Beyond Words: Exploring Countertransference Through Art & Sensory Expression by Robert Wolf, DPsa Scientific Conference In-person or Zoom

Sponsored by The Svenson Lectureship Fund

NOBPC in collaboration with Imagine Recovery New Orleans presents

Beyond Words: Exploring Countertransference Through Art & Sensory Expression

An Experiential Workshop for Clinicians on Navigating Unconscious Responses

Robert Wolf, DPsa

Attendees will receive a 3-hour CME certificate. This is a hybrid event. Please choose to join us at Imagine Recovery (details below) or via Zoom. In-person space is limited so please register early. VIRTUAL (ZOOM) REGISTRATION ENDS Friday, December 6 at Noon Central Time.

9:30am – 12:30pm Central Time

Facing the rise of pre-neurotic patients, often presenting early developmental character disorders, dissociation, or internalized trauma, clinicians often experience intense countertransference inductions.

This experiential workshop provides a supportive environment to explore and process countertransference feelings and inductions through nonverbal, expressive modalities, and sensory motor techniques like drawing, role-playing, visualization, and somatic exploration, to help understand how our unconscious constantly collects information without our overt awareness. To prevent being completely inundated by this information, our brain selects information necessary to respond to present situations and filters out the rest, delegating it to our unconscious. We will explore how we can access this data by using a variety of non-verbal sensory and motoric forms of communication. Non-verbal experience precedes verbal development and continues to evolve throughout our life, often without our conscious awareness. Volunteers will be asked to think of a difficult patient in their current practice and present this patient to the group by imitating the posture and gait, drawing this patient, and using other forms of sensory exploration.

Volunteers will be selected from the physical audience to participate in this group and present patients for exploration through these processes. Virtual audiences will be encouraged to follow the instructions with a patient of their own.

By externalizing these inductions, participants can identify and resolve inductions, so they no longer interfere with treatment flow. The group format provides a ‘community of peers”, crucial for addressing practice isolation and encouraging deeper explorations to identify where personal issues of the clinician may intersect the inevitable inductions experienced through projective identification.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify countertransference reactions by using expressive modalities
• Describe how a group experience helps to process countertransference material
• List nonverbal, expressive techniques that can be utilized in processing countertransference inductions

Dr. Wolf received his degree, Doctor of Psychoanalytic Studies, from the Parkmore Institute after completing a course of study at the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis. As a member of the NPAP Neuro-Psychoanalysis Study Center Steering Committee he continues to integrate his interests in art and psychoanalysis with contemporary neuropsychological concepts. He is a Fellow at the Parkmore Institute and a Training Faculty member at NPAP. He is Professor Emeritus at the College of New Rochelle. He is a licensed psychoanalyst and creative art therapist in NY State and has conducted a private practice in Manhattan, NY since 1980.

In person at Imagine Recovery Imagine Recovery 728 Nashville Ave New Orleans, LA 70115

Registration Information (includes 3 CME credits)

Advance registration is required. Please click HERE to register online. If you prefer to pay by check, please email nobpcenter@gmail.com.

Early Registration Discount by November 8, 2024:

NOBPC Members: $40

Non-members: $85

Students (enrolled in a formal academic or training program) $25 (No CME)

AFTER November 8, 2024 and before November 28:

NOBPC Members: $55

Non-members: $100

Students (enrolled in a formal academic or training program) $25 (No CME)

Week of Registration Fees:

NOBPC Members: $70

Non-members: $115

Students (enrolled in a formal academic or training program) $25 (No CME)

Optional Readings:

• Ababio, B. (2022) Nafsiyat Therapy Center: Challenges, Insights and Developments. Psychoanalysis and History 24:311-318
• Abend, S. (2018) Countertransference and Psychoanalytic Technique, The Psychoanalytic Quarterly 87:497-515
• Wolf, R. (2024) Synthesis of Photography, Art and Neuropsychological Concepts Within Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: an Illustrated Case Study, British Journal of Psychotherapy 40, 1 (2024) 117–142

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of American Psychoanalytic Association and NOBPC. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this live activity for a maximum of 3 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

The APsA CE Committee has reviewed the materials for accredited continuing education and has determined that this activity is not related to the product line of ineligible companies and therefore, the activity meets the exception outlined in Standard 3: ACCME’s identification, mitigation and disclosure of relevant financial relationship. This activity does not have any known commercial support.

Psychologists, Social Workers, and Licensed Professional Counselors may also receive continuing education credit for this activity if their accredited associations or boards recognize CME credits.