• New Openings in Mixed Adult Groups - Therapists David Flohr and Katherine Williams have two groups with availability, including one group with younger members ages 30’s to 40’s, and a second group with members ages 40’s to 60’s. Groups meet just off Route 66, near East Falls Church Metro. Contact Katherine Williams at 703-533-5825, x 107.
• Caregivers Support Group – Meeting every other week in the middle of the day in Silver Spring, MD near the intersection of Georgia Ave. and University Blvd. This support group provides an opportunity to meet with other caregivers to discuss the realities of this new role, and the many feelings that come with it. Special focus is on balancing the needs of the patient and the needs of the caregiver. Contact Flora Ingenhousz (specializes in the treatment of individuals, couples and families struggling with depression and/or anxiety associated with serious health issues such as stroke, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, chronic fatigue, MS, and fibromyalgia) at 301-649-5525 or flora-lcsw@comcast.net
• Group On Groups - Mary Dluhy is beginning a weekly supervision group December 1, for clinicians who run groups. The supervision group will meet on Tuesdays from 12:15 to 1:30 PM at 4501 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 109. For further information you may contact Mary Dluhy at mdd23@georgetown.edu or at 202.237.5150.
• Relational Supervision Group – Roger Segalla is starting a weekly Relational Supervision Group. To discuss joining this group supervision please contact Roger Segalla at 301-652-1707 or rsegalla@verizon.net
• Midlife Eating Disorders Therapy Group- Monica Callahan has openings in an ongoing psychotherapy group for women over 35 with eating disorders, both past and present, and related issues. The approach combines interpersonal and psychodrama methods, and concurrent individual therapy is recommended. The group meets Thursdays, 5:00 to 6:15 in Bethesda. For more information, contact Monica Callahan at 301-587-6211 or at Callahanml@erols.com
• Early Morning Therapy Hours Available (starting at 7:00am) for individuals or couples. Pamela Forman is a "lark" (a morning person), with a home-office in Chevy Chase, MD and would be delighted to see clients early in the day. Please contact Pamela Forman at 301-657-3475.
• New Office Space Available in Falls Church Professional Center. As the result of a colleague retiring, a lovely office will be available full time starting March 1, 2010 in a sunny suite shared by three other mental health professionals. Part-time hours can be arranged as needed prior to March 1. Ample waiting room area, windows, kitchen, parking and convenient to Metro/Route 66. Contact Lauren Brandt at bjls@rcn.com or at 703-533-0380.
• Office Space Needed - Looking to rent office space in Dupont Circle for FULL TIME hours. Prefer to be in shared space with other mental health professionals and looking for space large enough to run groups. Please contact Laura Kasper at drlaurakasper@me.com or 202-487-6340.
• Furnished Office Available (Monday, Wednesday & Friday) starting immediately. The office is in a suite across from Farragut Square (910 17th Street - between K & I St, NW). Half a block from the Red and Blue/Orange Metro lines. To learn more, please contact Elizabeth Carr at 202-822-8371 or emcarr@aol.com
• Office Space Available to Sublet – Beautiful fully furnished office in great location overlooking Dupont Circle at 1301 Connecticut Ave in NW available Mondays and Fridays. There are 5 other therapists in the suite. Contact Elaine Hoffman at 202-841-0270 or at elaineshoffman@msn.com
• Office Space Available - available March 1, 2010 in Virginia. Lovely sunny suite with three mental health professionals. Ample, light-filled waiting room, kitchen and parking. The office is convenient to Metro and Route 66. Contact Louise Kavruck at 202-906-0711.