Caleb. Corey. Owen.Eddie. Ziyi and Dasha.Martina. Rebecca.Chantal. Sonora. Keren.Khalilah and Annysa.Shunda. Vinod.Michael. Cary andColin. I hope you metsome of these first timeattendees at the 33rd

Annual NSGP Conference, where we had70 first-time attendees! Know that behindevery new person there was an NSGPmember encouraging these vibrantparticipants to attend the conference.Personal connection is very powerful;showing an interest in someone andencouraging their involvement in NSGPhelps bring talented therapists andtherapists-in-training to our NSGP group.Being involved in NSGP strengthens thetherapist, the organization, and ourprofession. Twenty-four NSGP members led by BarbaraKeezell and Theresa Cohen teamed up tocontribute to the success of the AGPAconference here in Boston. The conferencewas an overwhelming success by everymeasure. It was especially heartening tohear that attendees felt warmly welcomedand helped by the NSGP host society.Congratulations to all and thank you. The NSGP Annual Conference was also atremendous success thanks once again tothe creative and hard-working ConferenceCommittee. Attendance was robust (morethan a 35% increase over the previous year)and the consensus was that the offeringswere interesting, engaging, andprovocative. Shmuel Erlich, our specialguest from Israel, and Sara Emersonconsulted to the Large Group; always aninteresting experience. If you would like toread more about Large Groups, check outour website (www.nsgp.com) for anexcellent article by Shmuel about thisintriguing phenomenon. Julie Anderson gave heart and soul to theConference Committee. Though her tenurehas ended, her warmth, wisdom, generosity,and respectful style will remain in thecommittee culture. Julie has generouslyagreed to Co-Chair the ContinuingEducation Committee.

Ginger Reiber has joined the ConferenceCommittee and will partner with MarcBolduc and Scott Reinhardt for June 2015.The Conference Committee is already wellon its way, developing what I assure you willbe a terrific and innovative program. I am very pleased to report that we havebeen reaccredited by the MassachusettsMedical Society to offer CMEs to MDs andRNs for another five years. Since the lastreaccreditation, a lot of work has been doneto improve our systems and structures inour CE granting committees. The workreally paid off. The CE Committee is strong,capable and will keep this important processmoving. And, did I mention that JulieAnderson has agreed to Co-Chair? Behind the scenes of the listserv, DeborahCole provides constant, deliberate, andcareful monitoring; while EleanorCounselman continues to help memberssign on to the listserv. The listserv is animportant resource for referrals,information, and as a forum for theexchange of ideas related to our work.Jerry Gans, Cecil Rice, and EleanorCounselman rotated off of the NominatingCommittee, another vital, often behind-the-scenes committee. Joyce Shields,Committee Chair, and Arnie Cohen arejoining members Karen Wischmeyer andDeborah Cole. Please consider your ownleadership potential and the opportunity tocontribute to NSGP in this important way. The Membership Committee was formallyreestablished. The Committee Chair, JennDeSouza, and members Shunda McGaheeand John Grillo have earnestly, energetically,and strategically dedicated themselves torecruiting, welcoming, and engaging newmembers. Their efforts have beenoutstanding. We now have 225 NSGPmembers. And counting...!!The Training Committee has two new Co-Chairs, the incomparable team of Joel Kriegand Jenn McLain. The Training Program issure to be stellar so encourage potentialstudents to talk with them, review theinformation on our website, and sign up! Susan Rosenblatt, our amazing OfficeManager, left in May; she was an activeagent insuring the success of AGPA, thewebsite, and the MMS reaccreditationduring a tsunami of a year.

Kristina Weljkovic is our new OfficeManager. Undaunted by the shoes left tofill, she stepped right into the position withquiet confidence, impressive competence,vast knowledge, sharp intellect, a bevy ofcreative ideas, good sense, and team spirit.We are very lucky to have her.One of the many benefits of being an NSGPmember is that you can put a professionalprofile on our website. This can include apicture, a description of your practice, anda detailed listing of your groups. If youhaven’t taken advantage of this, I encourageyou to do so. Go to www.nsgp.com,log in as a member and complete yourprofile. Newly-elected Board members Alan Albert,Michelle McGrath, Jenn McLain, and AnnKoplow are welcome additions. This lively

N S G PN o r t h e a s t e r n S o c i e t y f o r G r o u p P s y c h o t h e r a p y

the newsletter

Volume XXXV, Number 2 Fall 2014

1

INSIDEPage 2. . . Letter from the Editor

Page 3. . . Breakfast Club

NSGP Conference 2014

Page 4. . . Considering the Impact ofMedical History

Page 5. . . Reflections on the SecondYear

Page 6. . . The Large GroupExperience: A View Fromthe Inner Circle

Page 7. . . Day 525: Judgment andLove

Page 8. . . Analyze This

Page 10. . The Anne AlonsoScholarship Fund:Remembering Anne Alonso

Page 11. . What is “CliniciansUnited”?

Page 13. . NSGP Foundation GardenParty

Page 14. . Progress Notes

Page 15. . NSGP Foundation TequilaTasting

Page 15. . Cartoon Caption Contest

Back Cover: 2014–2015 EventsCalendar

Letter from the President

I(continued on page 3)

NSGP Newsletter CommitteeEditors Barbara Keezell, LICSW, CGP,

FAGPAJennifer McLain, MD, CGP

Members David Goldfinger, PhD, CGPRenee Hoekstra, PsyDAmy Matias, PhD, LICSWOona Metz, LICSW, CGPJoseph Shay, PhD, CGP, FAGPAAlan Witkower, EdD, CGPEllen Ziskind, LICSW, CGP

Photography Jennifer McLain, MD, CGPJ. Scott Rutan, PhD, DFAGPA, CGPJoseph Shay, PhD, CGP, FAGPA

Design K. White White Designdesigner_solution@comcast.net

The goals of this newsletter are two-fold:• To promote the objectives of the Northeastern

Society for Group Psychotherapy, an affiliate of theAmerican Group Psychotherapy Association.

• To be a forum for the exchange of ideas and information among members.

NSGP Executive BoardPresident Debora Carmichael, PhD, CGP

Past President Peter Gumpert, PhD, CGPSecretary Howard Schnairsohn, LICSWTreasurer Theresa Bullock Cohen, LICSW,

CGP, BCCDirectors Alan Albert, PsyD, CGP

Marc G. Bolduc, LICSW, CADC II, CGPJoseph DeAngelis, LICSW, CGPAnn Koplow, LICSWJoel Krieg, LICSW, CGPMadeleine Lourie, LICSWMichelle McGrath, LICSWJennifer McLain, MD, CGP

NSGP Committee ChairpersonsAudit Madeleine Lourie, LICSW

Breakfast Club Ken Jaeger, LICSW, CGPBy-Laws Lawrence Kron, JD, PhD

Conference Marc G. Bolduc, LICSW, CADC II, CGPVirginia Reiber, PhD, CGPScott Reinhardt, PhD, CGP

Continuing Education Julie Anderson, PhD, CGPDebora Carmichael, PhD, CGP

Disaster Response Kathleen Hubbs Ulman, PhD, CGP, FAGPA

Newsletter Barbara Keezell, LICSW, CGP,FAGPAJennifer McLain, MD, CGP

Nominating Joyce Shields, APRN, MS, BC, CGP

Practice Development Annie Ide, LICSWOona Metz, LICSW, CGP

Publicity & Marketing Joseph DeAngelis, LICSW, CGPPamela Enders, PhD

Training Program Joel Krieg, LICSW, CGPJennifer McLain, MD, CGP

NSGP Office(617) 431-6747 Office Administrator Kristina Weljkovic

Messages can be left at the office anytime, and will be answered daily.Monday-Friday 9 am to 5 pm

Letter from the EditorWhen someone is in crisis, we know that isnot the time to enter group therapy. But ifsomeone is already part of a group, thenthe group can serve as a wonderful sourceof support during that crisis. I have extolledthe benefits of group—and the NSGPcommunity—over the years. Although Iam stepping down from my role as Co-Editor of this worthy newsletter, I am notstepping away from my participation inNSGP. We see how our patients benefitwhen they join one of our groups, andbeing part of a community provides similar benefits.

Over the years, I have been mentored,challenged, encouraged, and supported inall sorts of new endeavors in thisorganization, including writing this letter!Writing has never been an easy task for me,and you might ask why I became Co-Editorof this newsletter. I did it because of thecommunity, because of the people I’d beworking with, because of the camaraderiethat would arise from this. Although I can’tsay that I’ve gotten to enjoy writing theEditor’s letter, I have greatly enjoyedworking first with Joe Shay, and in recentyears, with Jenn McLain, whom I know willcontinue to do an excellent job. (KurtWhite will be joining her as Co-Editor, andI have full confidence in him as well.) BeingCo-Editor provided an opportunity to getto know these wonderful people better, toknow more about them, to share ideas, andof course to share the work. And I havealso gotten to work with many of youwho’ve written articles. As with othercommittees, it has also enabled me to finda way to give back to NSGP and to feelthat I’m participating in a truly significantventure. Collaborating with others and thefriendships that so often develop are whatpropel me to keep joining these NSGPcommittees. I hope more of you will do the same!

But these are more of the professionalpieces that arise from collaboration, frombeing part of this wonderful organization.The friendships that have evolved from thisconnection are invaluable in so many ways.They have provided me friends with whomto dine, schmooze, laugh, and play, all vital

parts of being alive. But this spring andsummer proved quite challenging for medue to some family issues and this bringsme back to the statement about thesupport a group, or a community, can offerwhen we’re experiencing hardships. Thesefriendships, which would not havedeveloped without participation in thiscommunity, provided people who listened,who offered advice and support. These arethe invaluable benefits when we allowothers in, when we allow ourselves to bepart of a community. I stress this piecebecause my mother never allowed herselfto be part of a community and I believe shesuffered as a result. I wanted to ensure Ididn’t do the same thing. And now, NSGPis truly in my blood. It has indeed becomemy professional home, but even moreimportantly, my personal home. Thank youNSGP, for all the opportunities you haveprovided me. Although it is bittersweet tobe stepping down as Co-Editor after fiveyears, I will now have the time and energyto be involved in other ways. I hope youtoo will be an active member of NSGP asthe rewards are immeasurable.

Barbara Keezell, LICSW, CGP, FAGPACo-Editor Newsletter

Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy, Inc.PO Box 356Belmont, MA 02478-3201 (617) 431-6747

www.nsgp.com

the

new

slet

ter

2

Co-Editors Jenn and Kurtwill alternate the Letter from the

Editor in this space.

Kurt L. White, LICSW, LADC, CGP!!

Please warmly welcomeour newest NSGP

Newsle�er Co-Editor

He will be joining the Newsle�er beginning in

the Spring 2015.

3

The Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy Cordially Invites You to Our 2014-2015

Breakfast ClubLearn about group therapy and socialize with colleagues at a FREE colloquium series. Each POTLUCK event will take place on designated Sundays from 11 AM to 1:30 PM.Participants may bring guests. Please contribute a breakfast item (quiche, fruit, bagels,pastries, cheese, etc). The host will provide coffee and tea. To sign up for an event or for directions, participants should register online at www.nsgp.com or call Kristina at theNSGP office: (617) 431-NSGP.

Calendar for 2014–20159/21/14 Adolescent Groups in Private Practice

Presented by Renee Hoekstra, PsyDHosted by Arnie Cohen (Newton, MA)

10/26/14 Come One, Come All, Whenever!: Open Access Groupsat a Hospital Primary Care PracticePresented by Ann Koplow, LICSW

Hosted by Marsha Vannicelli & Larry Kron (Cambridge, MA)

12/7/14 Shades of Black: Challenges and Revelations thatArise in Running Groups of Marginalized PopulationsPresented by Tfawa Haynes, LICSW

Hosted by Scott Rutan (Chestnut Hill, MA)1/11/15 How Much Is Enough? Termination from Group

TherapyPresented by Sara Emerson, LICSW, CGP, FAGPA

Hosted by Eleanor Counselman (Belmont, MA)3/22/15 Intro to Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT): Dose

of Science, Pinch of Mentalization, and LiberalMeasure of Good Old TherapyPresented by Ari Shesto, PhD

Hosted by Jim Leone (Belmont, MA)4/12/15 Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples in a Time-

Limited Group: Fostering a Secure Bond betweenPartnersPresented by Jennifer Leigh, PhD

Hosted by Walker & Joyce Shields (Belmont, MA)

*Please note that CEUs are no longer being offered for Breakfast Club events.If you have any questions about this, please e-mail the office atgroups@nsgp.com.

and energetic Board is set to sustain theimportant gains achieved and move forwardin a creative and proactive fashion.Generous $2,500 donations from theNSGP Foundation and the AGPAFoundation were used to providescholarships to 32 conference attendees.This kind of generous support helpstherapists who have an interest in learningmore about groups to participate in ourconference and infuses the organizationwith exciting new energy. Joel Krieg kindlycontributed a significant amount of timecoordinating the scholarship process. Many fiscal measures were promptly takento turn around deficit spending. For abunch of group therapists, we havemanaged to attend well to our bottom line,cutting spending where we could while stillinvesting in our future. The Board acteddecisively on the recommendations of theFiscal Review Task Force (Theresa Cohen,Madeleine Lourie, Joel Krieg, and me) andwe have begun, once again, to add to ourreserves. As an act of further prudence, theAudit Committee was reactivated and isadroitly chaired by Madeleine Lourie. Twenty years ago, I was encouraged to joinNSGP as a student member by Joe Shay.He handed me a membership applicationand recommended that I take the CGPcourse at the conference. Most people whoattend the NSGP conference or TrainingProgram are impressed and interested inbecoming involved in the organization. I’mgrateful for Joe’s encouragement and forhaving my best interest at heart. Many ofyou have done this for others as well whichis why NSGP is so strong. So, ask yourself,who is the next person I’d like to introduceto this rewarding professional family?

Debora Carmichael PhD, CGP

President, NSGP

Letter from the President(continued from page 1)

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Do you like to take pictures? Smile with your colleagues? If

you attend a couple NSGP events during the year and have

the ability to take digital pictures, we would love to add you to

the team!

Interested? Please send an email to newsletter@nsgp.com.

The Newsletter is looking for 1 or 2 folks

to join the committee as volunteer

NSGP photographers!!!

Considering theImpact of MedicalHistoryJennifer L. DeSouza, LICSW, CGP

I was intrigued by the workshopentitled “Hidden Affect in the Group;

Indicators of Early or Hidden Trauma inMember’s Medical and Family History,”offered at the NSGP Annual Conferenceby Virginia Reiber. The offering feltparticularly relevant as I run a group forpatients with chronic medical illness.Members in my group have often spokenwith the most emotion about the impactof an illness on relationships with family,friends, and medical personnel.

The opening summary on the syllabussuggested that a focus on medical historythat includes events such as childbirthand adult and childhood illnesses andinjuries could yield hidden clues tounresolved or unconscious feelings.Family history, military service, details ofemigration and country of origin couldalso contain clues. As a part of myassessments, I had always taken acomprehensive history but withoutmedical training, I had felt hesitant todelve into an area in which I had littleexpertise. The richness of this perspectiveopened new dimensions to a client’shistory which I had never considered.

The workshop was lively andinformational with many experiencedclinicians present. Three diverse caseexamples were presented via role-playswith scripts based upon real clients. Allhighlighted unresolved issues embeddedin medical history that had profoundimplications for people’s lives. Throughthese mock interviews, it was apparentthat the exploration of medical historyprovided information that mightotherwise not be communicated. Duringthe discussion, workshop participantsbegan to share their experiences ofmedical events, some dating as far back

as 50 years. They still generated strongemotion. I began to see how medicaltreatment could inadvertently generatetrauma and strong emotion whether theintervention is routine or life threatening.Almost all the stories contained themesof helplessness, fear, and aloneness. Ibegan to understand how criticalvalidation and empathy are, both fromthe family and medical professionals, andhow difficult it can be to meet thoseneeds depending upon thecircumstances.

A patient I had discussed in theworkshop benefited from my newfoundperspective on medical history. As asmall boy, this patient had twosignificant surgeries, one of which hepoignantly described as traumatic. As weexplored the feelings associated with thisexperience, it generated additional dataabout his worldview. It became helpful inunderstanding his misinterpretations ofthe world around him.

The aspect of this workshop that I likedbest was that it did not require you tolearn a new skill, understand a complextheory, or change the way you work. Allthat it requires is attention and gentlecuriosity. It highlighted for me therichness of an experience that can beaccessed without necessarily knowingthe complexities of a disease process ormedical intervention.

✺

Reflections on theSecond Year Kurt L. White, LICSW, LADC, CGP

I found my way to the ExperienceGroup room, which was hidden away

on the third floor of the less centralbuilding, up and around a labyrinthine setof stairs and hallways. Inside, theacoustics were bad and it was a bitshabby looking. The room air conditionerwas unusually loud and had adisconcerting rattle. Perhaps for goodmeasure, there was supplemental noise

Shunda McGahee & Oona Metz4

Joel Friedman, Deb Carmichael, & John Grillo

Conference attendees enjoying lunch

Marilyn Levitt, Paul Sullivan, Amy Matias,& Judy Silverstein

Arnie Cohen & Deb Filurin

NSGP Conference June 2014

Peter Gumpert & Deb Carmichael

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from a very large cooling system outside:a disquieting hum. There were awkwardand uncomfortable student desks in placeof chairs; these were arranged in a circleand mostly empty to this point. What astrange thing, I thought, that the frameof group work very shortly wouldtransform the space into something elseentirely. I considered my options, then satdown.

My consideration led quickly to myhabitual worrying. Would everyone comeback? I hoped so, finding myself a bitattached to the notion. What if theydidn’t? Waiting, I conjured my co-members into the present of my mindand made space for more of my worries.What would come of this day? Howwould I be remembered from last year?Would I be remembered? What would Ireveal about myself today, intentionally orotherwise (especially otherwise)? Whowere these strangers I was waiting for,hoping for? They were important to me,though many details of their lives hadbeen lost to mind and memory in theintervening year.

But wasn’t today different? I considered itanew. I had already spent a day with thisgroup the year before and I did feel alevel of trust. And, even if not, Joe Shay(our group leader) showed us that he hasa way of keeping things in order.Reminded of this, worry gave way to theelated anticipation that I typicallyexperience at the start of a group,exhilaration at the prospect of relaxinginto my own imperfect authenticity andexperiencing others from that frame ofmind.

I come to NSGP exactly because of theopportunity to sit in these anxiety-producing experience groups. In them, Ican have “siblings,” mentors, and friendswho understand me in a more authenticway. I can have a little time, away fromthe strictures of ordinary life andinteraction, where together we can learnabout ourselves and, of course, aboutgroups. In this carefully created delicatedance, we jump into the ambiguity ofthings with as much of our whole selvesas we can tolerate. We proceed from

there, little by little, little by little, towardbecoming the people and clinicians thatwe really want to be.

This kind of a “home,” a community oflike-minded people in which I really canfeel a deep sense of belonging, issomething I have only experienced a fewtimes before. My past professionalhomes, dear to me, were generative butalso limiting; also, heartbreakingly, theywere time bound. I have found that I cancreate worlds of belonging, little spacesof refuge in a world which contains somuch loss, change, confusion, andpain…but I have learned, sadly, that it ishard to relax into a feeling of “home” if itis largely my creation to start out with. (Ido, of course, have a personal home —but that is a different matter!)

And so on this day, in this room, theothers arrived one by one. The clockstruck the appointed hour, and, right oncue, the unremarkable room became itsown whirlwind of emotion, connection,and learning. Thinking of it now, so muchstands out sharply in my mind’s eye. Iremember the work of remembering, andalso of forgetting, of coming to termswith loss, of taking risks with people Icare about, of struggling to take acompliment, of risking beingmisunderstood, of delighting in beingirrational, and of exploring hidden,vulnerable, and empty places inside andoutside of me. It passed so quickly, andnearly as soon as it had begun, the groupwas over.

Having ended, I found myself lifted up,satisfied, surprised, connected, hopeful,exhausted; full of the already-sproutedseeds of personal and professionalgrowth. I say a prayer for myself: Maythat I can choose to continue to nurturethem! This wonderful, imperfect groupthat is NSGP has come to meansomething very dear to me. In every year’sexperience groups, I am reminded that Iam not alone; I have a whole world ofconnection that I didn’t have to createout of my already-drained willpower. I canrelax, be excited, be irreverent, play, beconfused, be myself, and risk trying onnew and unexplored aspects of myself. Ican close my eyes, lean back, and feelsupported. And when ready, I can openmy eyes and see so many new things,inside and out.

✺

Ginger Reiber, Scott Reinhardt, & Bob Weber

5

Jenny Karstad, Matthew Silvia-Perkins,Ali Urbano, Kurt White, & Jenn McLain

Conference attendees

Joel Krieg & Susie Shayegani

Theresa Bullock Cohen, Oona Metz, Deb Carmichael, & Chera Finnis

Julie Anderson & Oona Metz

Report from the Conference

The Large GroupExperience: A View From theInner CircleSara Emerson, LICSW, CGP, FAGPA

I recently had a conversation with ayoung clinician who had had an

experience at a Tavistock Large Group. Itold her I had had the opportunity to co-conduct a Large Group at the NSGPconference. She replied strongly, “Thelarge group is like a wild beast.” Hercomment prompted me to think of many of the reactions to the LG bothduring and after the conference.Comments like “What’s the point? I don’tget it. What did that comment have to dowith anything.” On some level, thosequestions are the point of the LG. Thoseare the questions for each participant to contemplate within themselves andwithin the experience of such a group.The description in the catalogue said“The Large Group is an experiential event which ... is designed to provideopportunities for learning about personalexperiences, feelings and reflectionsevoked by being in a group that is larger than what can be handledas a face to face situation. The purpose isto provide a contained space for therange of processes that take place in such a setting.”

Maybe the confusion and trouble withbeing a member of a Large Group is thatthe purpose and task have to do withstudying one’s own responses, feelings,and behavior in a setting which is notdesigned to be “therapeutic.” It is notintended to be a corrective emotionalexperience or about interpersonallearning. It is not designed to recapitulatethe family of origin, or develop cohesion,or any of Yalom’s Therapeutic Factors.People come looking to find somethingfamiliar to what they know about smallgroups, and yet none of those dynamicsoperate in a familiar way in the LargeGroup. No wonder people feel confused,alienated, and often wish to flee. It is adisconcerting and often disorientingexperience. In a sense, the Large Groupchallenges all of the assumptions andunderstanding and skills we have built upto become group therapists. Theinterpretations/comments by the co-conductors are not addressed to theindividual or to the interaction, but to adeeper level of collective unconscious, tothe Large Group. Bion developed a theoryof group functioning, part of which hasto do with the group as a whole and thefunctions of the whole group: “TheGroup functions on two levels: consciousand the unconscious, the “work group”and the “basic assumption group.”Underlying these group functions are the

group members’ issues with authority,and the authority of the leaders.

Haim Weinberg has written a concisearticle for the EGPS newsletter, in anattempt to help clarify and addressaspects of this “strange beast.” He says,“It can be very disappointing when theLG fails to act like a small group. Instead...it is mostly aimed at exploring societaland organizational dynamics. The focusof the leaders is not on the individual.”It is a space created to encounteroneself in a larger community within thedeeper social unconscious. Not unlikepsychoanalysis and psychotherapy, it isthe opportunity to experience oneself inan undefined space, and grapple withquestions of “Who am I in relation to thisgroup?” “Am I lost?” “What is myresponsibility to the larger community?”“How do we grapple with the uglyunderside?” “Can I tolerate the notknowing?”

Upon entering the LG for the first time,one is immediately struck by the set up ofthe room. The chairs are generallyarranged in either concentric circles, or aspiral, as we did at the June conference.This set up highlights the difference fromthe small groups we are accustomed toof 8 to 10 chairs in one circle. This smallgroup set up enables everyone to see andhear one another and to facilitateinterpersonal experiences. In the LG, it isnot possible for such a number of peopleto be seated in a way to facilitate eye-to-eye contact. The spiral or concentriccircles does allow participants to sit inclose proximity to one another. However,it can also induce feelings of paranoiaand disconnection as one can onlyimagine what is going on behind one’sback. The number of participants and theseating of the conductors or conveners isalso strikingly different from a smallgroup. The LG has 30 or more members,and because the group meets over anumber of days, the membership oftenshifts. This shift and the unpredictabilityof membership are unsettling and cancontribute to the anxiety experienced.The conductors sit facing one another,but arranged within the group in order tohave varying experiences and perspectiveson the entire group. They also are unableto see all of the participant’s faces.

Weinberg writes that “We utilize thelarge group experience … to study largegroup processes, both conscious andunconscious, as a way of understandingtheir impact and influence upon social,organizational and systemic thinking,feelings and actions. The Large Group isnot capable of dealing with specificfeelings and pains of the individual andoften times can intensify feelings of

6

Kurt White & Melissa Kelly

Darryl Pure & Shoshanna Ben-Noam

Naomi Dugan, Bob Weber, & Tyler Carpenter

Sarah Kocz, Kurt White, & Jenny Karstad

Allison Celimli & Lise Motherwell

aloneness. It is an important tool inunderstanding social interactive processesand interrelationships within society.”

I find the experience of the LG, as aparticipant, to be an extraordinaryopportunity to sort myself out in themidst of others, and to explore multipleself-states, and perceptions. Not all of myassumptions are pleasing, yet in allowingthem in, there is greater chance to alterthem externally. All of this is in the serviceof working towards a deeperunderstanding of the dynamic whichdevelops and exists on the broadersocietal or organizational level. As the co-convener, my role was to speak to adeeper, collective unconscious, not to theindividual or dyad. Being nonresponsiveto the individual is uncharacteristic forme. And yet, one of the purposes andfunctions of the LG is to examine andexperience one’s relationship to authority.The participants, who know me well fromother venues, may have also found this tobe disorienting.

In conclusion, I would invite you toexplore your experience of the LargeGroup, and think about these questions:What was unsettling? What wasintriguing? What did you learn aboutyourself as you worked to place yourselfin the crowd and find a voice? Would you come back to another Large Groupexperience? What would draw you back and what part of you would say“never again?”

✺

Day 525: Judgmentand LoveAnn Koplow, LICSW

Every day since January 1, 2013, I’ve beenwriting posts for my blog, “The Year(s) ofLiving Non-Judgmentally.” The following ismy post after the recent three-dayconference. When I sent the post toSuzanne Cohen, she suggested that Isubmit it to the NSGP newsletter, as awrite-up about the conference.

D uring the past three days, attendinga group psychotherapy conference,

I witnessed people doing their best to letgo of old patterns of judgment that getin the way of love — love of self and loveof others.

But isn’t love ALSO a kind of judgment?Isn’t love just an extreme form of … like?

When we say, “I like this” and “I don’tlike this” …isn’t that the essence ofjudgment? For example, when I’ve donemindfulness exercises with people, I’veasked people to observe their likes and

dislikes — of a piece of music, a painting,a shell, etc. — to let go of those likes anddislikes as much as possible, and just bepresent with the object.

But it’s our nature to judge, isn’t it?

I know it’s my nature, for sure, no matterwhat the title of this blog.

For example, I really liked a sock thatSuzanne [Cohen] — another conferenceattendee—showed me yesterday. When Itold her that I wanted to include thatsock she’s knitting in this blog, sheimmediately put it on, with pride.

Which reminds me of one of the mosthelpful moments of the three-dayweekend — this exchange between agroup leader and me:

Me: I know that a typical pattern for me,in a group, is to engage quickly (openingmy arms wide — in a Ta-Da! gesture) andthen, at some point, to withdraw(drawing myself in, and looking down).

Group Leader: Why not try pride, insteadof shame?

But in order to have pride (or love) — forourselves and others — don’t we need tomake some judgment about worth? Andby making a judgment, can’t we easilyflip into the other side of that: judgingourselves and others negatively?

I don’t know if I’m going to figure this allout today, but I would like to tell youabout some other highlights, from theconference:

• Standing in a crowded room, alone,observing others interacting socially,and truly believing it was okay for meto just stand there, without havinganybody by my side to talk to.

• Dancing with an old friend, in ahallway, as his cell phone was playing“Dance with Me,” and not caring whatother people might think.

• Meeting somebody new, and learningfrom her that it was okay (and even

beautiful) to take up space, even if youmight feel stigmatized for yourdifference and your status within thegroup.

• Being reminded you don’t have to seeand hear everything, in order to learn.

• Realizing, again, that it’s okay to bemessy.

Thanks to Suzanne, Joe, and all the otherteachers and learners at the NSGP AnnualConference; to Orleans for “Dance WithMe”; to people who do their best to letgo of old and unhelpful patterns; tothose who experience love, pride, andother emotions; and to you [my readers]—of course!—for visiting today.

✺

7

Sun-filled office on Rte 9 in Wellesley.Days /times flexible. Large parking lot.Suitable for individuals, families, orgroups. Pictures available. 508-524-7742The BioDynamics of Trauma: Skillsgroup on mind/body process of self-regulation. Approximately 10 weeks,Cambridge. Douglas Baker, LICSW,Kripalu Yoga teacher. 617-331-4654,doug@cambridgemindbody.comBuddha Mind for Anxiety: Skills groupon Buddhist skills and practices.Approximately 10 weeks, Cambridge.Douglas Baker, LICSW, Kripalu Yogateacher. 617-331-4654,doug@cambridgemindbody.comDivorce Group for Men and Women,Wednesdays–6:00 PM, MetroWest.Please contact Kelley Bothe, LICSW, CGP781.239.3365Endings and New Beginnings—Anongoing DIVORCE GROUP FOR MENAND WOMEN. Wednesdays–6:00 PM.MetroWest. Please contact Kelley Bothe,LICSW, CGP, 781.239.3365Men’s Separation and DivorceSupport Group: Support, self-care andresource group forming. Self-pay,$40/meeting. Cambridge. Douglas Baker,LICSW. 617-331-4654,doug@cambridgemindbody.comOpenings in Gay Men’s TherapyGroup: W at 5:30. Dynamic, processgroup ages 25–60, isolation, depression,anxiety, find support and practice relating.Steve Cadwell, Ph.D. 617-482-2286

CLASSIFIEDS

8

I have a question regarding the activitylevel of the group leader. How do youfacilitate a group’s becoming morereflective about group processes whenthere is a strong pull towards avoidinginterpersonal engagement? I aminterested in ideas around the linebetween ‘trusting the group process’ and becoming more active in helpingmembers become curious about relational dynamics.

I currently lead an interpersonal processgroup for older adults, aged 50-80. Ihave been leading the group forapproximately one year and it is currentlyin transition with a couple of newmembers added in the last two months.Several members have been beset withrecent significant stressors in their lives.Health problems, serious issues withfamily members, financial concerns,losses, and other incidents have at timesoverwhelmed their coping skills andexacerbated symptoms of depression. Partof me recognizes that this is simply wheresome of my group members currently are;some issues are genuinely beyond theircontrol and would tax anyone’s capacityto engage openly with others.

However, another part of me becomesconcerned that the group will slide into a miasma of self-pity and/or people-pleasing. The group can becomeabsorbed in either descriptions ofsuffering from some or the concomitantgoal-oriented problem-solving fromothers. While I believe that this can be,to a certain degree, appropriate and eventherapeutic, it can at times appear toverge on avoidance (and, at my mostjudgmental moments, wallowing). Thosewho lean towards anxiety andreassurance-seeking receive reassurance;those who pull for others to rescue themreceive gratification.

This brings me to my dilemma. There aretimes in group when I feel confusedaround how much guidance I shouldbring into the group process. I think ofsupervisors who have encouraged me toexamine places where I may be colludingwith some avoidant behavior. There havebeen moments when I have activelyencouraged the group to see linksbetween interactions in the room and therelationships in their lives, past andpresent. I have named themes that haveemerged in seemingly unintentional ways(using metaphors, particular words, ortracking the discussion to highlightunconscious material). I advocate for theexamination of emotions in individualsand in the group if it appears that certainmoods have become contagious. I haveseen times when this has worked to openup conversations and often feel that thiseffort will pay off as members utilize thisscaffolding to begin to do more of thisthemselves.

Then there are times when this kind ofintervention appears to play into the verydynamics of avoidance withwhich the group struggles.Some group members eagerlysurrender their own agencyand meaning-making to meas group leader or to anothermember who is perhapsacting in a role of co-facilitator. The last thing thatI want to encourage is aprocess where members do akind of splitting: all of thewise and strong elements arelocated in another and all of the helplessand powerless aspects are kept for theself. I believe that there is a risk ofenactment here. Group leaders orclinicians can play into this set ofprojections and distance themselves fromsuffering and vulnerability (what is beingwitnessed and perhaps what resonateswith one’s own issues). I recallsupervisors who have encouraged me totrust the group process and see if themembers themselves can take the leadand come to insights in their own time.There have been times when I haveutilized this approach and it has seemedto be productive. Group members canname ways that they have sidesteppeddifficult interpersonal material; they can

also become curious about the dynamicsin the room. When this happens it can beparticularly powerful.

So at times, I deliberately slow down andwatch things develop. Even when contentor process seems to be in the service ofavoidance, I think that, in the long runthis is simply part of the movement thatis group work. Other times, I amreminded of the quote from JohnMaynard Keynes: “In the long run we areall dead.” Any guidance would beappreciated.

Betwixt and Between

Dear Betwixt and Between

Let’s begin where you end: in the longrun, death cuts us short. In the face ofdeath, how do we claim more life? This isour core life’s work as Becker elaboratesin his powerful book, The Denial ofDeath.

Your techniques are good: Sometimes justsit there. Sometimes, be active: ask, tell,and pursue. We need both; the art ofgroup therapy is knowing when to usewhich strategy.

The proof is in the process:does the group become moreengaged and lively, or moreavoidant and dead? You giveexamples of both techniquesworking and not working.That’s good, as you are alert tothe pull to problem-solve,people-please, self-pity, orwallow. It is also good that youhave supervision to alert you toyour own colluding or avoidantbehavior.

What are the themes in this group ofolder adults: aged 50-80? I’d guess theLong Run is Running Out and they aredealing with bodies and minds andrelationships that are failing or dying. It islikely there is lots of loss, lots of grieving,or just denial. How do we hold this andfind the grace of lively engagement? I’min this age group. I can testify it isn’teasy! And you, Betwixt and Between?Where are you in this process in your ownlife? I am glad you’ve turned to me andour NSGP community for support. We allneed to be heard and held thru thischallenging time in life.

More parallel process to consider: barely ayear old, your group added two newmembers. The group may be strugglingto grieve the Old group and find room forthe New. Their self-pity, people-pleasing,problem-solving, and reassurance-seekingmay be their reaction to this change. As

This question-and-answer column appearsregularly in the Newsletter and addressescomplex dilemmas in group therapy.Featured are case vignettes presented by NSGP members, with responses bysenior clinicians. If you have a questionyou would like considered for thiscolumn, please submit a case vignette of400 words or less to Amy Matias, PhD,LICSW through the NSGP office, or viaemail to newsletter@nsgp.com. (Pleaseremember to preserve the confidentialityof any group members described.)

“There are times

in group when

I feel confused

around how much

guidance I should

bring into the

group process.”

9

in their lives outside, they are showingtheir strategies of dealing with loss andchange in the group. This is grist forprocessing during this early phase of thenew group. You can actively continue tohelp the group be curious about theirprocess with a group-wide dynamic of“mentalization,”where each memberuses feelings and thoughts to understandhimself/herself, other individuals, and thewhole group. This intervention is not“interpretation” so much as activatinggroup members’ capacity to engage inmore of their own lives.

You have been practicingthese two vital strategies.One approach is to continueto let the process unfold:“Don’t just say something,SIT THERE,” a mantra thatAnne Alonso taught us. ForAnne, “sitting there” wasno passive state. Shelistened, observed, andcontained with the powerful intensity ofa benevolent war lord.

Your other approach is actively to pursuemembers’ understanding of what ishappening: their denial/grief reaction. I’mnot advocating that you resolve thedilemma for the group. Instead, continueto get the group to be curious. Join themin exploring what their behavior means.In this way, the mantra “Ask. Tell.Pursue.” can be useful. Continue to askabout the process. Tell about what youobserve. Pursue the group’s versions ofwhat has happened. This is activeauthentic engagement in the Here andNow.

There is great healing power in thegroup’s experience of your active agency.You model the capacity to attend. Yourengagement counters past neglect intheir families of origin and their despairabout aging and loss. Active engagementnurtures courage and appetite for morelife in the present moment in the group.They have the power in themselves. Thedialectic is that “Sitting There” and“Pursuing” both enhance engagement.Neither alone is so effective. Keep usingboth! They are both ways of holding,healing, and growing the group.

Thanks for your reminder that in theshort run, we can be agents for change.In the long run, death is out of ourcontrol.

Steve Cadwell, PhD, LICSW

✺

Dear Betwixt and Between

Your group is fortunate to have atherapist who is so thoughtful aboutgroup process and the inevitable tensionbetween productive work and resistance.The leader’s job is to facilitate a usefulgroup process, which may require activemanagement. In order to do that, theleader must understand what is going onin the group (as you are trying to do).Then your role is to help people explorethat process and their own participation

in it. Personally I think youcan’t 100% “trust thegroup process” (think ofscapegoating).

In group psychotherapy, themost powerful work occursin the here and now, i.e.right in the group session,as members demonstratethe assumptions they haveabout themselves, others,

and how they must behave inrelationships. It is helpful to explain togroup members that relational learningoccurs early in life. Were the people whowere supposed to be there for themactually there? What were the rules ofengagement? Trauma obviously createslack of safety and the painful paradox ofthe person, who is supposed to be yourcaregiver, being dangerous. Long beforethe development of language, peopledevelop models of themselves andothers, and many put on psychologicallifejackets that they are not even awareof until they come to group.

Because much of this early learningoccurs on a nonconscious level, it can beuseful to explain that people have threeways of expressing emotions: words,behavior, or bodily sensations. So for yourgroup, it might be interesting at times toinvite people to share what they areexperiencing in reaction to whatever isgoing on in the group. “As you listen to_____’s pain, what do you notice insideyou?” This may be a defined feeling orjust a twinge of sensation, but it isimportant to help people begin to bringthemselves into the process rather thanletting one member’s problems dominate.

When a group gets overly helpfultowards one member’s problem, I getactively curious about that. Yes, altruismis one of the therapeutic factors thatYalom’s research showed to be curative ingroup therapy. It feels good to help afellow human being. But focusing onsomeone else’s problems can also be amajor form of resistance to doing one’sown work in the group. I might commentthat “I am noticing that there is a greatdeal of energy around solving _____’sproblems” and invite thoughts about thatprocess.

You further mention that the group getsvery goal-oriented in its problem-solving.I will often remind my groups that thereis a strong and very natural pull to find afix for something painful rather than justsitting with the pain. And yet offering asolution can feel more distant and lessconnecting than just “being with.”

I have the sense that while you areworking very hard, the group hasn’tfound its way to being a working group.It’s important to consider the stage of thegroup. You mention that the group itselfisn’t that old and that you have added acouple of new members in the last twomonths. My guess is that there is someregression around the new members andthat you are dealing with a group that isstill largely a dependency group, wantingyou to guide and interpret. I find myselfwondering how much you have inviteddiscussion around the entrance of thetwo new members. Did they replaceformer members who left? What has itbeen like for the ongoing members tohave these changes in the group?

This may be my particular style, but Iwould not agree with the supervisorswho encouraged you to “trust the groupprocess and see if the membersthemselves can take the lead and cometo insights in their own time.” First, Idon’t think insight is a particularly usefulgoal. Insight tends to be cognitive, whilereal change occurs in affective andbehavioral realms. Also, in an early group,you can’t trust members to figure thingsout. In a working group, after the groupculture, norms, and cohesion have beenestablished, you can trust the processmore.

So I do like that you are slowing down,but I would suggest rather thanwatching, you can teach them how to bein group therapy. Show curiosity aboutwhat everyone is feeling, not just theperson with the problem, and in doing sohelp the group members be with eachother in a deeper way.

The quotation from Keynes does resonatewith the age of the members. They aredealing with the vagaries of aging.Erikson talked about the challenge ofaging as “generativity vs. despair,” andthat may be getting enacted here. Youcan make this group experience be agenerative one through deeper emotionalconnection. As a wise supervisor of mineonce said, “None of us gets out of herealive, but the goal is to die only once.”

Eleanor Counselman, EdD, CGP,LFAGPA

✺

“The leader’s job is

to facilitate a useful

group process,

which may require

active management.”

The Anne AlonsoScholarship Fund:Remembering AnneAlonsoJ. Scott Rutan, PhD, CGP, DFAGPA

S ince its inception, the NSGPFoundation has maintained a

scholarship fund to further the careers ofour younger professionals. In 2013, itproposed a $20,000 fundraising challenge:if it raised this amount, the Foundationwould honor Anne Alonso by naming thefund after her. Thanks to the help of thosewho trained with or were supervised byAnne, the NSGP community, the NSGPFoundation Board and other friends, theFoundation met its goal in May, 2014 andthus renamed the fund the “Anne AlonsoScholarship Fund.”

Anne Alonso died on August 26th, 2007,and with her passing NSGP and the worldof group psychotherapy lost a titan. Timefades memories, and there are probablymany reading this Newsletter who did nothave the opportunity to meet Anne.However, I doubt there are any readingthese words whose professional careershave not been profoundly impacted,shaped, and facilitated by Anne Alonso.Because if you did not know or learnfrom Anne directly, I can guarantee thatthose who have helped shape you as agroup therapist were influenced by Anne.

Anne’s professional home was theMassachusetts General Hospital, whereshe worked from the day she entered her

internship in 1968 until she died. In 1975,I left a position at Boston University andjoined Anne on the faculty at theMassachusetts General. From that dayuntil I left the hospital in 1996, Anne andI had offices next door to one another,co-led an observed therapy group, co-authored articles and chapters, co-taught many classes and workshops,and collaborated on ideas and plans and dreams. We also worked together atthe Boston Institute for Psychotherapyand at The Fielding Institute, and certainlywithin the Northeastern Society (she was our President from 1982-83) and the American Group PsychotherapyAssociation. We remained dear friendsand colleagues after I left MGH, and inthose years I came to fully understandwhat a dedicated educator she was. Annehad boundless energy for projects andvalues that she held dear. Wherever sheinvested that energy, people and placeswere forever changed, and most of herenergy was invested in teaching —training young professionals in the fieldshe so dearly loved.

Harvard has a tradition of publishing a“Memorial Minute” for especiallyimportant faculty who have died (HarvardGazette, Sept. 25, 2008). Jim Groves andI wrote Anne’s, and it reads, in part:

Anne had the gift of narrativeand a talent for rhetoric, twothreads that ran unbrokenthrough the tapestry of her life.

The story she told was the storyof the unconscious and its impacton relationships. For many, evenseasoned psychotherapists, theunconscious is theory or tool orconstruct. For Anne, it was dailyreality. Her clinical genius wasrooted in the fact that for her theother side of the mind was as realas conscious life. While thisshadow world and its landmarksare theory to most people—flatand two dimensional—to Anne itwas not a map, but the territoryitself. She was “from here,” aguide through its mysteries.

In the academy and in thehospital, Anne wove the story ofpsychoanalysis so convincinglythat hundreds of trainees andstudents and colleagues andpatients routinely began theirown quotidian stories of self-learning with “Anne says….” Asclinician, supervisor, and advocateof psychoanalytic theory andpractice she was unexcelled.

In her Presidential Address to the AGPA in1992, Anne spoke of “Group Therapyand the Village Well.” Historically, therewas often a well in the middle of avillage. The village well served twoimportant functions — it provided thenecessary water, and it provided anecessary social gathering place. For

10

The

Practice Development Committee will be sponsoring the following event this fall:

“Did I Stay or Did I Go? A Follow Up Panel of Clinicians Who Have Stayed On or Left Insurance Panels”

Sunday, November 9, 4-6 pm, location TBA

Get more information about signing up online at www.nsgp.com.

Anne and for us, NSGP provides thatvillage well, providing us with necessarylearning and necessary social connections.

The Anne Alonso Scholarship Fund willcontinue to grow each year through thegenerous donations of supporters, and itwill continue to provide scholarships toearly career professionals who want tolearn about the theory and practice ofgroup therapy. Last year the Foundationprovided scholarships for the trainingprogram and $2,500 worth ofscholarships to the NSGP AnnualConference in June. Anne would havegreatly appreciated that the NSGP and theNSGP Foundation have decided to keepher memory alive in this manner.

Learn more on the NSGP website or atwww.nsgpf.org.

✺

11

What is “CliniciansUnited”?Virginia D. Reiber, PhD CGP

I attended an event hosted by ThePractice Development Committee on

Sunday, February 9, 2014 to introduceNSGP members and friends to membersof a new multi-disciplinary group ofbehavioral health clinicians who haveformed an activist organization calledClinicians United.

I have been waiting for an organizationlike this since 1985, at the inception ofthe “managed-care” theory of health‘care.’ I have wanted to be part of anactive, not reactive group that wouldprovide the structure and organizationalmuscle to give a platform to the voices ofmental health therapists.

Last year a group of clinicians approachedthe Local 509 of the Service EmployeesInternational Union (SEIU), a progressivenational union representing over 2.2million members. In Massachusetts, SEIUrepresents health care professionals atpublic and private agencies, other servicesector employees, and is currentlyorganizing adjunct faculty at severaluniversities. SEIU heard the messageabout the need for better workingconditions for clinicians and agreed tofund a statewide organizing campaignacross all clinical disciplines. The Clinicians

United campaign now has a full-timeorganizing staff, legal and researchassistance, as well as communicationsand public relations help. There areregional meetings taking place in all areasof the state.

And now, there is a plan to enhancemental health services for all inMassachusetts by enacting legislation toallow clinicians to work together. The firstpriority of the campaign is passage of aState Anti-Trust Exemption, which wouldexempt mental health clinicians fromanti-trust laws so that we can jointogether and bargain collectively.

Action for change CAN have an impacton the future of mental health care inMassachusetts and the rest of thecountry. The value of being involved withClinicians United is empowerment, hope,recognition, and pride in what we do:treat patients. It’s been a long time sinceour voices have been heard, and it hasalmost disassembled our profession. Themore of us there are, the louder thevoice. We live in one of the best states inthe country to get this done.

If you missed the meeting, but would likemore information about the union, go towww.cliniciansunited.org.

✺

Whether groups make you nervous, curious, excited or confused, the

NSGP Training Programcan help sharpen your leadership skills and take your group to the next level!

Weekend didactics and experiential components start in January.If you’d like to know more, we’d love to talk to you! Contact Joel Krieg at 617-682-0057 or kriegjoel@gmail.com.

And check us out at www.nsgp.com/training.php

SCHOLARSHIPSAVAILABLE!

Does the thought of running a group intimidate you? • Would you like to brush up on the basics?

• Deepen fundamentals?

• Build your confidence as a group leader?

We might have just what you need.

N E W O F F E R I N G

ADVERTISE YOUR PRACTICE,GROUPS or OFFICE SPACE in the next NSGP NEWSLETTER!

NSGP members can now purchase advertisement space.

All ads (except classifieds which can be text)MUST meet these requirements or will bereturned for revision:

1) Submitted as a high resolution PDF*with fonts embedded in the file.

2) Must be 300dpi at 100% size, black &white only.

*The PDFs should be ready to print directlyfrom the file without need for further processing.

$20 -Small Classified ad (25 words max) $50 -Business Card: 3.5”w x 2”h$100 -1/4 pg vert: 3.5”w x 5”h$200 -1/2 pg horizontal 7.125”w x 5”h or

1/2 pg vertical 3.5”w x 10”h

Questions? See details above or call the NSGP office at (617) 431-6747.

The ads will not be edited for accuracy.NSGP does not endorse these groups.

This is a support group for women who have grown

children with a major mental illness. Having a positive

relationship with an adult child with a major mental

illness requires great skill and the ability to tolerate

distress. These mothers are filled with love and fear,

concern and helplessness, an overwhelming desire to

help, the wish for a road map and the desire for a

crystal ball. With this in mind, this support group will

encourage good self care and promote resilience. It

will meet on the second and fourth Wednesday of

each month from 6:00-7:30 p.m. near Harvard

Square. The fee is $45.

To make a referral, please feel free to contact me at

(617) 661-5310 or deboracarmichael@verizon.net.

I look forward to working with you,

Debora Carmichael, PhD, CGP

Support and Self Care Group for Mothers of Adult Children

with Major Mental Illnesses

12

APPAPPLIED D RERESEARCRCH H & P PROGOGRAM AM EVALUATIOIONUMASS DONAHUE INSTITUTEUMASS DONAHUE INSTITUTE

★ YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED! ★Help us understand the experiences of independent clinicians in Massachusetts

by completing our Mental Health Clinicians Survey!

Data on how outpatient mental health care is being provided, accessed and paid for in Massachusetts

is severely lacking. That’s why the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute has been engaged

by CliniciansUNITED to gather a more thorough and systematic understanding of the day-to-day experiences of independent mental health clinicians providing services in Massachusetts.

The goal of this survey is to shed light on this important piece of the health care system, and use this data The entire process takes only 10-15 minutes, and we need as many

Particpate today at http://bit.ly/DonahueSurveyThe information you provide will be transmitted automatically to the Donahue Institute for processing and analysis.

will never be reported.

If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Lead Researcher Christina Citino at ccitino@donahue.umassp.edu.

Save the DATE! NSGP Annual Conference

June 5-7, 2015

For conference updates,

check the Conference Blog http://nsgpconference.blogspot.com

NSGP Foundation Garden Party

Puzzled and Alone? Stumped by Your Group?

Fear not! You’re part of a group: NSGP

Membership in NSGP includes the

Free Consultation

BenefitThe Consultation Benefit

gives members

• One free hour of consultation (in person or on the phone)

per calendar year.• The consultants include many

of the most experienced and august members of NSGP.

For more information contact Carolyn Stone at 617-630-1523 or info@drcarolynstone.com

The Consultation Benefit cannot be used to address an emergency situation.

13

NSGP Foundation Garden Party

Steve Haut, Scott Rutan, & Brenda Smith

Group at Foundation Garden Party

Eleanor Counselman, Joe Shay, & Arnie Cohen

Lise Motherwell & Walker Shields

Lori Galvin & Ken Jaeger

Howie Schnairsohn bidding at Foundation auction

Howie Schnairsohn, Susie Shayegani,Melissa Kelly, Amy Matias,

& Angie Caggianelli

Jane Rutan, Jackie James, & Kelley Bothe

14

Progress Notes

Shoshana Ben-Noam presented apaper on “Healing Through Groups in theWake of Terrorism and Natural Disasters”and co-presented a workshop entitled“Deep Trauma and its Aftermath —Psychoanalytic Considerations” at the16th European Symposium in GroupAnalysis in Lisbon, Portugal, July 2014.

Steve Cadwell has launched hisone-man-show of original poetry, photos,songs and stories: “Wild&Precious”celebrating the 50 years of Gay Liberationthrough his life and times. Many NSGPmembers have loved the show inConcord, Boston, Worcester, and SmithCollege School for Social Work. Showsahead this fall include locations inMiddlebury and Burlington VT, BrownUniversity, Austin TX, Amherst College,and the Massachusetts Association ofPsychoanalytic Psychologists atCambridge City Hospital. He invitespeople to come out and support him!

Tyler Carpenter published an articlerecently entitled “The Degree ofCivilization in a Society Can Be Judged byEntering Its Prisons: Ethical Issues in PrisonPsychiatry” in Contemporary Psychology.He was also a panel discussant for theAnnual Meeting of the AmericanPsychological Association in WashingtonD.C. in August on the topic of “Extensionsfor Face-to-Face Conferences.”

Eleanor Counselman taught aworkshop on “The Secure Base:Attachment in Group Psychotherapy” inMarch at the American GroupPsychotherapy Association AnnualMeeting here in Boston. She also servedas discussant for the Red Well TheaterGroup production of “The Great GodPan,” relating the themes in the play totrauma, attachment, and group therapy.In her new role as President-Elect ofAGPA, she’s learning about nationalmental health care policy and will berepresenting AGPA at the Rosalynn CarterMental Health Symposium in November.

Bette Freedson’s first book, SoulMothers’ Wisdom/Seven Insights for theSingle Mother will come out in March2015. It is being published by PearlsongPress of Tennessee, whose mission is“Healing The World One Book at aTime.” She will also be presenting aseminar entitled, “Celebrating SingleMothers” for the Maine Mental HealthCounselors Association AnnualConference, “Celebrating Experience” inPortland, Maine in October and has anarticle: “Differential Use of Self in aGrowth Group Setting: Creating Healingand Empowerment” which will befeatured in the MA NASW newspaper inthe fall, in the section entitled “ClinicalPractice Today.”

Robert Haas presented at theHarvard Medical School Department ofContinuing Education. He was part of thePositive Psychotherapy: FosteringResilience and Well-Being conference. Hispresentation was on “Bringing PositivePsychology into Clinical Practice.”

Barbara Keezell is ending hertenure as co-editor of the NSGPnewsletter but not her tenure with NSGP.She successfully transferred a group shehad been leading for 23 years at theBoston Institute for Psychotherapy. Shereports it was a bittersweet ending. Shehas joined the Institute Committee for theAGPA conference.

Jenn McLain co-facilitated (fromhome in Boston) a 2-week online largegroup experience, the Continuous OnlineGroup, with two other consultants for theGroup Analytic Society’s InternationalSymposium held in Lisbon, Portugal thissummer. She also joined Joel Krieg toco-chair the NSGP Training Committeebeginning in July.

Oona Metz will be giving two talksin October on the psychology of divorce,one to the general public and one tomediators at a Massachusetts Council ofFamily Mediation Lecture Series. InNovember, she is returning to NYC topresent her workshop on “Secrets inGroup Psychotherapy” for the EGPSAnnual Conference.

Cecil Rice was the Institute PlenarySpeaker at the AGPA Annual Meeting inBoston in March. The title was “Sailinginto the Unknown,” which addressed theanxiety and opportunity one faces inentering an AGPA Experience or SpecialInterest Group with strangers. He drew aparallel between that experience and hisexperience of leaving Northern Irelandwith his family for the United States — awhole new group of strangers.

Sharan Schwartzberg and MaryBarnes recently published an article,“Functional Group Model: AnOccupational Therapy Approach” in theIsraeli Journal of Occupational Therapy.

Joe Shay was the keynote presenterat the Carolina Group PsychotherapySociety where he presented “ProjectiveIdentification Goes to the Movies.” Healso led the second year of a two-yearExperience Group at the NSGP AnnualConference, and at the same conferenceled a workshop entitled “Couples GoneWild: The Top 10 Complications inCouples Therapy.” In the fall, he willpresent “’I Just Want to Teach the Group’:Does Group Process Really Matter?” tothe faculty of MIP. Also, recentlypublished were the 2nd edition ofComplex Dilemmas in Group Therapyedited by Lise Motherwell and Joe,and the 5th edition of PsychodynamicGroup Psychotherapy authored withScott Rutan and Walt Stone.

Maxine Sushelsky was interviewedby Bet MacArthur for the NASWnewsletter in November, 2013. Theinterview was entitled, “Clinical Issues inGrief Work with Young Adults.” InMarch, 2014, she presented “What’sGrief Got to do with It: Traveling throughLoss with Clients,” at the NSGP BreakfastClub. In May, 2014, Maxine led a groupdiscussion on managing stress, settingwork boundaries, and burn-out in a seriesentitled, “Attorney Self-Care: How toThrive as a Solo or Small Firm Lawyer,”presented by the Woman’s BarAssociation of Massachusetts, Solo &Small Firm Committee.

The Marsha Vannicelli/LarryKron household announced a newaddition, “an adorable 9 month oldshaggy dog terrier mix” they rescuedfrom Hanover, PA in July. They write, “Weare finding that he seems to do betterwith separation anxiety (his) and sleeplessnights (ours) than we do. (Photosavailable, of him not us, upon request.)”

Progress Notes features a variety of items that reflect progress for NSGP membersor committees. Please let us know (newsletter@nsgp.com) if there’s anything you’dlike noted, whether an article you’ve published, a speech you’re giving, or a notablechange in your life.

15

Bob Weber reports he and co-author Carol Orsborn are about to sign acontract with a publisher for their book, ASeeker’s Guide to Aging: Spirituality forBoomers and Beyond. Publication isexpected sometime in the latter half of2015.

Kurt White presented a workshopat AGPA in Boston entitled “Can YouHear Me Now? Translating Group Theoryand Practice into Today’s Agency PracticeSettings.” At that time, he also assumedthe role of co-chair of the AGPA MentalHealth Agency & Institutional SettingsSIG. In the spring, he presented two talksto the Vermont Addiction Providers’Association: “Psychopharmacology forNon-Prescribing Clinicians” and “Suicideand Substance Use Disorders.” In Juneand July, he presented two talks at theSmith School for Social Work SeminarSeries: “Emerging Drug Use Trends andEmerging Treatments for AddictiveDisorders” and “The Troubled Triangle:The Developmental Neurobiology ofAddiction, Attachment, and Trauma.” Healso celebrated five years of teachingGroup Theory and Practice to MSWstudents at Smith College SSW. Thisspring and summer, in his work at theBrattleboro Retreat, he started two newoutpatient groups for adults and youngadults.

NSGPF Tequila Tasting

Greg and Deb Carmichael, Katherine Ruiz-Mellott, and Joel Krieg at Tequila Tasting

NSGPF Tequila Tasting

Caption This!Please submit a caption for this cartoon to newsletter@nsgp.com.

The winning entries will be announced in the next issue.

Drawn by David Goldfinger

Winners for the Spring, 2014 cartoonSelected by the Cartoon Committee

(Ellen Ziskind, Alan Witkower, & Oona Metz)

Fourth runner up:“Who’s the odd ball in the hat, just sittin’ there?”— Joe DeAngelisThird runner up:“Special Institute: Blurred Boundaries: When it’s difficult to tell the difference

between group members and a group therapist.”— Guy CroteauSecond runner up:“Will the house of representatives please come to order.”— Leah SlivkoFirst runner up:“Look. We’re the only ones really bonded.”—Scott RutanThe winning caption:“Despite the extremes of character, the group members were STICKing around.”

— William Sharp

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Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy, Inc.PO Box 356 Belmont, MA 02478-3201(617) 431-6747www.nsgp.com

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Mark Your Calendar!

NSGP’s 34th Annual Conference!June 5, 6, & 7, 2015

For more information or to sign up, please call 617-431-6747 or go online to www.nsgp.com.

2014-2015 NSGP Events CalendarSept. 21, 2014 Breakfast Club 11-1:30—with Renee Hoekstra, PsyD

Adolescent Groups in Private PracticeHosted by Arnie Cohen—Newton

Oct. 26, 2014 Breakfast Club 11-1:30—with Ann Koplow, LICSWCome One, Come All, Whenever!: Open Access Groups at a Hospital Primary Care Practice

Hosted by Marsha Vannicelli & Larry Kron—Cambridge Nov. 9, 2014 Practice Development Offering 4-6pm

Did I Stay or Did I Go: a follow up of clinicians who have stayed on or left insurance panelsLocation: TBD

Dec. 7, 2014 Breakfast Club 11-1:30—with Tfawa Haynes, LICSWShades of Black: Challenges and Revelations that Arise in Running Groups of MarginalizedPopulations

Hosted by Scott Rutan—Chestnut HillJan. 11, 2015 Breakfast Club 11-1:30—with Sara Emerson, LICSW, CGP, FAGPA

How Much Is Enough? Termination from Group TherapyHosted by Eleanor Counselman—Belmont

Feb. 23-28, 2015 AGPA in San FranciscoStay Tuned for further information!

Mar. 22, 2015 Breakfast Club 11-1:30—with Ari Shesto, PhDIntro to Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT): Dose of Science, Pinch of Mentalization, and LiberalMeasure of Good Old Therapy

Hosted by Jim Leone—Belmont Apr. 12, 2015 Breakfast Club 11-1:30—with Jennifer Leigh, PhD

Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples in a Time-Limited Group: Fostering a Secure Bond betweenPartners

Hosted by Walker & Joyce Shields—Belmont June 5-7, 2015 Save the Date!

34th Annual Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy Conference