76th Annual Conference Sessions and Workshops
Thursday, February 28 (Details)

Early Bird Open Sessions
Early Bird Colloquies
Conference Opening Plenary
All-Day Courses
All-Day Workshops
Morning Open Sessions
Morning Workshops
Lunch-Time Open Session
Afternoon Open Sessions
Afternoon Workshops

For more information on those presenters who have the CGP credential, please click on their names to view their CGP profiles. 

Early Bird Open Sessions
7:15 – 8:15 A.M.

Session 201
Contemporary Group Psychotherapy Research

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Research SIG

Chair:
Cheri Marmarosh, PhD, Professor, George Washington University, Washington, DC

This is the Research SIG's annual paper session presenting current research in group psychotherapy.

Session also on Friday (7:15-8:15 am)

Title: Comparison of Individual and Group Treatment in Physiotherapy for Low Back Pain
Author: Zipora Schectman, PhD, DFAGPA, Professor Emeritus, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel

Title: Group Treatment with Patients with Somatic Disorders - Current State and Research Needs

Author: Bernhard Strauss, PhD, Full Professor, Institute for Psychosocial Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Jena, Germany

This is a paper session in which panelists present new, clinically relevant research findings, with time for discussion and questions from the audience.

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Summarize current research in group psychotherapy.
2. Integrate current group therapy research into clinical practice.
3. Match current research findings to areas of group practice and interest.
4. Discuss important principles related to developing and conducting effective group therapies.

Session 202
Getting off the Runway: Forming and Launching your New Psychotherapy Group

Chair: 
Amy Matias, PhD, LICSW, CGP, Private Practice, Cambridge, Massachusetts
 
Launching a group can be one of the most challenging tasks you face as a group therapist.  It is easy to get stuck because you are unsure what to do next.  In this workshop participants will explore the potential pitfalls of starting a group and learn how to avoid them.  Using practical advice that is grounded in group theory, participants are guided through a stepwise process of launching a group.

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to: 
1. Define the type and focus of the group they want to start.
2. Evaluate how to identify and connect with referral sources and promote your group.
3. Identify the important elements of forming a group.
4. Conduct member interviews to select and prepare members.
5. Discuss challenges that may arise in terms of membership and setting.
6. Plan how to launch a group.

Course References: 
1. Bader, B.R., Bader, L.J., Budman, S.H., & Clifford, M. (1981). Pre-group Preparation model for long-term group psychotherapy in a private practice setting. Group, 5 (3), 43-50.
2. O'Connor, E. (2012). The Anti-Candidate Consider Starting a Group. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 62: 3, 367-374.
3. Price, J.R., & Hescheles, D.R. (1999). A Guide to Starting Psychotherapy Groups: Practical Resources for Mental Health Professionals. San Diego, CA: Elsevier.
4. Rutan, J.S., Stone, W.N., & Shay, J. (2007). Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy, Fourth Edition. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
5. Salvendy, J.T. (1993). Selection and preparation of patients and organization of the group.  In H. Kaplan & B. Sadock (Eds.), Comprehensive Group Psychotherapy (pp. 72-84). Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins.
6. Yalom, I., & Leszcz, M. (2005). Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy, Fifth Edition. New York, NY: Basic Books.

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Early Morning Colloquies
7:15 – 8:15 A.M.

Colloquy 1
Physician Self-Care: Challenges of Keeping Group Process Training Alive in Residency Training as a Way of Preventing Professional Burnout

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Psychiatry SIG
  
Presenter:
Nelly Katsnelson, MD, CGP, Assistant Clinical Professor, Montefiore Medical Center/AECOM, Bronx, New York
 
A supervision process group for young psychiatrists can serve to reinforce not only therapeutic but also self-growth skills. Due to the changing demands of training of modern day psychiatrists the young professionals are much more vulnerable to professional burnout. Professional burnout develops when something disrupts the physician's sense of identity. Through video-tape vignettes and discussion, we will look at a supervision model from both the supervisor’s and supervisee’s perspective-especially in its parallel healing potential.

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Identify the role of group therapy in psychiatric education.
2. Identify at least three challenges in dealing and preventing physician burnout from psychodynamic group perspective.
3. Describe the group supervision model used in dealing and preventing physician burnout.

Course References:
1. Smullens, S. ( 2015). Burnout and Self-Care in Social Work. Washington, D.C.: NASW Press.
2. Kumar, S. (2007). Burnout in psychiatrists. World Psychiatry, 6(3): 186–189.
3. Bernard, H., & Spitz, H. (2006). Training in Group Psychotherapy Supervision. AGPA. (2000). ACFME Guidelines for Psychiatry Residency Training.
4. Fuhriman, A., & Burlingame, G. (2001). Group Psychotherapy Training and Effectiveness. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 51(2).
5. Rollman l., Mead, LA, Wang, N., et al. (1997). Medical specialty and the incidence of divorce. New England Journal of Medicine, 336(11): 800-3.

Colloquy 2
Processing Secondary Trauma in Adoptive Parents 

Presenter:
William Hemphill, MDiv, LAPC, NCC, MMHC, Private Practice, Norcross, Georgia

This session will help prepare the clinician to assist clients who are adoptive parents and dealing with issues surrounding secondary trauma. Clinicians will understand the disruptive attachment cycle and how it affects trauma. Resources will be made available. Participants will be able to process their own experiences.

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Explain the attachment process and the disruptive attachment process in child parent relationships.
2. Describe how secondary trauma affects couple and parent child relationships.
3. Name some of the challenges, expectations, and disappointments of foster care and adoptive parents.
4. Within a group, process the information along with personal experiences, and ways to care for the caregiver.

Course References:
1. Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2015). Foster care statistics 2013. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.
2. Goldberg, A. E., & Smith, J. Z. (2014). Predictors of parenting stress in lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parents during early parenthood. Journal of Family Psychology, 28(2), 125-137. doi:10.1037/a0036007
3. Foli, K.J., & Thompson, J.R. (2004). The post-adoption blues: Overcoming the unforeseen challenges of adoption. Emmaus, PA: Rodale.
4. Keck, Gregory C., & Kupecky, Regina M. (1995). Adopting the Hurt Child. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Pinon Press.
5. Patterson, J. M. (2002). Integrating Family Resilience and Family Stress Theory. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64(2), 349–360. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3600109

Workshop 1a
Facilitating Justice: Anti-Racist Practice for White Group Facilitators

Presented under the auspices of the Racial and Ethnic Diversity SIG and the College Counseling and Other Educational Settings SIG

Chairs:
Mark Drummond Davis, MSW, Clinical Social Worker, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
A.J. Metthe, MSW, Clinical Social Worker, Thundermist Health Center, Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Zachary Wigham, MSW, Clinical Social Worker, Brattleboro Retreat, Brattleboro, Vermont

 

This anti-racist workshop is designed to help white group facilitators awaken to the oppressive dynamics of whiteness in order to consistently and effectively interrupt the enactment of white supremacy in a group therapy context. Discussions, self-reflective activities, and demonstrations will guide participants through common feelings of white guilt, fragility, and defensiveness toward pro-active and accountable anti-racist practice in the group and in everyday life.
experiential-sharing of work experiences-didactic-demonstration

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Explain how racism damages white people and systematically oppresses People of Color.
2. Compassionately explore and move through feelings of discomfort, fragility, and guilt surrounding white privilege.
3. Utilize group-as-a-whole and field theories to formulate the iatrogenic impact of white racial dynamics upon groups.
4. Develop strategies to effectively respond to racial microaggressions in a therapy group.
5. Describe everyday steps to advance racial justice in collaborative and accountable relationships with People of Color.

Course References:
1. Burnes, T., & Ross, K. (2010). Applying social justice to oppression and marginalization in group process: Interventions and strategies for group counselors. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 35(2), 169-176.
2. Cone-Uemura, K., & Bentley, E.S. (2018). Multicultural/diversity issues in groups. In M.D. Ribeiro, J.M. Gross, and M.M. Turner (Eds.), The college counselor's guide to group psychotherapy (pp. 21-35). New York, NY: Routledge.
3. DiAngelo, R.J. (2016). What does it mean to be white?: Developing white racial literacy (Rev. ed). New York, NY: Peter Lang.
4. Mintchev, N. (2018). Object-Relations and cultural narratives in the analysis of racism: Theorizing subjectivity after Klein and Lacan. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 28(2), 234-249.
5. Sue, D.W. (2016). Race talk and the conspiracy of silence: Understanding and facilitating difficult dialogues on race. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Workshop 2a
An Exploration of Competition, Cooperation, and Autonomy: Learning from the Pelaton

Chairs:
Cindy Aron, MSW, CGP, FAGPA, Director of Group Programs, Samaritan Mental Health, Corvallis, Oregon
Paul Cox, MD, CGP, Associate Professor Volunteer Clinical Faculty, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California

Cycling races highlight key aspects of group dynamics such as subgroups, cooperation & competition. Teams & organized 3-10 rider breakaways are examples of functional subgrouping. Wind-resistance(metaphor for psychological resistances) necessitates cooperation laying bare the utility for constructive alliances. A lone cyclist forging ahead of the peloton and a group member sharing his/her vulnerability are both more likely to succeed when others join.
didactic-demonstration-experiential-sharing of work experiences

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. State the value of functional subgrouping.
2. Present the advantage of competition in the service of personal and collective actualization.
3. Apply here-and-now understanding to leadership considerations in or order to maintain cohesive group functioning.
4. Summarize the merit of “emotional drafting’ in the service of the whole.
5. Explain how cooperation and competition are foundational parts of autonomous functioning.

Course References:
1. Bhurruth, M. (2008). A Group Analytic Understanding of the Tour de France: Why the Fittest Rider Does Not Necessarily Win. Group Analysis, 41; 3, page(s): 227-239.
2. Gantt, S., & Agazarian, Y. (2004). Systems-Centered Emotional Intelligence: Beyond the Individual Systems to Organizational Systems. Organizational Analysis, 12; 2, pp.147-169.
3. Gantt, S., & Agazarian, Y. (2010). Developing the Group Mind Through Functional Subgrouping: Linking Systems-Centered Training (SCT) and Interpersonal Neurobiology. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 60, Neurobiology and Building Interpersonal Systems: Groups, Couples, and Beyond, pp. 515-544.
4. Hoenigman, R., Bradley, E., Lim, A.(2011). Cooperation in bike racing when to work together and when to go it alone. Complexity, 17, 39–44.
5. Navaro, L., Schwartzberg, S. L. (2007). Developmental Perspectives. In: Navaro, L., Scwartzberg, S. L. (Eds.), Envy, Competition and Gender: Theory, Clinical Applications and Group Work, New York, NY: Routledge, pp. 15–17.
6. Martins Ratamero E. (2015). Modelling Peloton Dynamics in Competitive Cycling: A Quantitative Approach. In Cabri J., Pezarat Correia P., Barreiros J. (eds) Sports Science Research and Technology Support. icSPORTS 2013. Communications in Computer and Information Science, 464.

Workshop 3a
Sensing How To Speak And Be Silent: Working With Developmental Self-States As A Group Leader

Chairs:
Angelo Ciliberti, MA, LPC, CGP, Private Practice, Boulder, Colorado
Jordan Price, LCSW, MSW, CGP, Private Practice, Austin, Texas

We will explore the developmental arc of early psychological life as understood by affect regulation theory and complementary psychoanalytic theories. Emphasis will be placed on keeping an open clinical body and mind while using physiological, emotional, sensory, and cognitive information to assess the developmental self-state and maturational needs of the group, individual members, and the leader. Intervention at various stations of emotional development will be discussed and modeled with a demonstration group.
experiential-didactic-demonstration-sharing of work experiences

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Identify primary psycho-developmental stations of early life as understood by affect regulation theory and complementary psychoanalytic theory.
2. Describe the maturational needs of these developmental periods and how group leaders can use themselves and the group to address them.
3. Examine how a group leader can use their full range of experiences, including physiological, emotional, sensory, and cognitive to understand where a group and its members may be functioning developmentally at a given moment.
4. Identify and develop techniques for group intervention at different developmental stations of early life.
5. Incorporate knowledge of developmental self-states through experiential learning

Course References:
1. Hill, D. (2015). Affect regulation theory: A clinical model. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
2. Schore, A.N. (2016). Affect regulation and the origin of the self: The neurobiology of emotional development. New York, NY: Psychology Press.
3. McWilliams, N. (2011). Psychoanalytic diagnosis: Understanding personality structure in the clinical process. New York: Guilford Press.
4. Zeisel, E.M. (2009). Affect Education and the Development of the Interpersonal Ego in Modern Group Psychoanalysis. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 59(3), 421-432. doi:10.1521/ijgp.2009.59.3.421
5. Ginot, E., & Schore, A.N. (2015). The neuropsychology of the unconscious integrating brain and mind in psychotherapy. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Workshop 4a 

Integrating CBT & Experiential Interventions:  A Innovative Short Term Psychodramatic Group Model

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA College Counseling and Other Educational Settings SIG and the Group Training and Supervision SIG

Chairs:
Thomas Treadwell, EdD, TEP, CGP, Psychologist, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Deborah Dartnell, MSOD, MA, Adjunct Professor of Psychology, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, Pennsylvania
Brittni Gettys, BA, Doctoral Candidate, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, Pennsylvania

The Cognitive Experiential Group Therapy (CEGT) model, [a psycho-dramatic/action model], incorporating Psycho-dramatic and Cognitive Behavioral Techniques that promote dynamic group interaction(s).  Focus is identifying and exploring negative automatic thoughts and irrational beliefs, placing them in action utilizing Psychodrama techniques and challenging negative thinking.  Integrating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Techniques allied with Psycho-dramatic Techniques help provide a balance between an exploration of emotionally laden situations and a more concrete, data-based, problem-solving process.
experiential-demonstration-sharing of work experiences-didactic

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Describe how the Cognitive Experiential Group Therapy (CEGT) model can be used to create a safe and secure environment where individuals can share their dilemma(s) without restraint.
2. Complete and interpret the Automatic Thought Record (ATR).
3. Identify automatic thoughts & focus on 'hot thoughts'.
4. Explain and implement the major psycho-dramatic techniques: role-playing, interview in role reversal, protagonist, auxiliary ego, doubling, concretizing and the empty chair techniques.
5. Explain the meaning of automatic thoughts as they relate to core-beliefs and/or schemas.

Course References:
1. Treadwell, T., Dartnell, D., Travaglini, L., Staats, M., & Devinney, K. (2016). Group therapy workbook: Integrating cognitive behavioral therapy with psychodramatic theory and practice.  Parker, Colorado: Outskirts Press Publishing.
2. Treadwell, T., Dartnell, D., Stenroos, A., Gettys, B. (2017). Cognitive experiential group therapy: A model for a variety of clinical and college counseling settings. The Group Psychologist, 27, 3.
3. Treadwell, T. & Dartnell, D. (2017). Cognitive Psychodrama Group Therapy.  International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67, 1-13.
4. Wilson, J. (2012). Dancing in the sun: The creative combination of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and psychodrama. Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Psychodrama Association Journal, 21. 
5. Baim, C. (2007). A cognitive psychodramtaist: Reflections of the links between cogntive therapy and psychodrama. British Journal of Psychodrama and Sociodrama, 22 (2) 23-31.

Session 301
Anger in Group Therapy: Grist for the Mill vs. When Rage Kills

Chair:
Joseph Shay, PhD, CGP, LFAGPA, Private Practice, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Presenters:
Stewart Aledort, MD, CGP, FAGPA, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, George Washington School of Medicine, Washington, DC
Molyn Leszcz, MD, FRCPC, CGP, DFAGPA, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto; Psychiatrist, Sinai Health System, Toronto, Onatario
Ronnie Levine, PhD, ABPP, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, New York, New York
Oona Metz, LICSW, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Brookline, Massachusetts

Group therapists value the expression of anger and aggression among group members because it allows exploration of uncomfortable affective experiences beneath awareness. Some attacks in group, however, may cause the recipient to experience lasting damage which we call “collateral damage.” Progress for one group member may come at the expense of another member. How much anger is too much? Are there skillful ways to intervene to mitigate damage to vulnerable members?

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Identify different expressions of anger and aggression in group therapy, from micro- to macro.
2. Recognize situations that may be headed in a destructive direction.
3. Identify different countertransference responses to anger.
4. Describe therapist interventions in the presence of anger in the group.

Course References:
1. Black, A. (2017). On attacking and being attacked in group psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67, 291-313.
2. Buchele, B.J. (1995). Etiology and management of anger in groups: A psychodynamic view. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 45, 275–285.
3. Gans, J.S. (1989). Hostility in group psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 39, 499–516.
4. Grossmark, R. (2015). The edge of chaos: Enactment, disruption, and emergence in group psychotherapy. In R. Grossmark & F. Wright (Eds.), The one and the many: Relational approaches to group psychotherapy (pp. 57–74). New York, NY: Routledge.
5.  Van Wagoner, S.L. (2008). Anger in group therapy, countertransference and the novice group therapist. Journal of Psychotherapy in Independent Practice, 1, 63–75.

Session 302   
Integrating Research and Theory to Inform Interventions

Chair:
Sally Barlow, PhD, ABPP, ABGP, CGP, Professor (Retired), Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

Presenters:
Les Greene, PhD, CGP, LFAGPA, Clinical Supervisor, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, Yale University, Hamden, Connecticut
Francis Kaklauskas, PsyD, CGP, FAGPA, Director, Group Psychotherapy Training Program, University of Colorado, Longmont, Colorado

Group experts integrate research knowledge and theory to inform group interventions. Three group events in particular--group formation including creating safety, developing norms; scapegoating, and rupture and repair--will be highlighted by participation in three role plays. Group clinicians will be able to match their clinical wisdom with extant research through group process and stop-action where co-leaders and discussant will review relevant research.

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Acquire clinical wisdom and research knowledge into their clinical practices with competence.
2. Cite current research that informs interventions at the level of group formation, creating safety, developing norms.
3. Cite current research that informs interventions at the level of the potentially disruptive process of scapegoating.
4. Cite current research that informs interventions at the level of the potentially dangerous process of rupture with ways to repair.

Course References:
1. Barlow, S. (2013). Specialty competencies in group psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.
2. Barlow, S., Burlingame, G., Greene, L., Joyce, A., Kaklauskas, F., Kinley, J., & Feirman, D. (2015). Evidence-based practice in group psychotherapy  [American Group Psychotherapy Association Science to Practice Task Force web document]. Retrieved from http://www.agpa.org/home/practice-resources/evidence-based-practice-in-group-psychotherapy
3. Bion, W. (1961). Experiences in group and other papers. New York: Basic Books.
4. Greene, L. (2012). Studying the why and how of therapeutic change; The increasingly prominent role of mediators in group psychotherapy research. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 62(2), 325-331.
5. Yalom, I., & Leszcz, M. (2005). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.

Session 303   
Stories We Carry: Exploring the Impact of Trauma and Loss on the Clinician and the Group

Chair:
Mary Krueger, MSEd, LCPC, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Cary, Illinois

Presenters:
Catherine Brennan, MD, Staff Psychiatrist, Community Psychiatrist, Davis, California
Paige LaCava, MA, LCPC, CGP, Clinical Supervisor of Masters Level Clinicians, The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
Shira Marin, PhD, Private Practice, San Rafael, California

This open session explores how trauma and loss in our external world impacts the internal world of the group, group leader, and participants. Through the use of narratives, theoretical perspectives, and lived experiences, we will examine how holding our stories and the stories others share with us influences our interventions, our disclosures, and our self-care. Potential risk factors and challenges as well as practical skills that assist the clinician will be identified and discussed.
 

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Define three levels of trauma.
2. Identify two major challenges potentially faced by clinicians who work with trauma and loss.
3. Identify  three self-care skills that the group therapist may utilize to attenuate the impact of exposure to traumatic stories.

Course References:
1. Beck, R., Buchele, B. (2005). In the Belly of the Beast: Traumatic Countertransference. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 55:1, 31-44.
2. Gans, J. (2017). The Leader’s Illumination of Group Phenomena Hidden in Plain Sight: Why Is No One Talking About the Elephant in the Room?, International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67:3, 337-359.
3. Ormont, L. (2015). Developing Emotional Insulation. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 44:3, 361-375.
4. Phillips, S. (2015). The Dangerous Role of Silence in the Relationship Between Trauma and Violence: A Group Response. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 65:1, 64-87.
5. Saakvitne, K.W. (2005). Holding Hope and Humanity in the Face of Trauma’s Legacy: The Daunting Challenge for Group Therapists. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 55:1, 137-149.
6. Schermer, V.L. (2005). Introduction. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 55:1, 1-29.
7. Spinazola, L.P.  (2018). Narrative (Re)Righting: Recovering and Rebuilding a Life Rocked by Trauma. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 23:4, 335-346.

Chairs:
Michelle Davenport, MA, LMFT, CGP, Business Manager and School Counselor, Carden Academy of Maui, Makawao, Hawaii
Richard Kahler, MSFP, ChFC, CFP, Adjunct Faculty, Golden Gate University, Rapid City, California

There is an old truism: therapists are more comfortable discussing clients' most intimate sexual details than talking about money. This workshop promotes healthy attachments to money in both practitioners and clients with both didactic and experiential processes. The group process will use real money exercises to help clients and practitioners recognize the underlying emotions and beliefs that drive their financial decisions. Please bring an amount of cash in small bills you are willing to lose.
didactic-demonstration-experiential-sharing of work experiences

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:   
1. Describe disordered and problematic money behaviors formed by early childhood trauma.
2. Identify personal disordered and problematic money behaviors in yourself that may harm the therapeutic relationship.
3. Access disordered and problematic money behaviors using real money in group exercises.
4. Use an exercise to help group members surface awareness of disordered and problematic money behaviors in the group setting.

Course References:
1. Klontz, B., Kahler, R., & Klontz, T. (2016). Facilitating Financial Health. Kentucky: NUCO.
2. Klontz, B., Britt, S., & Archuleta, K. (2015). Financial Therapy. Switzerland: Springer International.
3. Klontz, B., Britt, S., Mentzer, J., & Klontz, T. (2011). Money beliefs and financial behaviors: Development of the Klontz Money Script Inventory. Journal of Financial Therapy, 2, 1-22.
4. Gale, J., Goetz, J., & Bermudez, M. (2009). Relational Financial Therapy - The not-so-surprising relationship of money to relationships. Family Therapy Magazine, September/October, 25-29.
5. Klontz, B., Klontz, P., Bivens, A., Wada, J., & Kahler, R. (2008). The Treatment of Disordered Money Behaviors: Results of an Open Clinical Trial. Psychological Services, 5(3), 295-308.

Workshop 9
From the Heart of the Dream to the Heart of the Group

Chair:
W. Keren Vishny, MD, MA, Private Practice, Wilmette, Illinois

Dreams stimulate deep feeling and enliven the imagination. Natural Dreamwork emphasizes dream experience over interpretation and is well suited to group process. Enactment of dreams enhances insight and interpersonal connection among group members. Participants should be prepared to share and participate in role plays of their own dream material.
experiential-didactic-demonstration-sharing of work experiences
 

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. List five defining features of natural dreamwork.
2. Identify three therapeutic uses of dreams in groups.
3. Describe the roles of group participants and facilitators in ‘5D’ Dream Enactment.

Course References:
1. Friedman, R. (2008). Dreamtelling as a Request for Containment: Three Uses of Dreams in Group Therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 58:3, 327-344.
2. Kahan and LaBerge (2011). Dreaming and Waking: Similarities and Differences Revisited. Consciousness and Cognition, 20, 494-514.
3. Kamenetz, R. (2016). Natural Dreamwork & the Poetic Imagination http://thenaturaldream.com/dream-poetry/
4. Kamenetz, R. (2017). A Huge Man, http://thenaturaldream.com/a-huge-man
5. Lewis, J. & Krippner, S. (2016). Working with Dreams and PTSD Nightmares: 14 Approaches for Psychotherapists and Counselors. Santa Barbara, CA, ABC-CLIO, LLC.
6. McNiff, S. (1992). Art as Medicine: Creating a Therapy of the Imagination. Boston & London, Shambhala.
7. Neri, C., Pines, M., Friedman, R. (2002). Dreams in Group Psychotherapy: Theory and Technique. London, Jessica Kingsley.
8. Sparrow, G.S. (2014). Analyzing chronic dream ego responses in co-creative dream analysis. International Journal of Dream Research, 7 (1).

Workshop 10
Mirror, Mirror on the Screen 2.0: The Images of Ourselves Reflected Back to Us by Online Groups

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Internet, Social Media, and Technology SIG

Chairs:
Bob Hsiung, MD, Private Practice, Dr. Bob, LLC, Chicago, Illinois

People can show discrepant angles of themselves on social media and in person. How discrepant? Participants interact by group text for 30 minutes and then face-to-face for 30 minutes. Participants then discuss how they and others showed up in the two groups and try to match cell numbers and names. We conclude with a general discussion of identity and social media. Version 2.0 is an upgrade from an online message board to group text.
experiential-demonstration-sharing of work experiences-didactic

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. List differences between interacting by text and face-to-face.
2. Describe how group members were different in text and face-to-face.
3. Describe how group members were similar in text and face-to-face.

Course References:
1. Erdur-Baker, Ö. (2010). Cyberbullying and its correlation to traditional bullying, gender and frequent and risky usage of internetmediated communication tools. New Media & Society, 12 (1), 109-125.
2. Hsiung, R.C. (2000). The best of both worlds: An online self-help group hosted by a mental health professional. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 3 (6), 935-950.
3. Suler, J. (2004). The online disinhibition effect. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7 (3), 321-326.
4. Turkle, S. (1997). Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Inc.
5. Weinberg, H. (2001). Group process and group phenomena on the Internet. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 51 (3), 361-378.
6. Barlett, C.P., Gentile, D.A., Chew, C. (2016). Predicting cyberbullying from anonymity. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 5 (2), 171–180. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000055
7. Kirmayer, L.J., Raikhel E., Rahimi, S. (2013). Cultures of the Internet: Identity, community and mental health. Transcultural Psychiatry, 50 (2), 165–191. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1363461513490626
8. Lomanowska, A.M., Guitton, M.J. (2016). Online intimacy and well-being in the digital age. Internet Interventions, 4, 138–144. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2016.06.005

Workshop 11
Seeing and Being Seen in Group Therapy: A Polyvagal Theory Perspective

Presented in cooperation with the International Board for Certification of Group Psychotherapists

Chair:
Philip Flores, PhD, ABPP, CGP, LFAGPA, Private Practice, Atlanta, Georgia

Polyvagal Theory has helped crack the facial code, and deepened our understanding as to the relationships between our nervous system, our facial expressions and bodily sensations. Porges work provides us a more complete understanding of the entire realm of implicit, non-verbal communication, which makes up the heart and soul of our most intimate and emotionally meaningful social interactions. This workshop will examine how the effect of the visual relationship particularly impacts this process.
didactic-demonstration-experiential-sharing of work experiences

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:  
1. Describe the foundation of the Polyvagal Theory.
2. Describe how the Polyvagal Theory may demystify several features related to psychiatric disorders and behavioral problems.
3. Describe how deficits in the regulation of the Social Engagement System are expressed as core features of several psychiatric disorders.
4. Describe how group psychotherapy, conducted and guided by the principles of Polyvagal Theory, can promote the biobehavioral adjustments necessary for the recruitment of well-defined neural circuits that function as a “neural platform” essential for both attachment and affect regulation.
5. Explain how the neural process, neuroception, evaluates risk in the environment and triggers adaptive neural circuits, which promote either social interactions or defensive behaviors.

Course References:
1. Flores, P.J. & Porges, S.W. (2017). Group psychotherapy as a neural exercise: Bridging polyvagal theory and attachment theory. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67 (2), 202-222.
2. Porges S.W. (1998). Love: An emergent property of the mammalian autonomic nervous system. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 23: 837-861.
3. Porges, S.W. (2003). Social engagement and attachment: A phylogenetic perspective. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1008: 31–47.
4. Porges, S.W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology). New York: WW Norton & Company.
5. Porges, S.W. (2017). The pocket guide to the polyvagal theory. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. NY, NY.
6. Kok, B.E., Coffey, K.A., Cohn, M.A., Catalino, L.I., Vacharkulksemsuk, T., Algoe, S.B., Brantley, M., & Fredrickson, B.L. (2013). How Positive Emotions Build Physical Health: Perceived Positive Social Connections Account for the Upward Spiral Between Positive Emotions and Vagal Tone. Psychological Science published online 6 May 2013 DOI: 10.1177/0956797612470827
7. Kok, B.E., & Fredrickson, B.L. (2010). Upward spirals of the heart: Autonomic flexibility, as indexed by vagal tone, reciprocally and prospectively predicts positive emotions and social connectedness. Biological Psychology, 85 (3) (2010) 432–436].
8. Geisler, F., Kubiak, T., Stewert, K., & Weber, H. (2013). Cardiac vagal tone is associated with social engagement and self regulation. Biological Psychology, 93(2), 279-282.

Workshop 12
Co-Leading Groups: A Seesaw Between Collaboration and Narcissism: An Integrative Workshop Using Creative Arts

Chairs:
Mona Rakhawy, MD, CGP, President, The Egyptian Association for Group Therapies and Processes, Cairo, Egypt

This workshop is open to participants with more than four years of group psychotherapy experience

Co-leading is complex. It can be an exceptionally powerful source of productivity and creativity but may induce vulnerability endangering the flow of the ongoing work. Co-leading dynamics reflect those of the co-leaders’ past and present, in addition to those of the encounter/relationship. They swing between complementarity/integration and narcissism/schism. Ambivalence and confusion lie in middle. Cooperation for survival tends to drive the ongoing work forward. The workshop is experiential including a didactic part and facilitated through creative arts.
experiential-sharing of work experiences-didactic-demonstration

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Identify some of the dynamics of co-leadership in group and organizations.
2. Discuss those dynamics with a special emphasis on the co-leader’s needs.
3. Distinguish between complementarity/integration and schism/opposition in co-leadership.
4. Specify some cues for a successful co-leadership.
5. Highlight the role of creativity in facilitating the understanding of our dynamics on personal, interpersonal and professional levels.
 
Course References:
1. Fall, K.A. (2016). Using choice theory to conceptualize co-leader relationships in group work. International Journal of Choice Theory & Reality Therapy, 36 (1), 81-91.
2. Ohrt, J. H., Ener, E., Porter, J. & Young, T.L. (2014). Group leader reflections on their training and experience: Implications for group counselor educators and supervisors. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 39 (2): 95-124.
3. Pender, D.A., Anderton, C. (2016). Exploring the process: A narrative analysis of group facilitators’ reports on critical incident stress debriefing. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 41 (1): 19-43.
4. Polk, M. (2015). Transdisciplinary co-production: Designing and testing a transdisciplinary research framework for societal problem solving, Advances in transdisciplinarity 2004-2014. Futures, 65:110-122.
5. Sánchez-Bahíllo, Á., Aragón-Alonso, A., Sánchez-Bahíllo, M., Birtle, J. (2014) Therapist characteristics that predict the outcome of multipatient psychotherapy: Systematic review of empirical studies, Journal of Psychiatric Research. 53 (1).
6. Van Vugt, M., & Ronay, R. (2013). The evolutionary psychology of leadership: Theory, review and roadmap. Organizational Psychology Review, 4 (1) 74-95.

Workshop 13
Group Psychotherapy Focused on Spiritual Development

Chair:
John Hiatt, MD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UCSF School of Medicine, Berkeley, California

A brief overview of Transpersonal Psychiatry and the theoretical underpinnings of the approach will be presented. There will be an experiential group of the initial exercise and a discussion of attendees' specific experiences. We will discuss how this fits with, enhances, and differs from traditional group psychotherapy.
experiential-didactic-demonstration-sharing of work experiences

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Describe the assumptions in Transpersonal work.
2. Describe the ways in which transpersonal group psychotherapy differs from traditional group work.
3. List the types of patients for whom this approach is and is not suitable.
4. Differentiate between spiritual events and psychopatholgy.

Course References:
1. Castenada, C. (1968). The teachings of Don Juan. Berkeley CA: University of California Press.
2. Hiatt, J. (1985). Spirituality, Medicine and Healing. Southern Medical Journal, 79:736-743.
3. Scotten, B., Chinen, A., & Battista, J. (1996). Textbook of Transpersonal Psychiatry. New York: Basic Books.
4. Epstein, M. (1995). Thoughts Without a Thinker. New York: Basic Books.
5. Paloutzian, R.F. & Park, C.L. (eds), (2013). Handbook of the psychology of spirituality and religion. New York: Guilford Press.
6. Land, H. (2014). Spirituality, Religion, and Faith in Psychotherapy: Evidence-Based Expressive Methods for Mind, Body, Brain, and Body. Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books.
7. Chida, Y., Schrempft, A., & Steptoe, A. (2016). A novel religious/spiritual group psychotherapy reduces depressive symptoms in a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Religion and Health.
8. Wade, N.G., Pose, B.C., Cornish, M.A., Vogel, D.L., & Runyon-Weaver, D. (2014). Religion and spirituality in group psychotherapy: Clinical application and case example. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 1(2), 133-144.

Workshop 14
Expanding Diversity Dialogues: Treating Clients with Health Conditions and Disabilities

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Health and Medical Issues SIG, the College Counseling and Other Educational Settings SIG, and the Issues of Aging SIG

Chairs:
Wendy Freedman, PhD, CGP, Director of Psychological Services, Vassar College Counseling Service, Poughkeepsie, New York
Leslie Klein, PhD, Private Practice, Long Beach, California

Individuals with disabilities and health conditions comprise the largest and most diverse minority group in the United States.  All groups are likely to have a facilitator or member(s) with these experiences. In this workshop, we frame disability through a multicultural lens and demonstrate affirming group work with this population.  Attendees will explore the role of health issues and disability in their professional and personal lives.
experiential-didactic-sharing of work experiences-demonstration

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Explain how to conceptualize disability and health status as multicultural experiences.
2. List common psychological struggles of individuals with disabilities or health conditions.
3. Identify common microaggressions directed toward people with disabilities and health conditions.
4. Name culturally affirmative accommodations to make when working with clients with disabilities and health conditions.
5. Describe how to develop effective protocols for running therapy groups for clients with disabilities and health conditions.

Course References:
1. American Psychological Association. (2012). Guidelines for assessment of and intervention with persons with disabilities. American Psychologist, 67, 43-62.
2. Keller, R.M., & Galgay, C.E. (2010).  Microaggressive experiences of people with disabilities. In D.W. Sue (Ed.), Microaggressions and marginality: manifestation, dynamics, and impact (pp. 241-267). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. 
3. Clemency Cordes, C., Cameron, R. P., Mona, L. R., Syme, M. L., & Coble-Temple, A. (2016). Perspectives on disability within integrated healthcare. In L. Suzuki, M. Casas, C. Alexander, & M. Jackson (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural counseling (4th ed., pp. 401– 410). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
4. Nettles, R., & Balter, R. (2012). Multiple minority identities. New York, NY. Springer Publishing Company.
5. Olkin, R. (2017).  Disability-Affirmative Therapy: A case formulation template for clients with disabilities. Oxford University Press.
6. Dunn, D. S., & Andrews, E. E. (2015). Person-first and identity-first language: Developing psychologists’ cultural competence using disability language. American Psychologist, 70, 255–264.

Workshop 15
Calming the Hands: Working with Hair-Pulling and Skin-Picking in Psychodynamic Group Therapy

Chair:
Stacy Nakell, LCSW, CGP, Private Practice, Austin, Texas

In this workshop, participants will learn about body-focused repetitive behaviors, including precipitating factors, consequences, and triggers. A focus on emotional regulation through the treatment process will be detailed, including therapist attention to clients' body language, both in individual and group psychotherapy. Members will participate in an experiential group to explore their own relationships with body-focused behaviors, as they are guided to connect unconscious movements of the body in group with their emotional underpinnings.
didactic-demonstration-experiential-sharing of work experiences

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Define body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), trichotillomania and dermatillomania.
2. Identify the strengths of the emotional regulation model in BFRB treatment.
3. Name three ways group therapists can help clients with BFRBs emotionally regulate in groups.

Course References:
1. Robers, S., O’Connor, K., & Belanger, C. (2013). Emotion regulation and other psychological models for body-focused repetitive behaviors. Clinical Psychology Review, 33, 745-762.
2. Alexander, J., Houghton, D, Bauer, C., Lench, H., & Woods, D. (2017). Emotion regulation deficits in persons with body-focused repetitive behaviors. Journal of Affective Disorders, 227, 463-470.
3. Curley, E., Tung, E., & Keuthen, N. (2016). Trait anger, anger expression, and anger control in trichotillomania: Evidence for the emotion regulation model. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 9, 77-81.
4. Gershuny, B.S., Keuthen, N.J., Gentes, E.L., Russo, A.R., Emmott, E.C., Jameson, M., Dougherty, D.D., Loh, R., & Jenike, M.A. (2006). Current posttraumatic stress disorder and history of trauma in trichotillomania. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62, 1521-1529.
5. Nakell, S. (2015). A healing herd: Benefits of a psychodynamic group approach in treating body-focused repetitive Behaviors. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 65, 295-306.          http://guilfordjournals.com/doi/abs/10.1521/ijgp.2015.65.2.295

Workshop 16
Cancelled

Workshop 17
Processes in Trauma-Informed Present-Oriented Group Treatment

Chairs:
Daniel Gross, MSW, Clinical Social Worker, Seattle Veteran's Administration Hospital, Seattle, Washington
Melissa Wattenberg, PhD, Supervisory Psychologist, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts

This workshop defines the mechanisms of change in trauma-informed Present-Centered Group Treatment (PCGT), offers evidence and theory supporting PCGT, discusses role of consolidation of experience, and creation of new experience and learning, and provides opportunity to practice PCGT skills via role play. Participants will learn: rationale for using PCGT; how to flexibly integrate additional tools compatible with PCGT to meet needs of specific groups and populations; and ways to apply present-oriented processes.
experiential-sharing of work experiences-demonstration-didactic

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Identify Trauma Themes and re-experiencing embedded in individuals and the group process (including, but not limited to,  DSM-V criteria).
2. Compare Present-Centered Group Therapy with other trauma-informed approaches, in the context of trauma theory and consolidation of experience in the group and in the group members’ lives.
3. Describe process of gaining access to new or forgotten 'mid-range' emotions that inform current everyday life.
4. Define techniques for managing intense reactions to trauma triggers in group.
5. Describe Present Centered Group Therapy stages and the  role of consolidation and creation of experience within them, and  concomitant skills and interventions.
6. Describe the meaning of PCGT as an accessible intervention on the edge between evidence-based  and process-driven practice.

Course References:
1. Polusny, M.A., Erbes, C.R., Thuras, P., et al. (2015). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for posttraumatic stress disorder among veterans: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 314, 456-465. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2015.8361.
2.  Resick, P.A., Wachen, J.S., Mintz, J., Young-McCaughan, S., Roache, J.D., Borah, A.M., Borah, E.V., Dondanville, K.A., Hembree, E.A., Litz, B.T., Peterson, A.L. (2015). A randomized clinical trial of group cognitive processing therapy compared with group present-centered therapy for PTSD among active duty military personnel.  Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83(6):1058-68. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000016. Epub 2015 May 4.
3. Schnurr, P.P., Friedman, M., Foy, D.W., Shea, M.T., Hsieh, F.Y., Lavori, P.W., Glynn, S. M., Wattenberg, M., & Bernardy, N.C. (2003). Randomized Trial of Trauma-Focused Group Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Results From a Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60, 481-489.
4. Sloan, D.M., Feinstein, B.A., Gallagher, M.W.,  Beck, J.G., Keane, T.M. (2013). Efficacy of group treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: A meta-analysis. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 5, 176-183.
5. Wattenberg, M.S., Foy, D.W., Unger, W., and Glynn, S.M., (2006). Present-Centered Group Therapy (PCGT): An Evidence-based Approach to Trauma with Adults, in Psychological Effects of Catastrophic Disasters:  Group Approaches to Treatment, eds, Shein et al. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press.

Master Workshop 18
Coping with Aging in Ourselves and Our Clients: Continuing to be Effective and Connected Group Therapists

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Issues of Aging SIG

Chairs:
George Saiger, MD, CGP, LFAGPA, Private Practice, Rockville, Maryland
Kenneth Schwartz, MD, FRCPC, Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

This workshop is open to participants with more than ten years of group psychotherapy experience

In reflecting and sharing personal feelings regarding issues of aging and illness in both ourselves and our clients, therapists understand how we are impacted in our personal life and clinical practice becoming better able to meet the challenge of remaining connected with our clients  rather than falling prey to the perils of ageism.
experiential-sharing of work experiences-demonstration-didactic

 

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:  
1. Identify importance of hope and action in coping with health issues.
2. Appraise one's own personal feelings with respect to issues of aging and medical disability and its impact on the working with this population.
3. Identify three practices/techniques that facilitate the psychological healing process in older adults with medical problems.
4. Apply a series of questions emphasizing the value of understanding both ourselves and clients as it relates to our clinical work with a challenging population of older adults.
5. Classify the later stage of life as a time filled with potential for creativity based on one's lifelong experience.

Course References:
1. Agronin, M.E. (2013). From Cicero to Cohen: Developmental Theories of Aging, From Antiquity to the Present. The Gerontologist, 54(1), 30-39.
2. Miller, W.L., & Cohen, G.D. (2016). Sky above clouds: Finding Our Way Through Creativity, Aging. Oxford University Press.
3. Gawande, A. (2014). Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. New York: Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt & Co.
4. Cohen, G.D. (2005). The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain. New York: Basic Books.
5. Sandmaler, M. (2018). Occupational Wisdom: What Therapists Can Teach Us About Growing Old Gracefully. https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/magazine/article/March/April

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Lunch-Time Open Session
1:00 – 2:15 P.M.

LG-1: The Large Group 

Consultants are faculty members of the National Group Psychotherapy Institute of the Washington School of Psychiatry.

Active Consultants: 
Mary Dluhy, MSW, CGP, FAGPA
Ayana Watkins-Northern, PhD
Leon Paparella, MSW, CGP
Robert Schulte, MSW, CGP, FAGPA
Rosemary Segalla, PhD, ABPP, CGP, FAGPA

Observer Consultants: 
Kavita Avula, PsyD
Reginald Nettles, PhD, CGP

The Large Group will be an opportunity to explore unconscious group processes and pursue authentic self expression and constructive communication among members and subgroups. The aim is to better comprehend the motivations, concerns, and aspirations within AGPA, the conference-as-a-whole, and the community of group therapists. Members may deepen their understanding of how sociocultural factors influence all group life, including a psychotherapy group. A consultant team will model a relational approach to conducting the Large Group.

This session is also being held on Friday (1:00-2:15 pm) and Saturday (2:00-4:30 pm)
Attendance at all sessions is encouraged.
 
Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Locate and give voice to one's experience within the complexity of the Large Group.
2. Identify covert and overt barriers to communication.
3. Think and relate as citizen selves with greater capacity for authenticity and mutual regard.
 
Course References:
1. Green, Z., & Steirs, M. (2002). Multiculturalism and group therapy in the United States: A Social constructionist perspective. Group, 4, 233-246.
2. Schneider, S., & Weinberg, H. (Editors). (2003). The Large Group Re-Visited. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd.
3. Segalla, R. (2014). Relational experiences in large group: A Therapeutic and training challenge. In R. Grossmark & F. Wright (Eds.), The One and the Many: Relational Approaches to Group Psychotherapy, 242-262. London: Routledge.
4. Sells, Bill. (2005). Mindfulness in the large group. Group, 32, 261-274.
5. Volkan, V. (2014). Psychoanalysis, International Relations, and Diplomacy: A Sourcebook on Large Group Psychology. London: Karnac.
 

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Presented in cooperation with the International Board for Certification of Group Psychotherapists and under the auspices of the AGPA Group Supervision and Training SIG

Co-Chairs:
Noelle Lefforge, PhD, MHA, CGP, Assistant Professor-in-Residence, THE PRACTICE: A UNLV Community Mental Health Training Clinic, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada
Stephanie McLaughlin, PhD, CGP, Licensed Psychologist I/Group Psychotherapy Coordinator, Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public and Behavioral Health, Rawson Neal Hospital, Las Vegas, Nevada

Presenter:
Jeffrey Kleinberg, PhD, MPH, CGP, DFAGPA, Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York

As group psychotherapy becomes increasingly recognized as specialized practice, more attention must be paid to training and supervision of group psychotherapists. We will review the suggested competencies of group psychotherapists and introduce challenges supervisors face in promoting these competencies in their supervisees. Participants will share personal challenges they experience and emergent themes will be identified. Shared expertise and existing resources will be summarized to identify strategies supervisors might employ to address training and supervision challenges.

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. State suggested competencies of group psychotherapists.
2. List common challenges supervisors of group psychotherapy face.
3. Generate several suggestions for enhancing group supervisors’ ability to address challenges.

Course References:
1. Cohen, P. (2012). Supervision: Dragons and heroes. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 62:4, 639-652. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2012.62.4.639
2. Coleman, M., Kivligham Jr., D., & Roehlke, H. (2009). A taxonomy of the feedback given in the group supervision of group counselor trainees. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 13(4), 300-315.
3. Counselman, E.F., & Abernethy, A. (2011). Supervisory reactions: An important aspect of supervision. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 61(2), 196-216. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2011.61.2.196
4. Markus, H., & Abernethy, A. (2001) Joining with resistance: Addressing reluctance to engage in group therapy training. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 51(2), 191-204. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.51.2.191.49854
5. Stockton, R., Morran, K., & Chang, S. (2014). An overview of current research and best practices for training beginning group leaders. In J. DeLucia-Waack, D. Gerrity, C. Kalodner, & M. Riva (Eds.), Handbook of Group Counseling and Psychotherapy (pp. 133-145). Thousand Oaks: SAGE.

Session 305 
Women and Aggression: History, Healing, and Power

Chairs:
Jeanne Bunker, CSW, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Austin, Texas
Janice Morris, PhD, ABPP, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Austin, Texas

Presenters:
Lisa Means, MA, LPC, CGP, Private Practice, Austin, Texas
Patty Olwell, MA, LPC, Private Practice, Austin, Texas
Lavanya Shankar, PhD, Private Practice, Austin, Texas

Women group leaders are underrepresented in the literature on how women experience and work effectively with their own and their group members' aggression.  This open session will present three papers exploring the unique strengths and challenges for women, including stories that underlie subjective and objective countertransference and resistance.

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Distinguish types of direct and indirect aggressive expression common in women group leaders.
2. Identify and describe at least three factors affecting subjective countertransference in women group leaders as they work with aggression in themselves and in their groups.
3. Describe how subjective countertransference can lead to countertransference resistance in women group leaders.
4. Describe the factors that help women become better able to use their aggression effectively in group treatment.

Course References:
1. Cohen, P., & Wright, E. (2006). Bridging the gender gap: Men and women in group. Group, 30:3.
2. Goldberg, J. (1979). Aggression and the female therapist. Modern Psychoanalysis, 4: 209-222.
3. Holmes, L. (2011). Gender dynamics in group therapy. Group, 35:3.
4. McWilliams, N. (1991).  Mothering and fathering processes in the psychoanalytic art. The Psychoanalytic Review, 78:4.
5. Rosenthal, L. (1987). Resolving resistance in group psychotherapy. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson.
6. Holmes, L. (2013). Wrestling with destiny: The promise of psychoanalysis. London & New York: Routledge.
7. Levine, R. (2017). A modern psychoanalytic perspective on group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67 (Issue Supp. 1), 5109-5120.

Session 306 
Restoring the Curious Mind in Group

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Community Outreach Task Force

Chair:
Andrew Eig, PhD, ABPP, Assistant Clinical Professor, Derner Institute for Advanced Psychology, New York New York

Presenters:
Richard Billow, PhD, ABPP, CGP, Director, Group Psychotherapy Program, Derner Institute for Advanced Psychotherapy, Garden City, New York
Sara Emerson, LICSW, MSW, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Suzanne Phillips, PsyD, ABPP, CGP, FAGPA, Faculty, Derner Institute for Advanced Psychology, Garden City, New York

Curiosity is a desire to know about the world, each other, and ourselves. It can foster growth, invite existential hope, and fuel zest for living. Our panelists will provide varied perspectives on how to understand and enhance curiosity in the group, and address curiosity when it is thwarted.

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Compare developmental models of curiosity.
2. Identify at least three types of disordered curiosity.
3. Detect productive and unproductive types of curiosity in group.
4. Design methods for stimulating curiosity group.

Course References:
1. Akhtar, S. (2017). Open-mouthed and wide-eyed: Psychoanalytic reflections on curiosity. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association 65,2, 265-304.
2. Billow, R.M. (2003). Relational group psychotherapy: From basic assumptions to passion. London, UK, and New York, NY: Jessica Kingsley.
3. Bion, W.R. (1957). On arrogance. In Second Thoughts: Selected Papers on Psychoanalysis. New York: Basic Books, pp. 86–92.
4. Gans, J.S. (2017) The leader’s illumination of group phenomena Hidden in Plain Sight: Why Is No One Talking About the elephant in the Room?. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67,3,337-359.
5. Phillips, A. (1998). The beast in the nursery: On curiosity and other appetites. New York: Pantheon Books.
6. Roth, B.E. (2004). Negativity and Lies in Analytic Group Therapy: An Inquiry into Bion’s ideas of K and –K. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 54:4, 477-489.

Chair:
Ann Steiner, PhD, MFT, CGP, FAGPA, Faculty Consultant, The Psychotherapy Institute, Berkeley, California

This workshop is open to participants with less than four years of group psychotherapy experience

This primarily didactic workshop presents a comprehensive overview of the different types of group work, ways to evaluate participant's preferred leadership style, how to design, set up and maintain healthy psychotherapy groups. Common challenges, the importance of screening, preparation, and termination agreements will be discussed as they apply to participant's needs.
didactic-sharing of work experiences-demonstration-experiential

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Describe the major differences between the different types of "group work."
2. Describe the different roles and tasks undertaken by leaders/ teachers of different types of groups.
3. Describe and Identify common countertransference issues, warning signs, use and management of the leader’s own issues.
4. Describe the essential ingredients for a healthy group.
5. Describe the advantages of written group agreements, termination agreements and the issues raised when blending private practice clients into one’s therapy groups.

Course References:
1. Gans, J., & Counselman, E. (2010). Patient Selection for Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy: Practical and Dynamic Considerations. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 60(2), 19-22.
2. Knauss, L. K. (2006). Ethical issues in record keeping in group psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 56(4), 415-430.
3. Ormont, L. (1990). The Craft of Bridging. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 40(1), 3-17.
4. Rutan, J.S., Stone, W.N., & Shay J.J. (2014). Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy, 5th Ed. New York: Guilford.
5. Steiner, A. (2015). How to Create and Sustain Groups that Thrive: Therapist's Workbook and Planning Guide, 2nd Ed. Berkeley, CA: Plan Ahead Press.
6. Brown, N. (2018). Conducting Effective and Productive Psychoeducational and Therapy Groups. New York, NY: Routledge.

 

Workshop 20
Unmasking Social Identities and Culture in Group: Knocking at the Boundaries

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA College Counseling and Other Educational Settings SIG and the Racial and Ethnic Diversity SIG

Chairs:
Sophia Aguirre, PhD, CGP, Private Practice, Eugene, Oregon
Michele Ribeiro, EdD, CGP, Licensed Psychologist, Counseling and Psychological Services, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
Eri Suzuki Bentley, PhD, CGP, Staff Psychologist/Internship and Group Coordinator, Counseling and Psychological Services, Utah State University, Logan, Utah
Susan Walker, PhD, CGP, Staff Psychologist/Group Therapy Coordinator, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey

The workshop will invite dialogue on how early childhood socialization and attachment processes related to social identities, including gender, culture, and race, impact current ways of relating around these identity statuses in others. We will examine subjective understanding of culture, being racialized, and gendered and how our socialization processes lead us either toward certain groups and identities and/or away from others.
experiential-demonstration-didactic-sharing of work experiences

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to: 
1.  Identify the different racial identity statuses for People of Color and White people.
2.  Identify at least one way early socialization processes relate to attachment style.
3.  Identify at least two ways racial categories help us feel a secure sense of identity and conversely constrict our sense of possibilities with others.
4.  Use at least three interventions to assist groups in exploring racialized experiences.

Course References:
1. Caffaro, S.J., & Caffaro, J., (2018). Differences that make a difference: Diversity and the process group leader. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 68(3), 1-13. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2018.1469958
2. Carter, N.M. & Perez, E.O. (2016)  Race and nation:  How racial hierarchy shapes national attachments.  Political Psychology, 37 (4), 497-513. 
3. Gitterman, P. (2018). Social Identities, power, and privilege: The importance of difference in establishing early group cohesion. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 68(4), 1-27. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2018.1484665
4. Harro, B.  (2008). The Cycle of Socialization. In M. Adams, W. J. Blumenfeld, C. R. Castañeda, H.W. Hackman, M. L. & Peters, X. Zúñiga (Eds.), Readings for diversity and social justice (2010) (2nd ed., pp. 45-51) New York:  Routledge Taylor & Francis.
5. Helms, J.  (2008).  A race is a nice thing to have.  Alexandra, VA:  Microtraining Associates.
6. McRae, M.B. (1994).  Interracial group dynamics:  A new perspective.  The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 19(3), 168-174.
7. Sue, D.W., & Sue, D. (2008). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
8. White, K. (2006).  Unmasking race, culture and attachment in the psychoanalytic space:  What do you see?  What do we think?  What do we feel?  London:  Karnac Books.

Workshop 21
Induction or ESP: Cultivating Intuitive Resources in the Group Experience

Chairs:
Michelle Bohls, LMFT, IRT, CGP, Private Practice, Austin, Texas
William Watson, PhD, CGP, Associate Professor of Psychiatry (Psychology) and Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York

We will explore the group processes that facilitate the development of intuition, or alternative channels of perception. In welcoming all aspects of knowing, the group feedback process can strengthen members’ confidence regarding their intuitive experiences and ameliorate the invalidation of growing up in a world biased for logical thinking.
demonstration-experiential-didactic

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Define intuition and list the Nine Traits of An Intuitive Mind.
2. State how The Invalidation Wound happens, how it affects intuitive people, and why it leads to the cluster of systems typically seen in highly intuitive and creative people who present for treatment in our offices, , i.e. feeling emotionally overwhelmed, anxiety, self doubt, destructive behaviors, and fears of being exposed as a fraud.
3. List at least one risk and one advantage of sharing intuitive experiences in a group setting.
4. List three group leadership techniques that support and encourage a validating environment for intuitive disclosures.
5. Note at least one ethical aspect for a group leader to consider.
 
Course References:
1. Billow, R.M. (2016) The therapist dissociates: Psychic nodules and group process. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 66:2, 261-281.
2. Billow, R.M. (2013) Sense and clinical sensibility. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 63:4, 474-501.
3. Burlingame, G.M., Strauss, B., & Joyce A. (2013). Change mechanisms and effectiveness of small group treatments. In M. Lambert (Ed.) Bergin & Garfield handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change. (6th ed. 640-689).  New York: Wiley & Sons.
4. Cohen, S.L. (2011). Coming to our senses: The application of somatic psychology to group psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 61:3, 396-413.
5. Hinshelwood, R.D. (2008). Group therapy as psychic containing. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 58:3, 283-302
6. Holmes, L. (2009). The technique of partial identification: Waking up to the world. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 59:2, 253-265.
7. Schermer, V.L. (2001) The group psychotherapist as contemporary mystic: A bionic object relations perspective. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 51:4, 505-523
8. Richarz, B. (2008). Group processes and the therapist’s subjectivity: Interactive transference in analytical group psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 58:2, 141-161.

Workshop 22
The Use of Sand Tray Miniatures to Enhance the Group Psychotherapy Experience

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Children and Adolescents SIG

Chair:
Andrea Grunblatt, PhD, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Kingston, New York

This workshop will demonstrate the use of miniatures and their placement in a sandtray as a unique kinesthetic experience.  Utilizing miniatures provide an object oriented approach, since the miniatures provide a safe container to project thoughts, feelings, sensations and memories onto while keeping the group members’ authenticity alive.
experiential-sharing of work experiences-didactic-demonstration

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Describe how to integrate miniatures into group therapy.
2. Explain how to use miniatures to overcome group members’ resistances and vulnerabilities.
3. Describe the difference of utilizing miniatures in groups rather than pure talk therapy.
4. State how miniatures are used for projective identification by group members.
5. Explore the added kinesthetic approach to group therapy by using minatures.

Course References:
1. Armstrong, S.A., Foster, R.D., & Brown, T. (2017). Humanistic sand tray therapy. In B.A. Turner (Ed.), The Routledge international handbook  of sandplay therapy (pp. 305-316). New York, NY: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
2. Brecht, T. (2017). Sandplay: A group therapy adaptation with in-patient eating disorder patients. In B.A. Turner (Ed.), The Routledge international handbook  of sandplay therapy (pp. 51-59). New York, NY: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
3. Desmond, K., Kindsvatter, A., Stahl, S., & Smith, H. (2015). Using Creative Techniques with Children Who Have Experienced Trauma. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 10:4, 439-455.
4. Elliot, M. (2017). Sandtray Therapy: Everything You Need to Know To Start Using Sandtray Therapy With Your Clients Today, Kindle.
5. Fleet, D., Burton, A., Reeves, A., & DasGupta, M. P. (2016). A case for taking the dual role of counselor-researcher in qualitative research. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 13 (4), 328-346.
6. Gil, E. (1944). Play in Family Therapy. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
7. Homeyer, L. & Sweeney, D. (3rd ed. 2010). Sandtray Therapy: A Practical Manual. New York, NY: Routledge.
8. Homeyer, L. (2017). Clinical supervision using sand tray therapy methods. In B.A. Turner (Ed.), The Routledge international handbook of sandplay therapy (pp. 256-266). New York, NY, US: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
9. Kenney-Noziska, S. (2012). Play-Based Activities for Children, Adolescents, & Families. Conshohocken, PA: Infinity
10. Kern, E., & Perryman, K. (2016). Leaving it in the sand: Creativity processing military combat trauma as a means for reducing risk of interpersonal violence. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 11(3-4), 446-457.
11. Kestly, T. (2017). The secret garden: Use of the sandtray figurines from an interpersonal neurobiological framework. In B. A. Turner (Ed.), The Routledge international handbook  of sandplay therapy (pp. 317-327). New York, NY: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
12. Nickum, J., & Purgason, L.L. (2017). Using the sandtray to facilitate client creativity: A strengths focused approach to adolescent depression. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 12(3), 347-359.
13. Pearson, M., & Wilson, H. (2001). Sandplay & Symbol work. Emotional Healing & Personal Development with Children, Adolescents and Adults.  Acer Press.
14. Sweeney, D., Baggerly, J., & Ray, D. (2014). Group Play Therapy: A Dynamic Approach. New York, NY: Routledge.
15. Weinrib, E (2017). On delayed interpretation in the practice of sandplay. Journal of Sandplay Therapy, 26(1), 143-150.

Workshop 23
Digital Conquest: Building Your Group Therapy Empire with Social Media (ASA Leadership Track)

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Affiliate Societies Assembly

Chair:
Marc Azoulay, MA, LPC, LAC, CGP, Addictions Counselor, Boulder, Colorado
 
In this workshop, group therapists will learn how to effectively market their groups using three on-line applications (crowdfire, hoot suite, and social jukebox) via an automated system. The session will also focus on understanding the ethical guidelines for group therapists when marketing on social media and the management of the group therapist's emotional reactions to marketing including the fear of visibility, low self-esteem, and the anticipation of being overwhelmed.
didactic-demonstration-experiential-sharing of work experiences

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Explain the key concepts of Personality Marketing (e.g., brand development, the marketing funnel, and the cookie trail of engagement) and clinical applications.
2. Create personalized marketing material specific to the workshop member's practice.
3. Identify personal barriers to successful marketing including the group therapist's fear of visibility, low self-esteem, and the anticipation of feeling overwhelmed.
4. Implement three marketing automation tools: hootsuite, crowdfire, and social jukebox.

Course References:
1. Cardone, G. (2012). Sell or be sold: How to get your way in business and in life. Austin, TX: Greenleaf Book Group Press.
2. Gerber, M. E. (2012). The E-myth: Why most businesses don't work and what to do about it. New York: HarperCollins.
3. Chandler, S., & Litvin, R. (2013). The prosperous coach: increase income and impact for you and your clients. Anna Maria, FL: Maurice Bassett.
4. Vaynerchuk, G. (2011). The thank you economy. New York: Collins Business.
5. Vaynerchuk, G. (2013). Jab, jab, jab, right hook: How to tell your story in a noisy, social world. New York: HarperCollins.

Workshop 24
Using Expressive Movement to Explore Transitions:  Group Process of Holding On and Letting Go

Chair:
Suzanne Cohen, EdD, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Newton, Massachusetts

The body is a resource that helps us to navigate through changes and life transitions. We will focus on the body through The Nia Technique, expressive movement to music that enhances awareness and insight. We will observe the body’s responses to loss, holding on and letting go, and the rhythm of change (awakening, increasing, containing and completing energy). The workshop will include a process group.
experiential-didactic-demonstration-sharing of work experiences

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Compare body experiential and cognitive/verbal ways of knowing.
2. Articulate vocabulary and language of body sensations.
3. Define two ways the body manages loss and change in groups.
4.  Name the four stages of change (rhythm of excitement).  
5.  Specify role of music in expressive movement in groups.

Course References:
1. Cohen, S.L. (2011).  Coming to our senses:  The application of somatic psychology to group psychotherapy.  International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 61(3), pp 397-413.
2. Rosas, D., & Rosas, C. (2004). The Nia Technique. New York:  Broadway Books.
3. Strozzi-Heckler, R. (1984, 1993). The Anatomy of Change. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books
4. Gene-Cos, N., Fisher, J., Ogden, P., & Cantrel, A. (2016). Sensorimotor psychotherapy group therapy in the treatment of complex PTSD. Annals of Psychiatry and Mental Health, 11 September, 2016.
5. Payne, H. (2017). The psycho-neurology of embodiment with examples from authentic movement and Laban movement analysis. American Journal of Dance Therapy, 39 (2), pp. 163-178.

Workshop 25
Social Dreaming: An Opportunity for Communal Integration and Healing of Social Fragmentation

Chair:
George Bermudez, PhD, Core Faculty, Antioch University Los Angeles, Altadena, California

The workshop will lecture on and  demonstrate two types of group dreamwork: social dreaming, a group dream sharing  approach developed by Gordon Lawrence for accessing the social unconscious and healing collective trauma; and  Montague Ullman’s group dream interpretation  technique. Participants will learn through lecture  and experience the power of of these two group strategies for building intersubjective bridges, connecting us in an increasingly fragmented world, and healing both individual and collective trauma.
experiential-didactic-demonstration-sharing of work experiences

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Describe two differences between the conventional approach to working with dreams and the social dreaming (SDM) paradigm.
2. Define two concepts out of the following related to the social dreaming matrix: group self or social state dream, forward edge of social dream, self-object function of communal home, and moral witnessing function of social dreams, cultural complex.
3. Identify two differences between Lawrence’s social dream matrix and Ullman’s  group dream interpretation technique.
4. Identify two essential techniques for leadership/facilitation of Ullman’s Experiential Dream Group.

Course References:
1. Berman, H. & Manley, J.Y. (2018). Social Dreaming and creativity in South Africa: Imagining the 'unthought known'. In J. Adlam, T. Kluttig, & B. Lee (Eds.), Violent states and creative states (Volume 1): Structural violence and creative structures (pp. 221-236). London: Jessica Kingsley.
2. Bermudez, G. (2015). The Creation of a self- object communal home for collective trauma: Applications of social dreaming and Kohut's group self in academic, psychoanalytic, and community contexts. Group, 39, 107-131.
3. Blechner, M. (2018). Group dream interpretation. In M. Blechner, The mind brain and dreams. (pp. 220-233). London and New York: Routledge.
4. Eden, A. (2010). Learning to Host a Social Dreaming Matrix. In Lawrence, W.G. (Ed.), The Creativity of Social Dreaming. London: Karnac Books.
5. Karterud, S., & Stone, W. (2003). The group self: A neglected aspect of group psychotherapy. Group Analysis, 36, 7-22.
6. Lawrence, W.G. (2003). Experiences in social dreaming. London: Karnac.
7. Layton, L. (2006). Attacks on linking: The unconscious pull to dissociate individuals from their social context. In L. Layton, N.C. Hollander, & S. Gutwill (Eds.), Psychoanalysis, class, and politics: Encounters in the clinical setting. (pp. 107-117). London: Routledge.
8. Ullman, M. (1994). The experiential dream group:Its application in the training of therapists. Dreaming, 4, 223-229.
9. Volkan, V.D. (2003). Transgenerational transmission and chosen traumas: An aspect of large-group identity. Group Analysis, 34, 79-97.

Workshop 26
Zines: Giving Voice, Building Community, and Instilling Hope through Shared Artistic Expression in Group

Chair:
Sarah Frank Jarvis, LMFT, ATR-BC, CGP, Private Practice, Encino, California

Using art therapy in the group setting can provide access to emotions, interpersonal connection, and safer self-disclosure through visual and verbal here-and-now experiences. For the therapist, personal art-making can also increase awareness and integration of countertransference. Through the making and sharing of Zines (self-published, small production, handmade mini magazines) in groups, individuals can self-express via a shareable medium, furthering personal growth and fostering interconnectedness.
didactic-experiential-demonstration-sharing of work experiences

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Define Art Therapy and how to ethically use therapeutic art processes in group if not an art therapist.
2. List three of Yalom's Therapeutic Factors of group that can be accessed through using art therapy in group.
3. Identify client populations that can benefit from therapeutic art making.
4. Explain what zines are and how they can be used in groups.
5. Create personal art in a group therapy setting.
6. Utilize zine-making to identify, process, and share personal experiences at AGPA Connect.

Course References:
1. Bolwerk, A., Mack-Andrick, J., Lang, F.R., Dörfler, A., Maihöfner, C. (2014). How Art Changes Your Brain: Differential Effects of Visual Art Production and Cognitive Art Evaluation on Functional Brain Connectivity. PLoS ONE, 9(7): e101035. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0101035
2. Van Lith, T., Schofield, M., & Fenner, P. (2013). Identifying the evidenced-base for art-based practices and their potential benefit for mental health recovery: A critical review. Disability and Rehabilitation, 35(16), 1309-1323.
3. Caddy, L., Crawford, F., & Page, A. (2012). Painting a path to wellness: Correlations between participating in a creative activity group and improved measured mental health outcome. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 19(4), 327-333.
4. Deaver, S., & McAuliffe, G. (2009). Reflective visual journaling during art therapy and counseling internships: A qualitative study. Reflective Practice, 10(5), 615-632.
5. Riley, S.. (2001). Group process made visible: Group art therapy. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.

Workshop 27
Hunger and Longing:  Fostering Intimacy to Heal Relational Trauma in the Here-and-Now

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Groups in Private Practice SIG

Chair:
Mitchel Adler, PsyD, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Davis, California

This workshop is open to participants with more than four years of group psychotherapy experience

This workshop will explore how Hunger and Longing affect interpersonal intimacy.  Participants will learn how to connect by identifying and adaptively asserting their core relational needs via immediate somatic, emotional, and cognitive experiences. They will learn how to develop a therapeutic environment that values and supports these intimacy-building expressions.  We will integrate interpersonal neurobiology, attachment theory and mindfulness to explore these issues.
experiential-didactic-demonstration-sharing of work experiences

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1.  Distinguish and address developmental roadblocks (e.g., relational trauma) to intimacy in the group.
2.  Utilize physiological arousal of self and of group members as data to inform core needs and to promote authenticity and connection.
3.  Foster a deepening of intimacy in the "here-and-now" through attunement to and interpretation of mindbody activation.

Course References:
1. Adler, M. (2013).  Hunger and longing: a developmental regulation model for exploring core relational needs.  In Gantt, S., & Badenoch, B. (Eds.), The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Group Psychotherapy and Group Process (pp. 147-170), London, UK: Karnac Books, Ltd.
2. Badenoch, B. & Cox, P. (2010). Integrating Interpersonal Neurobiology with Group Psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 60 (4), pp. 463-481.
3. Cozolino, L. (2006). The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy: Building and Re-building the Human Brain. New York: Norton.
4. Flores, P. (2010).  Group Psychotherapy and Neuro-Plasticity:  An Attachment Theory Perspective.  International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 60 (4), pp. 547-570.
5. Siegel, D. (1999). The Developing Mind:  How relationships and the brain interact to shape who we are. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

Workshop 28
Professional Development for Queer & Transgender Group Therapists

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Identities SIG

Chairs:
Sorin Thomas, MA, LPC, LAC, Founder, Queer Asterisk Therapeutic Services, Boulder, Colorado
RP Whitmore-Bard, MA, Group Facilitator, Queer Asterisk Therapeutic Services, Boulder, Colorado

What is unique about queer & transgender group leadership? How does the therapist’s "use of self" impact queer & transgender group members? In this workshop, we will discuss some of the challenges of conducting group therapy as queer & transgender people, and consider how our identities strengthen our leadership capacity.
sharing of work experiences-didactic-experiential-demonstration

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Identify barriers to personal and professional development for the queer and transgender therapist.
2. List the unique group leadership traits that queer and transgender people posses.
3. Compare the effectiveness of queer-led group therapy, vs. traditional group therapy in which the leader does not self-disclose their gender identity or sexual orientation.

Course References:
1. Moon, L. (2007). Feeling Queer or Queer Feelings? Radical Approaches to Counselling Sex, Sexualities and Genders. London: Routledge.
2. Coolhart, D. (2005). Out of the Closet and into the Therapy Room: Therapist Self-Disclosure of Sexual Identity. Guidance & Counselling, 21, 3-13.
3. Cole, G., & Drescher, J. (2006). Do Tell: Queer Perspectives on Therapist Self-Disclosure. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, 10, 1-6.
4. Benson, K. (2013). Seeking Support: Transgender Client Experiences with Mental Health Services. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 25, 17-40.
5. Heins, N. (2012). Queer predicaments: Dual relationships in sexual minority and gender variant clinicians who practice within their communities. The Wright Institute, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
6. Sanchez, Nelson F., Edward Callahan, Cheryl Brewster, Norma Poll-Hunter, & John Paul Sánchez (2018). The Future LGBT Health Professional: Perspectives on Career and Personal Mentorship. LGBT Health. Apr 2018. ahead of print.
7. Cheng, J., Klann, E.M., Zounlome, N.O.O., Chung, Y.B. (2017) Promoting Affirmative Career Development and Work Environment.

Workshop 29
Couples Group Therapy

Chairs:
Jeffrey Roth, MD, CGP, FAGPA, Medical Director, Working Sobriety Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Tamara Roth, CADC, Therapist, Working Sobriety Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

This couples group workshop will illustrate the examination of boundaries, roles, authority and tasks in the life of the couples as they participate in the group-as-a-whole in the here-and-now. Transferences to the couple leading the group will be used to demonstrate resistances to this work.
experiential-demonstration-sharing of work experiences-didactic

Learning Objectives:
The attendee will be able to:
1. Describe the use of boundaries in effective work with couples in group psychotherapy.
2. Describe the use of roles in effective work with couples in group psychotherapy.
3. Describe the use of authority in effective work with couples in group psychotherapy.
4. Describe the use of tasks in effective work with couples in group psychotherapy.
5. Describe the use of transference in effective work with couples in group psychotherapy.
6. Describe the use of resistance in effective work with couples in group psychotherapy.
 
Course References:
1. Schofield, M.J., Mumford, N., Jurkovic, D., Jurkovic, I., & Bickerdike, A. (2012). Short and long-term effectiveness of couple counselling: A study protocol. BMC Public Health, 12, 735. http://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-735.
2. Halford, W.K., Pepping, C.A., & Petch, J. (2016). The gap between couple therapy research efficacy and practice effectiveness. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 42, 32–44. doi: 10.1111/jmft.12120.
3. McGeorge, C.R., Carlson, T.S., & Maier, C.A. (2017). Are we there yet? Faculty members' beliefs and teaching practices related to the ethical treatment of lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 43, 322–337. doi: 10.1111/jmft.12197.
4. Garrido-Fernández M., Marcos-Sierra J.A., López-Jiménez, A., Ochoa de Alda, I. (2017). Multi-Family therapy with a reflecting team: a preliminary study on efficacy among opiate addicts in methadone maintenance treatment. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 43, 338–351. doi: 10.1111/jmft.12195.
5. Kim, S., & Lyness, K.P. (2017).  Gottman, J.S., & Gottman, J.M. (2015). 10 principles for doing couples therapy. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 43: 364–365. doi:10.1111/jmft.12226.

Workshop 30

Cancelled

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