Workshops Presented

Wrestling With the Beast of Addiction

The challenge in working with people who use food and other substances compulsively lies in understanding the meaning of actions that have lost their connection to language. When feelings cannot be tolerated, one feels out of control. It is difficult to self-regulate. We explore the developmental history of addictions. When and why do they gain a foothold? We touch on the issues in childhood that result in problems with relationships. We consider how thinking gets derailed and creates a split between the mind and body. Finally, we develop a paradigm for understanding the substance abuse syndrome and consider strategies for interventions.

The Basics of Internal Objects: What they are, How they function, Where they come from

(for mental health professionals)
This presentation encompasses a description and clinical understanding of internal objects. We discuss the sojourn of the internal object, how it begins as a “part” object, the splitting into “good” and “bad” objects, the relationship to the ego and its influence on external relationships.

Los Angeles County Psychological Association presentation at the annual convention

Concrete Thinking: The Negation of Meaning.

Hijacking the Body:
Psychosomatic and Addictive Disorders

To understand the language of the body, we must decode the message behind the symptom. We look at how mind and body become disconnected and thinking is distorted. The focus is on early trauma and later defenses and behaviors in these life-long patterns.

Supervision Workshop
Los Angeles County Psychological Association

A workshop for therapists- Panel presentation from a Kleinian point of view at: Supervision from Four Theoretical Viewpoints: Learning from Other Clinical Orientations

Dream Workshop, The Wellness Community

We are all artists in the night. Learn to work with dreams in the healing process. The Wellness Community is a place for cancer patients and their families to fight for recovery.

When Words Fail: Eating Disorders and Other Addictions

A psychoanalytic look at eating disorders and other addictions. We explore compulsive behavior and how problems in development contribute to eating disorders.

Treatment of Bulimia: A Case Presentation

Co-presenter, St. John's Health Center, Medical Center of a woman in individual and group therapy.