As the summer drawsto a close, I find myselfreflecting on theunusual challengeswe’ve faced as aSociety since the springedition of thisNewsletter—one ofwhich we are still

facing. We lost our Office Manager, SusanWade, and discovered in the process offinding a new person, that some of ourrecords were in chaotic shape. With thehelp of our new but highly experienced andcompetent Office Manager, SusanRosenblatt, and our new President-elect,Deb Carmichael, we’ve straightenedeverything out and engaged a newaccountant. We have also selected a newAudit chair (Madeleine Lourie), changedour fiscal year to the calendar year, andhave, as I write, brought everything up-to-date.

We’ve also made membership votes easierto hold (by email or letter, for example),created two new standing committees(Publicity and Practice Development), anddecided that the Past President would alsoserve as the Continuing Education (CE)Committee chair. The Publicity Committeehas been working diligently on our newmodernized website. This development hasin part been funded by the Foundation andin part out of the Society’s reserve fund,but the extraordinary work of the PublicityCommittee is priceless. We hope to havethe site “up and running” before the AGPAconference in March. Our new PracticeDevelopment Committee has sponsored apresentation to help members with the newprocedure codes, and will also (onSeptember 29) be hosting an event onleaving the insurance system, and a laterevent to help us understand how our workmay be affected by the Affordable CareAct.

The ongoing challenge: We have alsobeen faced with two CE renewalapplications this year: the AmericanPsychological Association and theMassachusetts Medical Society. Our re-application for CE certification forpsychologists has been submitted andapproved, but we are still working on theMMS re-application—which is a dauntingtask to say the least. The task is so major,in fact, that the CE Committee (nowchaired by Sara Emerson) decided to askthe Board to make sure we wanted tocontinue offering CMEs. The Board votedunanimously to do so, and we are hard atwork on the re-certification documents.Wish us luck!

How are we doing on our goals for theyear? Our most important goal, to expandthe Society’s membership, is slowly butsteadily being met; we are growing! We rana successful conference in June. We’re verypleased with how the new website isprogressing, and we will use it (when it isdone) to help enhance the awareness of thepublic and the health care community inthe Northeast about group therapy and itseffectiveness and value. It would be veryuseful if people began to self-refer togroups, and our groups could growwithout depending primarily on thereferrals of members of our community. AsI said in my letter last spring , we will askfor your help with this interesting task.

AGPA Annual Meeting. In case you’vemissed the various announcements, AGPAis having its Annual Meeting in Boston onMarch 3-8, at the Westin in Copley Plaza.The theme of the meeting is “Group:Creating Connection in a TurbulentTime.” As host, NSGP has a committeethat’s actively planning hosting functions.We will, as always, have an NSGP dinner ata first-rate Boston restaurant on Thursdayof the meeting week. More details will besent out as soon as planning is complete.

The Board. We have a new President-elect(Dr. Debora Carmichael), a new Treasurer(Theresa Bullock-Cohen) and a newSecretary (Howie Schnairsohn). JoeDeAngelis, Joel Krieg, and MadeleineLourie are the additional new Boardmembers. It’s a really fine, active Board.We continue to strive to be transparent toour members, and everyone is invited toattend a Board meeting at my home on thethird Wednesday of every month at 8:30pm, beginning in September. Just email tolet me know that you’re coming.

Peter Gumpert, PhD, CGPPresident, NSGP

pgumpert@comcast.net

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 XXXIV, Number 2 Fall 2013

1

INSIDEPage 2. . . Letter from the Editor

Page 3. . . Breakfast Club

NSGP Conference 2013

Page 4. . . This Year’s Conference andthe Widening Gyre ofGroups in All Aspects ofOur Lives and Practices

Page 5. . . NSGP: A Newcomer’sExperience

Page 6. . . Tribute to Donald Wexler

Page 7. . . Disaster Response:Interviews with KathleenUlman, PhD and Cecil Rice,PhD

Page 8 . . . Analyze This

Page 10. . When the TherapistTraumatizes the Group

Page 13. . The NSGP Foundation:Preparing for the Future

Page 13. . NSGP Foundation Gala

Page 14. . Progress Notes

Page 15. . Cartoon Caption Contest

Back Cover: 2013–2014 EventsCalendar

Letter from the President

Letter from the EditorThis summer, while looking out at amagnificent view of Menemsha pond,complete with meandering sailboats andthe Elizabeth Islands in the distance, I puton two of my favorite classical pieces:Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Beethoven’s 9thSymphony. Each on its own fills mesimultaneously with joy and calm andenergy. Together, they had a synergisticeffect, each imbuing the other with morepower, meaning, and beauty. To me, that’swhat it feels like to have AGPA, NSGP’sparent organization, come to Boston in2014 for the annual conference (March 3-8): a wonderful melding of two fabulousentities, Boston and AGPA. The theme forthis conference will be “Group: CreatingConnection in Turbulent Times.” For thoseof you who have attended previously, Iexpect you don’t need persuading to attendwhat will surely be a terrific conference. Forthose of you who’ve never been, you are infor a real treat! AGPA has become my“home” away from my NSGP home, so I,and you, will have the best of both worldswhen AGPA comes to Boston. AGPA’s conference is like a smorgasbord ofstimulating offerings. Even after many yearsof attending, I continue to feel inspired,held, and challenged. In addition to theprofessional opportunities for networking,mentoring, and intellectual growth, I havealso experienced the yearly opportunity toreexamine myself, and to notice how I havechanged (or not).I recall my first AGPA conference, inBoston in 1990, when I was 8 monthspregnant, and waddling down the hallwaysto attend various workshops. I feltoverwhelmed and daunted by all theexpertise around me, but I also felttremendously welcomed and stimulated.Since then, I have developed many closefriendships with folks from AGPA and feltmentored by many as well. I have alsoattended the fabulous dance on Fridaynight which offers the chance to interactwith people on a very different level.Although all the details for the conferenceare not yet available, I can tell you some ofthe upcoming highlights. The presenters atthe day-long Special Institutes, will beSusan Gantt, whose expertise is in systemscentered work, and Boston’s own Besselvan der Kolk who has presented extensivelyon trauma. NSGP’s own Cecil Rice will kickoff the two-day Institutes with a plenaryaddress. Speakers for the public educationevent and the other plenaries includeAlbert Rizzo, the Associate Director of the

Institute for Creative Technologies inSouthern California, Stephen Porges,Director at the Brain-Body Center inChicago, Les Greene, incoming AGPAPresident, and Marcario Giraldo, a belovedNSGP guest presenter, so stay tuned in thecoming months for more information or goto the AGPA website @ www.agpa.org. Additionally, AGPA offers a vast array oftwo-day Institutes which we’ve come to callexperience groups at NSGP. These providea powerful context in which to learn aboutgroup dynamics and about oneself. Manyconsider these Institutes the highlight ofAGPA. Whether the Institutes or theworkshops are your preference, be sure toput AGPA on your calendars!

Barbara Keezell, LICSW, CGP, FAGPACo-Editor, Newsletter

To the Editor:

I am very pleased to write this letter insupport of two distinguished NSGPcolleagues who are running for office atAGPA. Our own Eleanor Counselman, aPast President of NSGP, is running forPresident. Lise Motherwell, another PastPresident of NSGP, and currently thePresident of the NSGP Foundation, isrunning for Treasurer. I can’t think oftwo people who are more qualified forthese positions. I believe that they willkeep AGPA on a positive course and willhelp it further develop and grow. Eleanorand Lise are bright, energetic, motivated,and creative, as well as excellentlisteners and team players. Each hasgiven to NSGP and AGPA ininnumerable ways over the years, viatheir work on committees, the respectiveBoards, and, of course, with many variedand stimulating presentations. They arehighly respected clinicians in the fieldand many have been the recipients oftheir supervision and mentorship overthe years. When AGPA sends out itsballots this Fall, I encourage you to votefor them. Not only will AGPA be thebeneficiary, but NSGP will be as well.They know us, our community, and ourneeds. Please be sure to cast your votesfor Eleanor and Lise. Thank you!

Jerry Gans, MD, CGP, DLFAGPA,DLFAPA

Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy, Inc.PO Box 356Belmont, MA 02478-3201 (617) 484-4994

www.nsgp.com

the

new

slet

ter

NSGP Newsletter CommitteeEditors Barbara Keezell, LICSW, CGP,

FAGPAJennifer McLain, MD, CGP

Members Theresa Bullock Cohen, LICSWDavid Goldfinger, PhD, CGPOona Metz, LICSW, CGPJoseph Shay, PhD, CGP, FAGPAAlan Witkower, EdD, CGPEllen Ziskind, LICSW, CGP

Photography Joseph Shay, PD, CGP, FAGPAJoel Krieg, LICSW, CGP

Design K. White White Design designer_solution@comcast.net

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

Society for Group Psychotherapy, an affiliate ofthe American Group Psychotherapy Association.

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

NSGP Executive BoardPresident Peter Gumpert, PhD, CGP

President-Elect Debora Carmichael, PhD, CGP

Secretary Howard Schnairsohn, LICSW

Treasurer Theresa Bullock Cohen, LICSW

Directors Marc Bolduc, LICSW, CADC II,CGPSteve Cadwell, PhDJoseph DeAngelis, LICSW, CGPJoseph Doherty, EdDJoel Krieg, LICSW, CGPLawrence Kron, JD, PhDMadeleine Lourie, LICSWJulie Gardner Mandel, PhD

NSGP Committee ChairpersonsAudit Madeleine Lourie, LICSW

Breakfast Club Joel Krieg, LICSW, CGP

By-Laws Lawrence Kron, JD, PhD

Conference Julie Anderson, PhD, CGPMarc Bolduc, LICSWScott Reinhardt, PhD, CGP

Continuing Education Sara Emerson, LICSW, CGP,FAGPA

Disaster Response Kathleen Hubbs Ulman, PhD,CGP, FAGPA

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

Nominating Eleanor Counselman, EdD, CGP,FAGPA

Practice Development Oona Metz, LICSW, CGP

Publicity & Marketing Pamela Enders, PhDJoseph DiAngelis, LICSW, CGP

Training Program Joseph Doherty, EdDMarsha Vannicelli, PhD, CGP

NSGP Office (617) 484-4994 Office Administrator Susan Rosenblatt

Messages can be left at theoffice anytime, and will beanswered daily.Monday-Friday 9 am to 5 pm

2Co-editors Barbara and Jenn

will alternate the Letter from the Editor in this space.

(continued on page 3)

To the Editor:

Friends, I’m writing to encourage you tovote for Dr. Eleanor Counselman who isrunning for President of AGPA.

I have known Eleanor since we wererelatively young things at BostonUniversity Graduate School. Aside fromhaving a wry sense of humor, Eleanorhas shown a wide range of competenciesand leadership qualities. As a founder ofthe Boston Institute for Psychotherapy, Ihad the pleasure of working withEleanor when she was President of theInstitute which she led through some“tight” times—i.e. money was short—very successfully. It is now a rapidlygrowing organization.

More recently Eleanor has beenPresident of NSGP another organizationthat has thrived under her guidance. Sheis co-chair of the AGPA InstituteCommittee, a task for which she hasconsiderable enthusiasm thatstrengthens the committee’s morale.

For many years she was also on theAGPA Editorial Board and has paperspublished in the Journal. Organizing andmaintaining peer supervision groups wasone of the most widely read paperswithin and outside AGPA. She edited theGroup Circle for six years.

Eleanor brings a combination of dignity,organizational ability and good humorto everything she touches, which makesit easy to work with her. Those qualitiesalso combine to get things done for anyorganization she leads.

I think she would make a very finePresident for AGPA and I hope you willvote for her.

Cecil Rice, PhD, CGP, DFAGPA

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Letter from the Editor(continued from page 2) The Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy

Cordially Invites You to Our 2013-2014

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 email groups@nsgp.com or call Susan Rosenblatt at theNSGP office: (617) 484-4994.

Calendar for 2013–20149/22/13 Marketing Your Private Practice Groups

Presented by Theresa Bullock Cohen, LICSWHosted by Eleanor Counselman (Belmont, MA)

10/20/13 Field Notes from a Psychodynamic Therapist LeadingDivorce Support Groups. Is It “Support” or Is It“Therapy” and What Is The Difference Anyway?Presented by Oona Metz, LICSW, CGP

Hosted by Scott Rutan (Chestnut Hill, MA)

12/8/13 Attachment Style and Living Solo: GroupPsychotherapy with Single AdultsPresented by Nancy Goldner, PhD, LICSW, CGP

Hosted by Barbara Keezell (Newton, MA)

1/12/14 Spirituality in GroupsPresented by Bob Weber, PhD, CGP

Hosted by Geri & Scott Reinhardt (Newton, MA)

3/23/14 What’s Grief Got to Do with It: Traveling through Losswith ClientsPresented by Maxine Sushelsky, LMHC

Hosted by Julie Anderson (Brookline, MA)

4/13/14 Transitions in Group LeadershipPresented by Joel Krieg, LICSW

Hosted by Joyce & Walker Shields (Belmont, MA)

*The Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy, Inc. (NSGP) is approved bythe American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education forpsychologists. NSGP maintains responsibility for this program and its content.Each program provides a maximum of 1.5 credits.

*NSGP is a National Board for Certified Counselors Approved ContinuingEducation Provider (ACEP) and may offer NBCC approved clock hours for eventsthat meet NBCC requirements. The ACEP solely is responsible for all aspects ofthe program. Each activity has been approved for a maximum of 1.5 Category 1hours for relicensure for Licensed Mental Health Counselors.

*NSGP, Inc. is accredited by the Massachusetts Medical Society to providecontinuing medical education for physicians. NSGP designates theseeducational activities for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™each.

*For information regarding the status of Continuing Education Credits for social workers and Registered Nurses please call the NSGP office at (617) 484-4994.

For all disciplines, continuing credit awarded is dependent on participation andparticipants should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of theirparticipation in the activity.

Something to Say??Next time, see your

words here.Write an email sharingyour thoughts or opinions with the Editors and yourletter may be published infull or part in the Spring2014 Newsletter. Pleasesend submissions to:

newsletter@nsgp.com.Note: letters not edited except

for space.

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This Year’sConference and theWidening Gyre ofGroups in All Aspectsof Our Lives andPractices Tyler Carpenter, PhD, FAACP

S tarting an article with the sentence,“I wasn’t going to come to our

annual conference this year…” is ahelluva way to begin a narrative for thenewsletter of one of my most intimateand integral sources of professionalgrowth and knowledge, but there it is.Although I consider NSGP anindispensable staple in my diet,sometimes my plate’s too full. Thisparticular year my calendar was alreadycomplete with prior obligations andcommitments to attend, write, travel, andpresent. And then it happened. Thebrochure for this year’s conference, “FaceTime in the Age of Facebook,” arrivedand I was inexorably drawn in.

The first thing that caught my eye, whichI subsequently attended, was the jointoffering from the Conference Committeeand the Rice Memorial Fund, “SocialNetworking and the Group Self,”presented by Lise Motherwell and anumber of very interesting AGPAmembers whose institutions and expertiseI was aware of, but whom I had neither

read, nor heard speak. Many years ofinterdisciplinary listserve participation,applied group awareness and practice,and specialized knowledge have proddedme to act, write, attend, and present inother venues on use of translators, cross-cultural human rights and consultation,and systems interventions; these wererecursively activated by an opportunity tolisten and interact with very experiencedcolleagues reflecting on the ways inwhich our transformative technologieswere shaping our practice and changingindividual and shared groupconsciousness.

I have been an active and committedparticipant in interactive technologies,both social and professional, for sometime. Like a rising tide that lifts all boats,they often simultaneously raise thestandard of practice across multipledisciplines, as well as provide theopportunity for increased familiarity andintimacy with many wonderful and veryexperienced colleagues we may ultimatelycome to meet “in person” years later.These can be venues whereby we extendparameters of assistance and support inour professional activities as well. Overtwo days, Lise, Andrew Eig, RichardBillow, Jeffrey Kleinberg, and RichardFletcher reflected upon the various waysthat virtual technology can extend andchange our “on the ground” andpsychoanalytically-informed interpersonalrelationships. That technology also offers

Eleanor Counselman & Debbie Cross

Larry Kron & Deb Carmichael

Amy Matias, David Dybdal, & Ben Herbstman

NSGP Conference June 2013

Dan Raviv, Deb Carmichael, Oona Metz,& Ronnie Levine

Jenn McLain, Helen Hwang, & Herb Baker

Karen Wischmeyer, Peter Gumpert, &Jenn Ragan

Suzanne Cohen, Siobhan O'Neill, &Walker Shields

Vanessa Gamble & Deb Cole

Cecil Rice & Jenn McLain

5

the potential ways in which these sameinnovative virtual tools concretelytransform the breadth, depth, andexpediency of concrete care in cost-effective and individually calibrated ways— from organismic and medicallycalibrated self-monitoring to relationalcommunities with extended and livefacilitating boundaries. The informationand cites were invaluable. Their inclusionin a two-part symposium was like winninga small lottery.

I’m a glutton for experience. I always loveand benefit from the real time intimacyand the transformative moment inherentin combined lecture and demonstrationgroups. The opportunity to observe, andpossibly participate in, Jeff Kleinberg’svirtual group cemented my resolve toattend this year’s conference. That Iultimately became a participant in it, toquote Jack Nicholson’s immortal wordsfrom the movie of the same phrase, was"As Good As It Gets.” This year I hadfinally gotten the Red Cross Disaster ReliefTraining and had an opportunity to assistafter the Boston Marathon bombing. I have worked with, written, and spokenabout many aspects of severe trauma andits assessment and treatment, but I hadspent little time talking personally withfellow professionals about the personalimpact. Participating with fellow NSGPmembers in Jeffrey Kleinberg’s virtualgroup was an astounding experience as Iwas not only on the receiving end of avirtual technology I had frequently used,but I unexpectedly found much closure onmy experience of aloneness in being acaregiver and an expert to others. All thisfor the price of one admission.

So to close, why would I use the word“gyre” and possibly drive theunsuspecting reader to a dictionary?Because just as etymology, historicalusage, translation, and multiple meaningsco-mingle Edmund Spenser, WilliamButler Yeats, and Lewis Carroll’s poeticswith the non-linear dynamics and chaosof modern complexity theory, the ever-widening and synergetic conceptualmeaning that gyre connotes helps bothliterally and imaginatively unite ourunderstanding of the interaction ofconstituent elements of our brain-mind tothe behavior of complex organisms inever-increasing collections of members.

For me, this year’s NSGP offerings of ever-widening and circling connectionsbetween groups of persons described animportant aspect of our personal andprofessional life trajectories. It also

described how we come to learn moreabout ourselves and others, how we arewhat we are, and do what we are doingin our onrushing and collective future.The experience greatly informed what Iam doing as I move forward with myprofessional obligations, and I eagerlyawait next year’s conference.

✺

NSGP: A Newcomer’sExperienceAmy Matias, PhD, LICSW

I began attending the NSGP BreakfastClub in January upon the

recommendation of a colleague. I was ata point in my career where I had startedmy own practice and although I wasconnected to a number of colleagues andother professionals, I was feeling theisolation that can come with workingindependently. I was missing being part ofsomething larger. Although I had anoffice, I wanted to be part of an officecommunity. So, on one cold Januarymorning I put on my “Sunday best” andtrudged out into the snow to attend myfirst Breakfast Club.

When I arrived, I was surprised by thenumber of attendees and the hustle andbustle around the delicious selection ofcontributed brunch items. I was warmlywelcomed and quickly invited intoconversations with several attendees. Thepresentation by Eleanor Counselman wasinformative and engaging. Being a grouppractitioner, I was hooked. I left feelinglike I had found a new professional“home.” I decided to attend as manyNSGP events as I could.

It was through a course with PamelaEnders on utilizing social media that Ibegan to hear a lot about the upcomingNSGP conference. I had been able toattend only one workshop the previousyear, and was planning to attend the fullconference this year. I was curious aboutthe Friday Institute in particular.Colleagues doing group together? Howdid this work? I was intrigued and signedup for the two-year Institute led by Dr.Joseph Shay.

As the conference grew closer, I took theopportunity to ask my newfoundcolleagues about what the Institute

Dan Raviv & Sara Emerson

Marc Bolduc, Jenn McLain, & Leah Slivko

I(continued on page 11)

Kurt White, Tyler Carpenter, & Karin Hodges

Report from the Conference

Theresa Bullock Cohen & Ken Jaeger

Pamela Enders, Marsha Vannicelli, Geri Reinhardt, & Theresa Bullock Cohen.

Tribute to DonaldWexlerDebora Carmichael, PhD, CGP

O n April 27, 2013 Donald Wexlerturned 90 years old. He is the

oldest member of NSGP and you canpretty much count on seeing Don at mostNSGP events. He joined NSGP in the late’60’s and served as President from 1972-1974.

He was born in Brooklyn in 1923. Hisfather was a physician and his mother aColumbia graduate. She became a dentistby the age of 25, having arrived in theUnited States in 1905 at age 12 fromRussia. Don is obviously proud of hisparents and their “radical, liberal” ways.He recalls reading The Nation, the firstissue of Time magazine and a magazinepromoting the New Communist Party asthey were always around the house. Asan adolescent, Don was drawn to readinganalytic case studies, finding themfascinating and sparking his interest inpsychiatry. His extended neighborhoodwas full of doctors. Noticing this, Dondecided at a relatively young age thatonce he became a doctor he would moveaway and build his practice.

Don graduated from Wesleyan Universityin 1941. After his third year, he tried toget drafted but he was not eligiblebecause he had hammer toes. As a

consequence, his father had to pay for hiscollege education. After graduation, hewas commissioned into the Air Force. Hewas a medical student at BellevueHospital in New York and then moved toAnn Arbor where he met his wife. Herecalls that the training in Ann Arbor wassuperb. He was transferred toNewfoundland where he was the ChiefResident of NEAC.

Eventually, in 1955, having gotten out ofthe Air Force, Don arrived in Boston andbegan to work as a psychiatrist with aHarvard appointment at Boston CityHospital. He trained with Phillip Solomon,a psychoanalyst for whom Don has agreat deal of admiration, gratitude, andrespect. Don received an NIMH grant in1960 to study the effect of grouppsychotherapy as a treatment of choicecompared to individual treatment.Around the same time, Max Dayintroduced Don to NSGP. Then, in 1965,Don became the Physician in Charge ofthe Psychiatry Outpatient Department atMt. Auburn Hospital. And, of course, heencouraged group psychotherapy.

Don’s passion for groups, and for NSGP inparticular, is strong and unrelenting.“What I love about NSGP is that it[participation and membership] doesn’t

depend on your discipline; it depends onyour love of group therapy.” Don stronglybelieves that in order to keep the Societyvibrant, all members, regardless ofdiscipline or credential, should be allowedto vote. He famously made a stand at theNSGP annual business meeting in the mid‘90‘s for a change in the by-laws thatwould give every NSGP member a vote.

Don encouraged the launching of anumber of group psychotherapy societies:Maine, Puget Sound, Western MA,Rochester NY, New Haven, WestchesterCounty and Boise Idaho. He is proud ofhis advocacy and devoted years of time,effort, and energy to the AmbassadorProgram at NSGP. This program, launchedby Don, was designed to promote grouppsychotherapy and NSGP to agencies inthe greater Boston area and beyond byinviting individuals from these agencies toour annual conference as our guests. Thisprogram was a pillar in our efforts topromote group psychotherapy to thecommunity.

Away from NSGP, Don has been achampion of Veterans suffering fromPTSD. He has researched and writtenwidely on this subject. Don was alsoinstrumental in getting parity for thediagnosis of PTSD for long term care. Hehas tirelessly devoted decades to treatingtheir underlying shame and suffering andcontinues this noble work at the BedfordVA hospital.

So, when you see Don at the next NSGPevent (and you most probably will), gethim to tell you about the time he heardEdith Piaf sing in person or the latestopera he attended at the GlimmerglassFestival in Cooperstown, NY. He’ll sing foryou too if you’d like or just as easilydiscuss the importance of appreciatingthe role of shame in PTSD or theprofoundly healing effects of grouppsychotherapy. Don is a true NSGPtreasure.

✺

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Who Ya Gonna Call?You are picking up your office after your group at the end of the day. You'rea little troubled. Something feels amiss and has felt that way for a fewweeks. Your attempts to address the dynamic have fallen flat, and you worrybecause some members are beginning to talk about what else they could doon Wednesday night. Yikes! Even your consultation group is stymied, ormaybe you don’t have that resource.

Who Ya Gonna Call?Worry not. You’re a member of NSGP, right? And NSGP is here to help with

the

Consultation Benefit.

Here’s how you set up a consult. Call or e-mail Carolyn Stone(info@drcarolynstone.com or 617-630-1523). Carolyn or someone on thecommittee finds out what your concern is and contacts two or three seniorpeople in NSGP who have agreed to offer one free hour of consultation peryear. She gets back to you with the names and you set up a time (in personor on the phone) with one of the consultants.

That’s right. All members of NSGP are entitled to one free hour ofconsultation about group psychotherapy per calendar year. What a deal!

The Consultation Benefit cannot be used to address an emergencysituation. It is not available to students as they have consultation built intotheir programs.

Donald Wexler & Jerry Gans

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Disaster Response:Interviews withKathleen Ulman, PhDand Cecil Rice, PhDSiobhan O’Neill, MD, CGP

W e are still early in the aftermathof the trauma of the Boston

Marathon bombings. The effects on thecommunity will be long lasting and thehealing process slow. Naturally we asgroup therapists wonder: What is the roleof groups in that healing process?

Drs. Kathleen Ulman, current AGPApresident, and Cecil Rice are twomembers of our professional communitywho have been thinking about thisquestion and shaping its answers formore than a decade. I asked them to talkabout their experiences.

Dr. O’Neill: How did your involvementin disaster response begin and howdid it evolve?

Dr. Ulman: It began with the 9/11terrorist attacks. AGPA received a largegrant from the New York TimesFoundation to provide psychologicalservices to those affected in New York,Washington D.C., and Boston. Throughthis grant, AGPA funded grouptreatment, support and supervision forclinicians, and group therapy training atoverburdened clinics with limitedresources and significant needs. Werealized that clinicians would need a lotof support. In disasters like these,therapists are victims as well ascaregivers. Support is crucial. Experiencedsupervisors from all over the countrysupported the clinicians running thesegroups in New York, D.C., Boston, andother places. All of this was funded bythe grant.

Many AGPA members were involved inthis effort, and much teaching, training,and writing came out of the experiences.APGA published “Group Interventions forTreatment of Psychological Trauma” andhosted multiple distance learning events.AGPA annual conference events focusingon care for the caregivers were initiatedand continue. NSGP formed a committeeon disaster response in the years after9/11, has provided training for manyclinicians, and maintains a list of thoseready and willing to serve.

Dr. Rice: Dr. Ulman made crucial contactswith folks at the Red Cross who wereleading the Boston response to the 9/11attacks. A few of us who had workedtogether in Northern Ireland (Kathy, PatDoherty, Alan Alpert, and Ellen Ziskind)volunteered to offer groups to the peoplein the Boston area who had lost lovedones. That was a real learning experience!

It felt chaotic, emotionally overwhelming.The Red Cross sent people to us- it feltlike a random sample of men and womenof all ages, whoever showed up. I neverknew who would show up. Sometimespeople brought along other members oftheir families. This contributed to thesense of chaos.

Dr. O’Neill: Perhaps reflective of thegeneral sense of chaos in the countryat that time.

Dr. Rice: Yes. Sometimes I asked myself ifit would have felt less chaotic if I haddirected the group more. You, see, I thinkI was less surprised than most Americanswere by the events. Having grown upduring WWII and lived through the blitzin Belfast, Northern Ireland which waspart of the UK, and having lived inNorthern Ireland during many years of onand off violent conflict, I was neverthelessshocked as were the group members.That shock contributed to the felt chaos.But I did wonder if I could have protectedthe group more effectively by being moredirective.

Dr. O’Neill: It’s the question we wereall asking at the time, what couldhave protected us from this?

Dr. Rice: Yes, my question to myself wascoming from the collective experience. Iasked myself what I would do with all theaffect I was bearing. A mass of affect. We(Kathy, Pat, Alan, and I) had each other;we were in some sense already a workingteam, and this helped a lot. And I wrotepoetry.

Dr. O’Neill: You have both been ableto draw on this wealth of experienceagain in responding to the BostonMarathon bombings. What has therole of groups been in the healingprocess?

Dr. Ulman: We have been focusing onsupporting clinicians. AGPA and NSGPjointly sponsored a distance learningevent open to all therapists in the Bostonarea. Dr. Suzanne Philips discusseddisaster mental health groups based onher extensive work in NY after 9/11. Wediscussed how trauma affects caretakersand the importance of taking care ofthemselves as well as their patients.People were able to discuss their ownreactions as well as their clinical work.This event was well attended and wehave planned four more educationalevents emphasizing support for clinicianswhich will be scheduled in the fall, winter,and around the anniversary time. Thedates will be announced on the AGPAwebsite (www.agpa.org). All of theseefforts build upon the work of AGPA’sCommunity Outreach Task Force

(established after 9/11, now chaired byCecil Rice and Suzanne Phillips) and theirextensive experience in traumatizedregions in the U.S. and overseas.

Dr. Rice: After the bombing, we createda joint support group with NSGP and theBIP (Boston Institute for Psychotherapy),with the BIP providing the space as wellas participants. As a follow-up, we joinedwith AGPA and held two distancelearning groups. We provided education,training, and support. Suzanne Philips didthe teaching and Kathy and I led thediscussion that followed. People mainlytalked about what happened to them andwhat it was like to sit with their patients.In response to the Marathon Bombings,many people were re-living whathappened in 9/11. All traumas areconnected. The next question is how dowe provide longer-term services forpeople, because the effects of somethinglike this do hang on. However, people areresilient. I have faith most folks willrecover. If we held a group in two orthree years, we’d see a lot of resilience,accompanied by some of the pain ofmourning, which generates recovery.

Dr. O’Neill: What have been the mostvivid lessons?

Dr. Ulman: Ongoing support and trainingfor clinicians is crucial. Also, makingconnections to people in other agencies(the Red Cross and DMH in 2001, andmore recently connecting to people at theBoston Athletic Agency) is fundamental.Collaboration is vital.

Dr. Rice: I learned a lot from the post9/11 group; they have really stayed withme. You have to stay with it. Be therewhen you say you’ll be there, bear theawful stuff, and stay with it. The nextassociation I have is this: I remember atime during WWII when we were beingbombed. I was sitting in my father’s arms.We were looking out the bay window. Icould hear bombs falling. I could see theflames. I could hear sirens. And yet I feltsafe. I actually felt safe.

Dr. O’Neill: So, a lot depends on whois holding you.

Dr. Rice: Yes. It’s about attachment andbelonging. If you’re attached and youhave a sense of belonging, you’re moreresilient. Groups give us a place to beheld and to belong.

Dr. O’Neill: So the role of groups inhealing trauma may be that simple.

Dr. Rice: It might be!

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8

I work for an outpatient substance abusetreatment program, where a large portionof our services are delivered in the formof group treatment. Part of what I do isrun the outpatient groups for patientswho are newly sober in the intensiveoutpatient group program (called anIOP). In this program, we do somepsychodynamic work and also teachclients the skills they need to help them inearly recovery. One such skill is learninghow to utilize 12-Step programs, such asAlcoholics Anonymous or NarcoticsAnonymous. Our clients are encouragedto find 12-step meetings that are a goodfit, attend these 12-step meetings, anddevelop a sober network. However,during orientation to the program, clientsare discouraged from havingrelationships with one another outside ofthe program.

My dilemma is the conflict I feel when onone hand, I encourage group members inmy program to create a sober supportnetwork that includes others in recovery,and, on the other hand, my grouporientation and clinic policy discouragemembers from developing outsiderelationships with one another. It seemslike a confusing message, and I’m neversure how to explain it to my clients. Forexample, if clients want to go to meetingswith one another, that could potentiallybe a source of support, but, per mytraining and clinic policy, that would beconsidered a violation of the contract.How do I support my clients in theirrecovery through 12-step meetings, andat the same time also be a diligent grouptherapist who creates safe boundaries byhaving a group agreement thatdiscourages out-of-group contact? Pleasehelp!

Double Bind

Dear Double Bind

The question you have is aboutmaintaining psychodynamic groupboundaries in an addictions treatmentsetting. You sense that the no-outside-of-group contact policy presents acontradiction to your clients and it isconfusing to you as a psychodynamically-trained clinician. I would like to offersome macro-cosmic perspective on the assumptions that may underlie yourwork.

You support involvement in 12-stepprograms as an ongoing process, duringand after the IOP. I would like to suggestthat you, in an Eastern meditative kind ofway, simply “notice” this assumption. Iwill come back to this shortly.

Early recovery is a tenuous time. In thisphase, there is often great physical andpsychological discomfort. Addictionsspecialists call it “post-acutewithdrawal syndrome,” whichcan last an indeterminateamount of time. (We might callit “feelings.”) The addictiveobject is mourned. Your clientsare terrified of boredom andemptiness, of being “triggered.”The specter of relapse loomsmenacingly, along with theworry of disappointing andangering loved ones. Recidivismstatistics are discouraging.

The “sober support system”provides community (essential toall of us), and is a bulwarkagainst the social stigma of addiction.This social network may include othermembers of the group, for prior toenrolling in IOP some have known eachother in other settings. They interact inAA and NA. So how do you manage thisfluid boundary and still do grouptherapy?

Back to the macrocosm. You mayremember Kuhn’s definition of scientific“paradigms” (1962) as a belief system soestablished in the culture that it is seen asabsolute reality. 12-Step Recovery is thedominant paradigm in addictionstreatment and in the culture at large. Itstraditions and language are embedded inthe general discourse to the extent thatmost people cannot think aboutrelinquishing addictive behaviors without12-step involvement.

The word “recovery” itself is significant.When your clients ask you if you are “inrecovery,” they want to know if you canpersonally relate to their struggle, not ifyou are in treatment for generalpsychological concerns. How, or even if,you respond to that question will be verytelling to them. Full discussion of the 12-

step paradigm is beyond the scope of thisresponse. But I want to stress that it is aparadigm. The psychodynamic approach,even with its many variations, is also acultural paradigm. As a socialconstructionist, I do not use the word“culture” lightly, and I suggest that yourdilemma arises from trying to work withintwo contrasting cultures.

Your clients are likely to be familiar withthe norms of recovery groups, but notwith the expectations of psychodynamicgroups. In the IOP, the clients signed upfor intensive work on early recovery butdid not sign up for psychodynamic grouptherapy. In addiction treatment, groupsstart with a round-robin check-in, andintroduction of the self as an addict.Cross-talk, or responding to anyone inthe group when it is not one’s “turn” isnot acceptable. Members talk aboutconflicts and concerns outside of group. It

is not understood or expectedthat one may talk aboutfeelings-in-the-room. In fact,the group will actively fightagainst working in the “hereand now” because it provokestoo much anxiety.

The prevalence of these normsin addictions treatment ispartly due to the training ofthe group leaders. Many havecome to their work as people “in recovery”themselves. Mostclinical training programs,however, do not include eitheraddiction theory or clinicaladdictions practice in their

curricula. Whatever the reasons for thisexclusion, clinicians view addictions workas out of their purview, and cede theterritory to addictions workers. Thisreinforces the culture clash that puts youin the double bind you are experiencing.But you may find common ground.

Psychodynamic group therapists andaddictions specialists share the belief thatgroups are inherently healing. The heartof what you learned in your grouptherapy training is true here as well.Hold on to the frame by starting andending on time. Gently, but firmly,introduce the group to the notion thattalking directly to one another ispermissible, and that things arehappening in the room, right here, rightnow. Help members attend to behaviorsin themselves and each other. Beintersubjectively engaged, that is, talkabout your experience in the room as away to model that kind of focus. Teachthem to accept silence without filling itup with junk, (which is how their use ofsubstances functioned), but rememberthat the apparent lack of structure ofpsychodynamic group work may be

This question-and-answer column appearsregularly in the Newsletter and addressescomplex dilemmas in group therapy.Featured are case vignettes presented byNSGP members, with responses by seniorclinicians. If you have a question youwould like considered for this column,please submit a case vignette of 400words or less to Theresa Bullock Cohen,LICSW through the NSGP office, or viaemail to newsletter@nsgp.com. (Pleaseremember to preserve the confidentialityof any group members described.)

“Psychodynamic

group therapists

and addictions

specialists share

the belief that

groups are

inherently

healing.”

9

intolerable in early recovery. Use humor.

I congratulate you for bringing yourclinical expertise to such a challengingand important program, and wish thatmore clinicians felt comfortable in thisworld.

Postscript: I reread your question to see ifI missed anything, and found an elephantin the metaphoric room. If “out of groupcontact” means sexual relationships withother program members, my answer issimple. Such relationships can wreakhavoc in any kind of group.

Rivkah Lapidus, PhD, LMHC, CGP

✺

Dear Double Bind

The dilemma you describe iscommon in substance-abusetreatment programs and canbe effectively addressed byestablishing ground rulesrelevant to the treatmentcontext.

IOP day and eveningprograms, by their verynature, engage participantswith one another severalhours a day, several times aweek, over a relatively time-limited period (sometimeswith opportunity for moreextended participation inweekly groups after the initialintensive phase). The groups,especially the time-limited ones, generallyhave a substantial psycho-educational orskills-based focused.

Confusion occurs when the ground rulesappropriate for long-term interactionaltherapy groups are applied to IOP groupswithout considering importantdifferences between them. In IOPprograms, group members take breakstogether, may eat together betweengroups, are sometimes taken to self-helpmeetings collectively, and certainly are

encouraged to go to meetings on theirown. Given that considerable outside-of-group contact is already built in,proscriptions against driving to meetingstogether makes relatively little sense(especially since attendance at meetingsmay be difficult for some members whodon’t have cars, don’t drive or have DUIrestrictions on driving).

It is nonetheless important to haveground rules that protect and promotethe unique kind work possible in aneffectively boundaried group. The latterrequires keeping the energy for the groupwork contained, as much as possible,within the group sessions. This is handledin many groups by encouraging membersto keep outside contacts to a minimumalong with an ‘outside/in’ ground rule inwhich clients are expected to bring into

the group any relevantoutside contacts that dooccur so that importantinteractions remain accessibleto the group. This wouldinclude relevant things thathappen among members inbreaks between IOP groups,at 12-step meetings, orelsewhere. What is importanthere is the way in whichrelevant is explained (forexample, two IOP membersplanning a trip together, ordiscussing other members —either of which can haveimpact on the functioning ofthe group).

Clearly in groups wheremembers are engaged in self-

help support networks that may overlap,extra attention to these ground rules isneeded. However, the issue is relevant formost groups where interpersonal learningis important to the work. And regardlessof the population, it is more useful tospell out expectations regarding idealbehaviors that increase the likelihood oftherapeutic success than to tell patientswhat they cannot do (which of coursethey can and sometimes will).Proscriptions tend not only to beineffective, but to push underground any

behaviors that deviate, rendering theminaccessible for therapeutic exploration.

In my years at the Appleton OutpatientClinic, group leaders conveyed thefollowing expectations: “We feel that tomaximize the energy for effective groupwork it is important that interactionsamong group members occur, as much aspossible, within the group sessions. Thus,your opportunity for therapeutic workwill be enhanced by keeping outsideconnections to a minimum and bringingthem back into the group when they dooccur. We know that members may seeone another at 12-step meetings. But ifthe encounter exceeds casual contacttypical of these meetings, it would beimportant that it be brought back to thenext group (e.g., should you find yourselfand another group member talking aboutthe group, going to dinner or developinganother kind of social relationship”).

Additionally, it may be useful for bothleaders and members to consider thewise Chinese saying, “Give a man a fishand feed him for a day, teach him how tofish and feed him for a lifetime.” Whilethere can be little doubt that enhancingone’s social support network is animportant aspect of recovery, work in aneffective therapy group helps memberslearn how to form nourishingrelationships that meet needs for supportand intimacy. And stretching themetaphor, eating fish inside the group(i.e. forming one’s social relationshipsfrom within) is likely to interfere withlearning how to fish more effectivelyoutside the group. It is the leader’s job tohelp members deal with the conflictingwishes, on the one hand to socialize withfellow group members, and on the otherto use the group as effectively as possiblefor the therapeutic work.

Marsha Vannicelli, PhD, FAGPA, CGP

✺

“...work in an

effective therapy

group helps

members learn

how to form

nourishing

relationships

that meet needs

for support

and intimacy.”

The NSGP ConferenceCommittee is recruiting

for Chairs for the Brochure and Workshop Committees. In addition,some wonderful volunteering opportunities are available indevelopment, implementation, and execution of our cherishedevent. We welcome all those interested in these positions or who would like to contribute to some aspect of the conference to contact either Julie Anderson at 46ander@gmail.com or Marc Bolduc at heightspcc@comcast.net

When the TherapistTraumatizes theGroupKaren Wischmeyer, LICSW, CAS, CGP

A s soon as I rose from my chair towalk my client out of the office, I

knew something was wrong. By the timemy group members tapped tentatively onmy door, I was lying in a pool of blood onthe office floor, having just called 911. Sobegan my summer vacation of 2012.

I wish I could say that all my thoughts inthose first few weeks in the hospital werefocused on my clients. Although I had leftthe office clutching my appointmentbook, whatever thoughts I did have atthat time—and they were few and farbetween—alternated between sheerterror and a vague bleariness. I do recallsaying to them, as I was transported tothe ambulance, that they should stay totalk about what had just happened. Ilater learned that they were joined by acolleague who sat with them for the lasthalf hour. She took their contactinformation so she could let them knowhow I was doing.

I have always appreciated being a privatepractitioner in an office with otherindependent therapists. I have enjoyedthe collegiality that we share, as we meetweekly for peer supervision. But onlylater, in the hospital, did I learn of themany ways they had stepped in to takecare of my clients and therefore of me.They took on the work of notifyingclients, and, when it became necessaryduring my three months absence, metwith those who expressed the need.

It was my colleagues too who drafted afirst letter to my patients explaining that Ihad had surgery and was doing well andwould soon be in touch. Four weeks later,I composed a second letter that explainedthat my recovery, although progressingwell, would take more time and that Iexpected to return in early November. Thethird letter I sent them was to announcethat I was returning and to confirm theirappointment times. Most of the clientsappreciated these letters. Many sent cardsand left voice messages, all of whichwould later become grist for the mill.

I returned to work fully aware that thegroup who had found me on the officefloor would have different needs from myother groups. I came to think of them asmy “trauma group.” In the first fewweeks of my hospitalization, they hadmet twice with a colleague who hadreported the themes of these sessions tome. The group, upon my return,misdirected their anger at me to her. They

“liked her but...” They “didn’t really needanother therapist.” All they wanted wasto meet by themselves as a group. Theywere frustrated by the group boundarywhich kept them, as they saw it, fromhelping each other. They had not only lostme, but one another, which for some wasan experience strangely similar to thedynamics in their families of origin.

In the first few weeks after my return, Iwas relegated to the role of observer inthe group. I listened as they recountedwhat they had felt that night as theywatched the E.M.T.s take me to theambulance. I heard their bewilderment asthey gathered as a group without me, aswell as their mixed reactions to the twosessions with my colleague. I finallyrealized that they had had all theseexperiences without me and that this wastheir way of filling me in. I had left themand, in some ways, I was now outside thecircle. Clearly this was their way ofprotecting themselves from the possibilitythat this might happen again. I had notexpected this. What I had expected wasthat we would ultimately have to sort outthe boundary confusion created by thisepisode. Who was taking care of whom?Some in the group did not like knowingso much about me. This has taken sometime to work through.

For at least four or five months after myreturn, my sessions with the “traumagroup” were spent on their associationsto their own losses and traumas. Forexample, one client had never told usthat his spouse had died in her sleep afterhaving suffered a fall earlier in the day. Awoman in the group was first on thescene of a car accident and she vividlyrecalled a large amount of blood. Theseare two of the more dramatic examplesbut clearly the “Event,” as it came to beknown in the group, triggered atraumatic memory for each member.Working through these memories, as theyhave arisen, has been a slow process.

At the time of the Event, there wereseven members in the group. They allreturned when I did in November. Thenewest member, who had a traumahistory, left in January for financialreasons. Another left the group in April inan appropriate and planned way, as did athird in June. Although I would have likedto have the group intact for the first yearanniversary of the Event, I could see byearly spring that they were ready to moveon. The conversation in the room hasbegun to shift to the future, to new plansand projects, with a cautious eye to theanniversary of the Event. They know thatonce we have passed that milestone, I

will begin to add new members to thegroup.

The experience with my other groups hasbeen somewhat different. In the first fewsessions after my return, they caught upwith each other, ignoring me, even whilewatching me closely. They noticed that Iwas now wearing a medical alert braceletand that helped them finally to articulatetheir anger, fear, and sadness. Theywanted to know what would havehappened to their group had I notreturned. My group of senior members,ages 60+, many of whom have had theirown health issues moved more easily intodiscussions of loss and even death.Understandably, there has been aqualitative difference in their engagementfrom that of my “younger” groups.

My harrowing experience of the past yearhas taught me four things: (1) thenecessity of surrounding oneself withresponsible, reliable colleagues who canstep into the breach at a moment’snotice; (2) the importance, within thebounds of discretion, of keeping theclients in the loop; (3) an appreciation forthe resilience of group members and theirreadiness to work through the traumaand (4) the importance of living “one dayat a time” as AA teaches, with gratitudeand great hope.

✺

10

AGPA ELECTIONSAlthough we are notpermitted to offer officialsupport to any candidate, weare delighted to announcethat two of our distinguishedNSGP family have beennominated to run forexecutive positions in AGPA.Eleanor Counselman isrunning for President and LiseMotherwell is running forTreasurer. We encourage alleligible voters to keep an eyeout for the ballots and tomake sure to vote for thecandidate of your choice.Past elections have been wonby as few as three votes!

entailed. I already knew that it was adaylong group. It was then that wordssuch as “intense” and ”exhausting”began to come up. I was even told, “Itsent me running to four years ofpsychoanalysis.” I began to wonder whatI had gotten myself into. Would I havefeelings come up in the group?

The night before the institute, I foundmyself feeling nervous as my thoughtscycled back to wondering what theexperience would be like. The nextmorning I left the house early, notwanting to be late and risk receiving thebrunt of any “storming” that was goingto occur. I arrived in good time and satwaiting for the group to begin,comforted by a few familiar faces.

Initially, after Dr. Shay reviewed theagreement, which officially began thegroup, we sat. We looked at one another.We sat some more. What is going tohappen here between us today, Iwondered. I was reminded that this ishow my clients feel on their first day ofgroup. I made a mental note toremember this and admire the courage ittakes for them to show up to their firstgroup.

Slowly, a few brave members began tospeak, then a few more, and a few more.I spoke! Early on, a misunderstandingarose. The group took time to work itthrough with different members jumpingin to share their own experiences andperspectives. Later in the group, membersshared feelings they were having in themoment and about events occurring intheir lives. Dr. Shay skillfully framed whatwas happening for us and made detailedobservations that helped us relate whathad been said earlier to the here andnow. The group wove in and out oftopics shifting focus among members.The intimacy between us began to grow.

Then it happened! I had some feelingscome up. I didn't plan it. It was sounexpected! Something a member saidtouched me, another member noticedand there I was, sharing a sadness that Ihad kept buried deep inside. I feltvulnerable, but as members responded, Ifelt cared for. I felt connected to others. Iwas challenged to explore what wascoming up for me in that moment andreceived support.

At the end of the day, Dr. Shay providedus with an analysis of what hadhappened in the group from a theoretical

perspective. It was incredibly helpful tostep out of the experience of the groupas a participant and see it from aprofessional standpoint. Group workconcepts that I recalled from my time inschool were integrated. Personal andinterpersonal dynamics were framed inthe larger context of the group as awhole. I walked away with a freshperspective on what actually happened inthe group that day.

In the end, it was intense and I wasexhausted. However, I had a valuableexperience. I got to know people in anintimate way that would not havehappened at a conventional conference.But, most importantly, I learnedsomething important about myself. Imentioned this to another conferenceparticipant on the way to my car and herresponse was; ”Now the question is:What are you going to do about it?”Psychoanalysis anyone?

✺

NSGP Conference 2013(continued from page 5)

11

12

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

New to NSGP, I am pleased to introduce myprivate practice in Cambridge. My practiceprovides individual, couples, and grouppsychotherapy for adults. Referrals are welcome.

Childhood Trauma GroupNow Forming

I am now accepting referrals for an ongoingchildhood trauma group to help men and womenunderstand and work though the impact of earlytrauma on their current lives and relationships.The group meets on Monday evenings in PorterSquare, Cambridge. The fee is $50 per session.A second group will be starting later this fall.

For more information about my practice, pleasecall or send me an email. Please also visit my web site.

Amy Mat ias PhD, L ICSW5 Upland Road, Suite 2, Cambridge MA 02140(617) 650-9829 amy@matiascounseling.com

www.matiascounseling.com

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

NSGP members can 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) 484-4994.

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

13

The NSGPFoundation:Preparing for theFutureLise Motherwell, PresidentNSGP Foundation, Inc.

A ccording to the Oxford EnglishDictionary, a foundation is an

institution or organization established ona permanent basis with an endowment.More than a decade ago, a group ofNSGP members who had been active inteaching and in NSGP’s governancedecided they wanted to give somethingback to the organization which many hadmade their professional home. Most hadbeen chairs of committees, on the board,or president of NSGP at some point intheir careers. Now, as senior cliniciansthey wanted to ensure that NSGPremained a vibrant organization thatcould continue to provide quality trainingso that others would have theopportunity to call NSGP theirprofessional home as well. To that end,they created the NSGP Foundation, a501(c)3 non-profit organization to ensurethe future of group therapy training andNSGP itself.

Each year at our annual NSGP Foundationgala, I am asked what the foundationdoes and how it relates to NSGP. Both arefree-standing, not-for-profit organizationsthat are independent of one other, butare closely related. As stated in ourmission statement, the purpose of theFoundation is to support teaching, publiceducation, research, and scholarships ingroup therapy training. Another fundwithin the Foundation, The Cecil andShirley Rice Fund, has a separate butcongruent mission: The Rice Fund isdedicated to promoting the study ofviolence and trauma in groups, families,and individuals, and to helping reducetheir occurrence. We fulfill both missionsby providing funding for scholarships tothe group therapy training programs,attendance at group conferences, andattendance at the AGPA annual meeting,and by offering financial support forspecial presentations and research relatedto group therapy and group dynamics.We pay for these projects from fundsraised through our gala, our silentauction, our raffle, and the special eventswe hold, but much of our money comesfrom generous donors like you.

We couldn’t do what we do without yourgenerosity.

Last year, on the 5th anniversary year ofthe death of Anne Alonso, we held anevent to honor Anne for her significantcontributions to group therapy training.We asked participants to donate moniesin her honor to a newly endowedScholarship Fund and have thus far raisedover $13,000 toward our goal of$20,000 by the end of the year. If wereach our goal, we will rename thescholarship fund after Anne Alonso.These monies will be used in perpetuitysolely to provide scholarships for trainingin group therapy and group dynamics.

So, how does the Foundation connect toNSGP? Because supporting the activitiesof NSGP is our priority, last year we gaveout scholarship monies to thoseattending the NSGP Training Program andthe NSGP Annual Conference. Weprovided NSGP with a small grant tosubsidize the free lunches for thoseinvolved in the Ambassador Program,which helps NSGP bring in new members.We gave a $2000 grant to the NSGPConference Committee to bring inoutside speakers to its AnnualConference. We also gave NSGP a $3000grant to help defray its website redesigncosts. And we gave AGPA a $1000 grantto support its scholarship program for itsannual meeting in New Orleans, whichwent to scholarship recipients from NewEngland. These funds allow early careerand part-time therapists to afford to getthe best group training offered in theBoston area and also help NSGP tocontinue to educate the public aboutgroup therapy and offer robust training.

When we send a letter to you at the endof the year outlining ouraccomplishments, please consider makinga donation to the Foundation so we cancontinue to support NSGP. You can do soby going directly to our website atwww.nsgpf.org. Click on “Giving” on theleft to make a donation. Thank you, inadvance, for your support. We need itand we count on it. To support theFoundation is, ultimately, to support thework that you value.

✺

NSGP Foundation Gala

Gala guests

Marsha Vannicelli & Siobhan O'Neill

Pat Doherty & Eleanor Counselman

People bidding on aution items

Larry Kron, Amy Matias, & Marsha Vannicelli

Scott & Jane Rutan, & Deb Filiurin

14

Progress Notes

Alan Albert will be attending aweek’s residency at the Banff Centre forCreative Arts in Canada in October. This isa competitive residency granted toapplicants after submitting writingsamples. The mission of the Centre is toinspire creativity through multidisciplinaryprogramming, providing attendees “withthe support they need to create, todevelop solutions, and to make theimpossible possible.”

Herb Baker was recently successfulin passing the State’s TeacherExaminations, four difficult examsrequired to be licensed in Massachusettsto teach. He has also been accepted to dohis teacher-in-training this year at theCodman Academy Charter High School inDorchester. Upon completion, he willreceive his Master’s in Education degreefrom Cambridge College Graduate Schoolof Education in May 2014. Herb writes,“Of course, my group therapy skills willbe an essential aspect of my teaching.”

Deb Carmichael came in ThirdPlace at the Long Creek, Prince EdwardIsland card party in August. She notesthat “cards (specifically the game of 45’s)are a provincial past-time on the island,second only to hockey.”

J. Tyler Carpenter presented hispapers, “I Hear Freud and EinsteinCorresponding in the Ether” and “Issuesof Interpretation in Global Mental HealthCare,” in July as part of separate paneldiscussions at the XXXIIIrd InternationalCongress on Law and Mental Health inAmsterdam. He is also preparing forparticipation in a pre-conferenceworkshop “Psychological and SocialApproaches to Treating Psychoses inDifferent Settings: The Effects of Setting”at the ISPS-US 14th Annual Meeting inOctober.

Greg Chilenski wishes to announcethe temporary closure of his practice ofindividual and group psychotherapy inCamden, Maine, due to a serious familyillness. Well-wishers may contact him atgchilenski@gmail.com.

Eleanor Counselman was theinvited small group leader for the Mid-Atlantic Group Psychotherapy SocietySpring Conference in April 2013. In June,she led a day-long experience group

based on attachment theory for NSGP.She had an article on peer supervisiongroups published in the PsychotherapyNetworker in May and an article on grouptherapy accepted in Introduction toPsychiatry: Preclinical Foundations andClinical Essentials (2014, in press).Excitingly, Eleanor is also a candidate forPresident of the American GroupPsychotherapy Association!

Joe DeAngelis is pleased toannounce that he graduated from theMassachusetts Institute forPsychoanalysis’ four-year psychoanalytictraining program. His final project paperexplored the benefits and challenges ofintroducing a patient to group treatmentas an adjunct to individual psychoanalysis.

Barbara Keezell completed thesecond year of the PCFINE trainingprogram. She has also signed up for anacting class in anticipation of herupcoming role in the Redwell Theatregroup’s dramatic reading presentation atthe AGPA conference in March. She islooking forward to her acting debut!

Jenn McLain has shifted from playerto coach of her football team this year,which is providing her ampleopportunities to explore transitions inleadership and group dynamics.

Oona Metz is looking forward to herupcoming presentations this fall andwinter at the NSGP Breakfast Club, theNSGP Practice Development Series, theEastern Group Psychotherapy SocietyAnnual Conference in NYC, the BrooklineCenter, and AGPA in Boston. While shehas ended her tenure on the Board andmisses being a part of it, she is excitedabout her new role as chair of thePractice Development Committee.

Lise Motherwell has shifted herfocus to organizational consulting andboard work. She was voted Vice Presidentof the Board of Directors of theProvincetown Art Association andMuseum in August and will run for asecond term as Treasurer of AGPA in theNovember election. She and SuzanneCohen are co-chairing the ScholarshipFundraising Committee for AGPA’s AnnualConference to be held in Boston inMarch, 2014. She and Joseph Shay arecurrently working on a 2nd Edition ofComplex Dilemmas in Group Therapy:Pathways to Resolution to be published in2014.

David Poles is now offeringExecutive Coaching to CEOs and businessowners. Prior to this, he receivedcoaching training and is taking the BoardCertified Coach exam in September.

Sharan L. Schwartzberg co-directed a new summer course“Interprofessional Team Management ofPain” on Pain Research, Education, andPolicy, in the Department of Public Healthand Community Medicine, Tufts UniversitySchool of Medicine. The course focusedon the nature of the groups and IP teamsand effective strategies to optimize theirfunction. Sharan is now developing twomeasures of IP Pain Team Functioning.

Joe Shay recently presented“Defensive Processes in Couples Therapy”and “Everything You Always Wanted toKnow about Couples Therapy but WereAfraid to Ask” to the PCFINE class. Joealso led the first year of a two-yearExperience Group at NSGP’s conference inJune and chaired a workshop (with ScottRutan and Annie Weiss) entitled“What Was I Thinking?: Therapist Errorsand How We Can Learn From Them.” InJuly, Joe presented “Formulation &Interpretation in Action” to the incomingpsychiatry residents of the McLean/MGHTraining Program. In October, he will leada three-day experience group for a groupof therapists in Maine who have beenmeeting for more than 25 years. Finally, inNovember, he will present “Formulation &Interpretation in Action” to the BostonHealth Care for the Homeless Program.

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.

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Bob Weber continues his workintegrating mental health, aging, andspirituality. In March, he co-presented aworkshop entitled “Why Did I Live SoLong? Longevity and Wisdom: Wantedand/or Unwanted?” at the AmericanSociety on Aging’s conference in Chicago.This was followed by a co-led day ofreflection in April, “The Fulfillment of Life:Henri Nouwen’s Spiritual Vision ofAging,” at the Jesuit Renewal Center inWeston, MA. At MSPP’s AnnualConference on Mental Health and Agingin May, Bob presented “Existential andHumanistic Issues informing ClinicalTreatment” and led a group exercise on“Psycho-Spiritual Integration.” He co-authored “The Question(s) of Age: Callingfor a New Vision of Spiritual Aging” forAging Today, a publication of theAmerican Society on Aging, and he andco-author Carol Orsborn are nearingcompletion of their book, The Seeker’sGuide to Aging: 25 Questions that TurnGetting Older into a Spiritual Path.

Annie Weiss is beginning her 3rdyear as co-leader of the Boston Institutefor Psychotherapy Observation Groupwith Scott Rutan. She writes “This hasbeen an incomparably fun and rewardingexperience.” She also completed Level 3of the IFS (Internal Family Systems)training this summer, and will bepresenting at APGA with Tracy MacNabon IFS and Group Therapy. And, she got apuppy!

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, 2013 cartoonSelected by the Cartoon Committee

(Ellen Ziskind, Alan Witkower, & Oona Metz)

Fourth runner up:“Look at us. How is it we’re all sitting in chairs?”—George DominiakThird runner up:“So where’s the scapegoat?”—Bob WeberSecond runner up:“The complexities of projective identification here are endless.”—Tom SchweitzerFirst runner up:“Exactly WHAT do we have in common????”—Scott RutanThe winning caption:“Welcome to the first meeting of the Species Disorder Group.”—Steve Haut

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Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy, Inc.PO Box 356 Belmont, MA 02478-3201(617) 484-4994www.nsgp.com

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Mark Your Calendar!

NSGP’s 33rd Annual Conference!June 6, 7, & 8, 2014

For more information or to sign up, please contact the office at 617-484-4994 or groups@nsgp.com.

2013-2014 NSGP Events CalendarSept. 22, 2013 Breakfast Club 11-1:30 — with Theresa Bullock Cohen, LICSW

Marketing Your Private PracticeHosted by Eleanor Counselman—Belmont

Oct. 20, 2013 Breakfast Club 11-1:30 — with Oona Metz, LICSW, CGPField Notes from a Psychodynamic Therapist Leading Divorce Support Groups. Is it “Support” or IsIt “Therapy” and What Is the Difference Anyway?

Hosted by Scott Rutan—Chestnut Hill Dec. 8, 2013 Breakfast Club 11-1:30 — with Nancy Goldner, PhD, LICSW, CGP

Attachment Style and Living Solo: Group Psychotherapy with Single AdultsHosted by Barbara Keezell—Newton

Jan. 12, 2014 Breakfast Club 11-1:30 —with Bob Weber, PhD, CGPSpirituality in Groups

Hosted by Geri & Scott Reinhardt—Newton Mar. 3-8, 2014 AGPA in BOSTON!

Stay Tuned for further information!Mar. 23, 2014 Breakfast Club 11-1:30 —with Maxine Sushelsky, LMHC

What’s Grief Got to Do with It: Traveling through Loss with Clients Hosted by Julie Anderson—Brookline

Apr. 13, 2014 Breakfast Club 11-1:30 —with Joel Krieg, LICSWTransitions in Group Leadership

Hosted by Joyce & Walker Shields—BelmontJune 6-8, 2014 Save the Date!

33rd Annual Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy Conference