Fall / Winter 2006 - 2007

Courses for the General Public
and Interested Professionals

GS14 EXPLORING SOCIAL DREAMING

Social dreaming is a psychoanalytic innovation that reveals emergent unconscious processes in interpersonal settings. The creative potential of dreams is one of the single most important discoveries of psychoanalysis. An introductory overview presents the concept of “social dreaming”; the subsequent evenings permit freely exploring participants’ dreams and associations to dreams in a supportive setting. The goal is to learn about the intrinsic creative potential of the dreaming process, and how this can be applied to both work and relationships.

E. Martin Walker, Ph.D.
(212) 769-9613
20 West 86th Street, Suite 1C NYC
November 16 and 30
December 4, 7, 21, 2006
Thursdays 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
with a 1 hour lunch break
$120

Registration: Click here

GF17 CREATIVITY, FANTASY, ART AND MADNESS: THE ROLE OF UNCONCIOUS

This seminar will explore theories of creativity from a psychoanalytic perspective, examining the role of unconscious processes in creativity, fantasies, dreams, and insanity. Particular artists or writers can be focused upon, depending on the wishes of those enrolled. Of special interest are the factors leading to the successful use of unconscious processes in producing works that capture the imagination and the emotions of society, versus idiosyncratic productions of little benefit to the creator or others (as in mental disorders), and in their overlap.

Rebecca Curtis, Ph.D.
(212) 496-4128
411 West End Avenue, #11D NYC
November TBA
Fridays 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
$120

Registration: Click here

GS16 MANAGING MOTHERHOOD IN A TIME of COMPETITIVE PARENTING

In this age of manic motherhood women feel pressured to parent with perfection. Mothers are constantly looking outside themselves for expert knowledge that may already exist within. Sadly, maternal instinct is taking a backseat to culturally determined prescriptive norms. In this class readings and discussions using real life examples will offer a psychoanalytic perspective on parenting in the 21st century, addressing ideas about the “good enough mother,” ghosts in the nursery, and the balance between
family and work.

Ann B. Chanler, Ph.D.
(212) 219-9984
17 Sixth Ave. #2A NYC
January 9, 16 and 23, 2007
Tuesdays 6:45 to 8:15pm
$90

Registration: Click here

GF20 WHO CARES FOR THE FAMILY CAREGIVER?

A largely invisible and unpaid workforce of 50 million Americans toil silently in homes across the nation. These are the so-called “family caregivers,” healthcare providers though not professionals who take on (or are thrust into) the role of caring for someone close who is ill or disabled. The role often demands unstinting dedication, medical knowledge, financial savvy, nursing skills, and psychological sensitivity. And it’s a job that can take a toll on the caregiver’s emotional and physical health.
This workshop focuses on the caregiver’s dilemma of managing a multitude of disparate feelings: anger and acceptance, empathy and resentment, guilt and pride, grief and gratitude, sadness and exhilaration. Included will be relevant readings and resources as well as clinical vignettes. (A follow-up therapy group for family caregivers is offered by the Instructor.)

Ruth Livingston, Ph.D.
(917) 929-4742
330 West 38th Street, #910
January 17 and 24, 2007
Wednesdays 6:30 to 8:00pm
$60

Registration: Click here