Spring is my favoriteseason, with its relief fromthe discomforts of winterand its budding promisesof renewal and vitality. Inthis President’s letter forthe spring edition of thisnewsletter, I’ll share somespring-inspired thoughts

about renewal and vitality for NSGP.

How do we renew ourselves and remain vital asa professional organization — dedicated to thesupport and promotion of grouppsychotherapy— amid so many changes inhealth care and in patient populations? The firstanswer springing to mind is this: NSGP mustbecome more relevant for a wider range ofpractitioners, while also supporting the needs ofits current members.

It’s an important balancing act — honoring ourrich history as an organization, while alsoeffectively responding to undeniable changes inhow groups are serving different populations.Compared to the group therapy landscape ofthe 1990s (when I first joined NSGP), moretypes of professionals — occupationaltherapists, physicians, psychologists, socialworkers, teachers, etc. — are running groups indifferent types of facilities These groupfacilitators are hungry for effective training andsupport, and yet many of them don’t belong toNSGP, participate in NSGP-sponsored activities,or are even aware of our existence.

To prevent NSGP from being a well-kept secret,we need to create a concise, cohesive, andcompelling message (also called an “elevatorspeech”) about the most relevant benefits ofNSGP. I’ve been working on this task and Iinvite you to consider this also — how could youbest persuade somebody to join NSGP in thetime it takes to ride an elevator? (I’m talkingabout the impressively fast elevators at BethIsrael Deaconess Medical Center, where I work,not the elevators at L.A.’s Westin BonaventureHotel, the location of the otherwise vitallyrenewing 2019 AGPA conference.)

Of course, we also need to invite more diversityinto our organization, expanding NSGP’srelevance and participation along the diverse

continua of age, class, gender, race, and so on.The focus of the 2020 NSGP conference (withplanning already well underway) will be“Diversity,” offering diverse experience groups,workshops, panel discussions, and other diverselearning opportunities.

And to bring the focus back to the renewal andvitality of this spring, our June 2019 conference— “Diving in: From the Shallows to the Deep”— promises to be renewing and sustaining forNSGP members and for people new to theorganization. At this writing (April 13), thereare 76 people already registered for our Springconference. Also at this writing, an NSGP taskforce is exploring how to keep our conferencesvital and accessible, looking at location, timing,and different possible formats of futureconferences.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this letter, avital part of sustaining this organization includessupporting the needs of our current members.For me, this includes doing my best to supportthe dedication and hard work of ourcommittees. Recently I heard this saying: “If youwant something done, give it to the busiestperson.” I immediately recognized its relevanceto how NSGP committee members — as well asmembers of the NSGP and NSGP Foundationboards — are incredibly busy, still getting thingsdone, and continuing to take on more tasks andresponsibilities. Therefore, I want to encouragethe self-care of those NSGP members who doso much to ensure the vitality and renewal ofour organization AND I want to spread thewealth of involvement in NSGP.

I remember when I was first invited, after yearsof being a member, to serve on my first NSGPcommittee by the then President of NSGP,Barbara Keezell. Barbara, who is the bestsalesperson I know (which you will personallyexperience when she sells you NSGP or AGPAraffle tickets) sold me on joining the ConferenceRegistration Committee. As a result, I felt moreinvolved with the organization, sharing manydelightfully revitalizing hours with the othercommittee members, with whom I share aspecial connection to this day.

Therefore, I encourage you to join a committeethat’s a good match for you. Interested in

writing and communication? Join the NewsletterCommittee. Passionate about the NSGPconferences? Join the conference committee.Fascinated by the present and future of grouppractice development? Join the PracticeDevelopment Committee. Captivated bynourishing food and also food for thoughtabout group therapy? Join the Breakfast ClubCommittee. Want to provide trainingopportunities for group therapy practitioners?Join the Training Committee. Eager to supportand expand NSGP’s membership? Join theMembership Committee. Interested inexpanding the reach of group work into thecommunity? Join the Outreach Committee.Want to spread the word about the benefits ofNSGP? Join the Marketing Committee.

Interested in another aspect of groups andNSGP? Talk to me about that, and we’ll figureout a way for you to be more involved, for the renewal and vitality of the organizationAND you.

Ann Koplow, LICSW, CGPPresident, NSGP

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 XXXX, Number 1 Spring/Summer 2019

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INSIDEPage 2. . . Letter from the Editor

Page 3. . . Stealth Self Care

AGPA Connect 2019

Page 4. . . Reflections on AGPAConnect 2019

Page 5. . . Committed Action

Page 7. . . Crossword Puzzle

Page 8. . . Analyze This

Page 10. . Anti-Racist Practice forWhite Group Facilitators

Page 10. . Crossword Solution

Page 11. . Breakfast Club

Page 12. . IAGP: Our InternationalParent Organization

Page 14. . Progress Notes

Page 15. . Cartoon Caption Contest

Back Cover: Upcoming Events Calendar

Letter from the President

NSGP Newsletter CommitteeChairs Kurt L. White, LICSW, LADC, CGP,

FAGPA Howie Schnairsohn, LISCW, CGP

Members Caleb Englander, LICSWDavid Goldfinger, PhD, CGPRenee Hoekstra, PsyDJoanne Lipner, LICSW, CGPOona Metz, LICSW, CGP, FAGPAEllen Ziskind, LICSW, CGP

Photography NSGP volunteers

Design White Designdesigner_solution@comcast.net

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

Society for Group Psychotherapy, an affiliate of the American Group Psychotherapy Association.

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

NSGP Executive BoardPresident Ann Koplow, LICSW, CGP

Past President Steffen Fuller, PhD, CGPSecretary Jennifer DeSouza, LICSW, CGPTreasurer Guy R. Croteau, LICSWDirectors Caleb Englander, LICSW

Debra S Filiurin, LMHC CGPCharlie Glazier, LICSW, CGPYoko Hisano, MA, MSW, LCSWMelissa Kelly, LICSWAnn Keren Neeman-Kantor, PsyD, LICSW Lawrence Kron, JD, PhDAmy Matias, PhD, LICSW

NSGP Committee ChairpersonsAudit Debra S Filiurin, LMHC CGP

Breakfast Club Ann Keren Neeman-Kantor, PsyD, LICSWAri Shesto, PhD

By-Laws Lawrence Kron, JD, PhD Community Outreach Steffen Fuller, PhD, CGP

Ann Koplow, LICSW, CGPConference William Sharp, PsyaD, CGP

Guy R. Croteau, LICSWMembership Jennifer DeSouza, LICSW, CGP

William Sharp, PsyaD, CGPNewsletter Kurt L. White, LICSW, LADC, CGP,

FAGPAHowie Schnairsohn, LISCW, CGP

Nominating Alan Albert, PsyD, CGPPractice Development Oona Metz, LICSW, CGP, FAGPA

Barbara Schmitz, LMHCPublicity & Marketing Guy R. Croteau, LICSW

Yoko Hisano, MA, MSW, LCSWScholarship Marc G. Bolduc, LICSW, CADC II,

CGPLucille Jordan, LICSW

Training Program Caleb Englander, LICSWAnnie Weiss, LICSW, CGP, FAGPA

NSGP Office (617) 431-6747 Office Administrator Lisa Portscher

Messages can be left at the office anytime, and will be answered daily.Monday-Friday 9 am to 5 pm

Letter from the EditorTravelling in the Scottish Highlands in April, weworked our way north to the Orkney Islands,driven to this remote part of the world by adesire to see the UNESCO world heritage sitethere — 5000-year-old Neolithic remains,virtually everywhere, underneath, and alsosomehow surrounding everything. There arestanding stones, and henges, and unearthedvillages, and burial mounds. It is in one of these,at Maeshowe chambered cairn, that I find myselfon my second day there, inside an ancient burialchamber that (for reference) was built, used,closed up, and deemed obsolete by the peoplesthat used it before construction began on thepyramids at Giza. Much later on, but still 900years ago, Vikings, as was told in the Saga ofthe Earls of Orkney, broke in through the roofduring a snowstorm, on their way to kill an Earl,and took cover; they drank, and wrote graffiti onthe walls that remains today. “Thatir the Vikingcame here to weary” and “These runes werecarved by the man most skilled in runes on theWestern Ocean with the axe that killed GaukrTrandkill’s son in the South of Iceland” areamong my favorites. I had goosebumps there,imagining my way into the lives of both thesepeoples, and I wonder what passions motivatedthem, and how they lived.

Far more trivially, I find myself also rememberinga time in my early life, when I was perhaps 10, and encountered a bit of wet cement in my hometown, and took a stab at my ownimmortality, writing my name for posterity. My fame was short-lived, though — a girl in theschool asked me about it the next day, and let me know that her father wasn’t so pleased…they smoothed it all out before it could “set”and I was a bit embarrassed about the wholeaffair. The Vikings and I had something incommon: we were both a bit light on quality content.

Perhaps these things are in my mind because,indeed, this may be my final editor’s letter, as Iintend to step off the post following theFall/Winter ’19 issue, and to bring in some newco-editors. I say “editors” — plural — becausemy co-editor, Howie Schnairsohn, is steppingdown after this very issue. The words in thisnewsletter — our little history — will almostcertainly not endure as long as the Viking runes,though they have outlasted my wet cement —perhaps that is a happy medium. I hope andexpect that the newsletter itself will continue,and become even more robust, with some newleaders at the helm; it isn’t an easy role, but it’san important one, I think, for our group.

It may be time to consider a kind of transition,also, to the “new media” of electronicformatting. This is not so much a time-saving,

or even money saving plan for us — someone,after all, has to be in charge of the redesign,and the formatting, and original content doesn’tcreate itself — but we have been without a majorformat revision for a good many years now. As Ibid farewell to Howie, and work to find somenew editors, I will try to help oversee thatprocess, so that we have at least a bit of aroadmap before my stepping down.

In passing the torch, I want to express mygratitude to the NSGP community for all of thecontributions that make a newsletter like thisone possible — it is no small feat! We haveoriginal cartoons, original articles, theoccasional book review, and previews of whathave later become published papers. It takestime to do this, and the time not just of twopeople, or of the committee, but all of us. Insome ways, that’s what an intentionalcommunity is — a choice to spend time makingsomething real, with words and actions. I hopeyou will forgive me for being such a nag thesepast few years — and for being at times toopushy, and at others too slow and not pushyenough — I couldn’t have done my part withoutall of you, and I wouldn’t have wanted to do itfor any other group.

I will close with another quote, this time fromVonnegut’s ghostly protagonist, in his reflectivereverie at the end of Galapagos…“Does ittrouble me to write so insubstantially, with air onair? Well — my words will be as enduring asanything my father wrote, or Shakespeare wrote,or Beethoven wrote, or Darwin wrote. It turnsout that they all wrote with air on air.”

Kurt White, LICSW, LADC, CGP,FAGPA

Co-Editor Newsletter

Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy, Inc.PO Box 356Belmont, MA 02478-3201 (617) 431-6747www.nsgp.com

the new

sletter

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Co-Editors Kurt and Howiewill alternate the Letter from the

Editor in this space.

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Stealth Self CareBy Judy Garland Psy.D.

O n a rainy Sunday afternoon inMarch, the Professional

Development Committee hosted DougBaker, LICSW who presented a workshopon stealth self care. Doug is a clinician in private practice, as well as a yogateacher at Kripalu. He is also on thefaculty of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy.

Stealth self care refers to simple-to-learnpractices drawn from mindfulness andyoga, which therapists can invisibly deployfor themselves during the therapeutichour.

For the first five minutes of the workshopthe group meditated. We then discussedthe thoughts and feelings that arose forus. We were asked to identify what wefelt, be it frustration, confusion, orpleasant feelings, and identify whatcaused those feelings. Was it somethinginternal? Or was it something external?

The point of this exercise was to illustratethat we create our experience. Dougstated that the Buddha refers to the firstand second arrow, which refer to painand suffering in the world. The first arrowis pain, and the second arrow is ourreactions to the pain.

We discussed how, in session, therapistscan engage in self care by being mindfulof how they are responding to themoment. Self pressuring and trying tocontrol what we can’t control createsstress. Doug taught the group how hewould use that awareness in the session.As therapists, we can look to bring morebalance between doing and not doinginto the room. He stated that the Buddhaadvocates taking the middle path ofthese, having balance between beingactive and non-active. If we feel pressuredto be more active, the client can pick upon our anxiety.

Therapists are engaging in stealth self carewhen they are mindful of being in the

right relationship between doing and notdoing in the moment. Doug stated that astherapists, we tend to err on the ‘doing’,and that there is a power in theacceptance and letting go of what isoccurring in the therapeutic moment.He shared that Carl Rogers states that when he accepts himself as he is, hecan change.

Buddha’s main insight, we learned, is tolook within, and to stop trying to controlthings when it isn’t helpful. As therapists,it is useful to be mindful of when we areadding stress to our own experience inthe therapeutic moment. We were taughtsome basics of mindfulness.

Basics of Mindfulness: There are threestages of mindfulness meditation:

The first stage is focus. We bring ourattention to something, e.g. our breath,sounds in the present moment. When weconcentrate, our stress relaxes, our heartrate and blood pressure tend to go down,and our immune systems benefit.

The second stage is open awareness, ormindfulness. Bring your attention to thepresent moment in a non-judgmentalway. For example, do not resist or struggleagainst sensations you may have, ornoises you hear.

The third stage of mindfulness is insight. Itis the noticing of cause and effect, whatworks or does not work for us.

Doug stated that when we are with aclient we can be mindful of ourselves andthe client in an open and non-judgmentalway. This allows insight to arise. By beingmindful, and noticing cause and effect,we become aware of the gap betweenhow things are, and how we think theyshould be.

The group engaged in a mindfulnessexercise, and we discussed ourexperiences. Doug introduced the idea ofno-self, an empty mind awaitingsomething to come through. He statedthat a goal in meditation is to acceptwhatever experience we have. That wecan just be with our experience and notjudge it.

Doug asked, can we be okay when aclient is either moving or stuck, or we arestuck? He stated that we can be in theright relationship to the therapeuticmoment by accepting it. We can’t controlwhat we can’t control. Doug stated that itis unhelpful to identify with what happenswith the client in the moment.

He taught the group the acronym RAIN asa guide to being mindful:

R: RecognizeA: AcceptI: take InterestN: Non identification (with what ishappening in the present moment).

Doug showed the group a shortallegorical video which illustrated theconcept of acceptance and non-acceptance. It was a story of a meditatorbeing disturbed by a fly. The more he triedto get rid of the fly, the worse thesituation got. When he accepted the fly, itturned into a cherry blossom. The pointDoug was illustrating is that the thing thatis troubling us brings a gift. The giftcomes through becoming curious andmindful in a stressful moment.

Doug also shared some stealth self caretechniques which come from yoga.

1: We can play with our posture, when welengthen the upper body, it bringsenergy into our system.

2: We can notice our muscle tension,especially in a difficult moment. Dougstated that it is okay to have tension inthe shoulder muscles, facial muscles andbelly. However, we can look for theoptimal amount of tension.

3: We can use our breath to balance ourenergies. Breathing through the nosehelps us self regulate our energies.

Doug advised that if we are traumatizedby a clients’ story, we can discharge thetension physically so that we don’t holdthe energy. We can release the energythrough slow steady breathing. He statedthat a long exhale is calming to ournervous systems.

Doug taught the group a specific yogicexercise that quiets the mind. He statedthat the mind quiets when it has manythings to focus on at once.

Focus on the in and out breath, andbreath as slowly as you can. On theexhale, turn your head to the side, inhaleturning the head to the center, and thenexhale turning to the other side. Then usethe slow inhaling and exhaling whilereaching the ear to each shoulder, leaningthe body over.

The workshop closed with another fiveminutes of mindfulness practice.

Needless to say, the group was quiterelaxed at the end of Doug’s presentation.We left the workshop equipped withsome new tools to use in session to helpquiet and ease our minds andexperiences.

The Professional Development Committeethanks Doug for sharing these techniquesthat help us as therapists remain in amore relaxed and open state throughoutthe therapeutic hour.

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Something to Say??

Next time, see your words here.

Write an email sharing yourthoughts or opinions withthe Editors and your lettermay be published in full or part in the Fall/Winter2019-20 Newsletter. Please send submissions to:

newsletter@nsgp.comNote: letters not edited except

for space.

Reflection on AGPA2019By Maddie Freeman, MSW, LCSW

Nervous Children

“Raise your hand if you’re feeling anxiousright now.” My hand, and about 300other hands, shot up in the air. It was themorning of the first day of Institute.Susan Gantt then asked the room, “Didyour anxiety go down when you saw youhad a subgroup?” I felt my shouldersrelax, felt my heartbeat slow down, and Igiggled as I looked around at hundreds ofother faces in agreement. In that instant,my sense of who was in the roomtransformed from “seasoned, well-readgroup psychotherapists with largevocabularies, in flowy clothing” to a roomfull of nervous children, eager to findtheir buddies, relieved at the nurturingteacher facilitating that for us. This was

the first time I had seen Susan Gantt inaction, right in front of me. Her wordsand lecture approach were accessible andrefreshing, and I felt as though she werespeaking my language. “When we seethat we have a subgroup, ourneurobiology changes.”

I approached Susan Gantt the next day, ina hallway of the hotel, to tell her howmuch I appreciated her lecture. My innernervous child came back, faster heartbeatand star struck smile in tow. I even name-dropped my former professor and currentmentor, Kurt White, in hopes to get“academic points” with her. Susan Ganttknew Kurt, thanked me for my wordswith a warm smile, and encouraged meto attend an upcoming Systems-CenteredTraining workshop at the conference.Suddenly I was invited into the “SusanGantt fan club subgroup” and I feltsimultaneously at ease and proud. I thinkI was wearing flowy clothing, too.

Our brains work better in concert with other brains. —

Susan Gantt

This 2019 AGPA Connect was my thirdAGPA conference, and this is just thebeginning for me. As soon as I learnedabout the term “home conference,” Iknew AGPA was it. Kurt White, professorof my first ever class of social work schoolin 2016 — Group Theory and Practice —spoke so fondly of AGPA and encouragedhis students to apply for scholarships. He

would sprinkle in moments and theoriesfrom past conferences into his lectures,tell us stories of the legendary YvonneAgazarian, and generously agree to writescholarship recommendations.

Even before Kurt’s eye-opening class,groups have been a part of my life for along time. I grew up in an intentionalcommunity called New View Co-housing,where twenty-four households face intowards each other on a hill in thesuburbs of Boston. The communitymembers share a love of consensus-baseddecision-making, environmental andsocial justice, and supporting each other.There is an e-mail list — not unlike theAGPA listserv — where people shareanything from, “Does anyone have aspringform pan I can borrow?” to “Mymother is getting sicker and I needsupport,” to “Flag football gamehappening on the Great Lawn now!”. Bya very young age, I was already gatheringwith other neighborhood kids, making updances, creating odd outdoor games, andplanning a “camp” for the younger kids –imitating the adults’ meetings andcollaboration styles. These earlyexperiences solidified some of my corebeliefs: it is okay to ask for help,community is crucial for well-being, andgroup dynamics are fascinating. Andnow, being three AGPA meetings in, I cansafely say that AGPA is serving as anotherco-housing community in my life.

New at This

Although facilitating groups feels right tome based on my upbringing, I am still sonew at it. In 2016, my social workinternship landed me at a high school inSouth Providence, where I ran a few one-time groups and assisted a client instarting an LGBTQ+ after-school group.My second-year placement, in 2017,brought me deeper into process groupwork; I was placed at Boston Health Carefor the Homeless in the Suboxone Clinic,running a weekly men’s substance use

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Joe Shay & Barbara Keezell Shunda MaGahee, Annie Weiss & Jeff Brand

Geoff Kane

Ran Li & Lesley McGeeJenn Ruiz & Sara Emerson Amy Matias & Jennifer DeSouza

AGPAConnect 2019 Report from the February-March Conference

recovery support group. It was here that Itruly learned about the power of ritualsand consistency. If I once forgot to lead ameditation exercise while the coffee wasbrewing, the group members would keepme on track and make sure it happened.Structure and clarity seemed to beeverything. This year, I got my first socialwork job at Cambridge Health Alliance’sElder Service Plan, a medical program foradults ages 55+ who need extra support.I am a mere six months in and I have yetto run a group, and trying to imagine thelogistics of it. I look forward toincorporating some concepts from LeslieKlein and Wendy Freedman’stransformative workshop on disability andhealth conditions, such as how people’sneeds change over time, “learning todance with your disability” as it is apartner for life, and how a universaldesign would benefit everyone.

Role Model

My newness to this field has allowed meto soak up like a sponge my AGPAInstitute leaders’ wisdom, essences, andapproaches. My first Institute in 2017 feltmagical. Perhaps it was the combinationof people in the group, or simply due tothat first-time awe. I have to think,however, that Kylie Dennis hadsomething to do with it. Kylie was thegrounded, playful, clear, and motherlyInstitute leader my first year, who hasbeen running groups for over 30 years. I,and the group, trusted her completely.Whenever she interjected to speak, whichwas not all too often, each wordresonated in the room and members tooka moment to let it sink in. I decidedintentionally to choose her again for thisyear’s Institute and did not regret it. [I willprobably not do this again, however,because I know I should branch out andexplore, like a good, securely attachedchild.] I have found a group therapist rolemodel. Kylie had impeccable timeboundaries, a stellar sense of humor, andan active role in de-escalating ascapegoating situation. She created aholding environment and took care ofeach of us, even when we did notconsciously realize we needed to be takencare of. Lastly, Kylie paraphrased herfavorite quote by Oliver Sacks, that aboveall else, his most important job was tosimply bear witness to his patients. This isa concept in which I believewholeheartedly and forget to remember,as a clinician and a human being.

I feel honored and excited to have joinedAGPA with thinkers and practitionerssuch as Susan Gantt and Kylie Dennis,and am already dreaming of New York2020.

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Committed ActionBy Lesley McGee, MA

I showed up to Los Angeles with littleidea of what I was in for with AGPA. I

quickly got the sense that there was anunspoken agreement about “how” to dothe conference. Other first-time attendeestold me advice they received fromadvisors about which institutes to avoid.More seasoned attendees seemed mosteager to find out whether I would beattending the dance party. What I didknow was that, as a socially anxiousintrovert, I was intimidated at theprospect of mingling with strangers forfive days straight. Still, the theme of theconference (“building bridges throughconnection”) resonated with my work. Icurrently run a general support group anda sexual assault survivors’ group at a mid-size science and engineering college inWestern Massachusetts. Previously I alsoworked per diem at a partial program.

A bit about me: I graduated in 2018 fromBoston University School of Medicine’sMental Health Counseling and BehavioralMedicine master’s program. Mytheoretical orientation is primarilyAcceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)with a blend of other person-centered

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(continued on page 6)

Ken Jaeger & Jenn Ruiz

Amy Matias & Kristen Dryfus

Ann Koplow & Joel Krieg

Larry Kron

Kurt White & Liz Dietrich

Cindy Berman-Richter & Maddie Freeman

NSGP Presents:2020 AnnualConference

Diversity,Equity andInclusion:EnrichingOur Groupsand OurSelvesBoston, Massachusetts

June 12, 13 & 14, 2020

Looking Toward Next Year

In this conference we aim to explore all the differentmeanings of Diversity in our profession. How do wethink about diversity in our groups, and in our lives.

We hope to explore concepts, biases and ideas inareas that challenge and enrich our perspectives. Bypushing against our own levels of comfort, we openspaces to create more welcoming and safe places toheal and be healed.

Please contact Guy R. Croteau, LICSW atGRCroteau@gmail.com for more information or ifyou would like to participate in this exciting program

techniques that focus on acceptance,personal values, and committed action.Dr. Steven C. Hayes, the psychologist andfounder of this theory, defines committedaction as “Committed action is a step-by-step process of acting to create a life ofintegrity, true to one’s deepest wishes andlongings. Commitment involves bothpersistence and change — whichever iscalled for to live in alignment with one’svalues in specific contexts. Commitmentalso includes engaging in a range ofbehaviors. This is important becausemoving in valued directions often requiresbeing flexible, rather than rigidlypersevering in unworkable actions.Committed action is inherentlyresponsible in the sense that it is based onthe view that people always have anability to respond” (Committed Action:Creating a Life of Integrity, 2018).

This idea became the theme of myexperience at AGPA. Committed action,or, responding to each moment inaccordance with my values rather thanfollowing a pre-determined plan aboutwhat I thought I “should” do. Myexperience was not playing out accordingto the mental image I had of a “goodfirst-time attendee.” I ended up leavingone of the plenaries to go take a napbecause I had woken up at 4AM that dayand not been able to go back to sleep.Unsurprisingly, I did not make it to a

single early morning session even though Iregistered for two. I went to one newmember event. Based on a previousunpleasant experience with it, I did not dothe large group and took a nap instead. Iworked out or slept during the lunchbreak. I ended up skipping everything onFriday (my last day) to go into Californiato explore. I was acutely aware of whenmy own needs as a jet-lagged, shy,socially-anxious introvert flew in the faceof typical “first time attendee” expectedbehavior. During conference sessions Ilearned about myself as a group leaderand member, and as a therapist. But inwas in my “down time” that I had tohonor my core values of autonomy,health, creativity, integrity, and play tohelp keep me from burning out.

I ended up using up most of my socialenergy in the first two days, and I have noregrets. My “entry level” group withCharlene Pratt, LCPC, CGP was intenseand wonderful and I felt myself and mywhole group give everything of ourselvesto build bridges (and then some, ha). Ihad some intense dreams following myfirst day of process group and day two leftme in tears (in a good way). But when itwas over, I wantedto run back to my roomand let my brain fully process and recover.Before arriving to the conference, Ihappened to book a dance class in LA thenight after the last day of process group.

Again, I was missing an SIG dinner to gobut- committed action! I knew I wouldregret not doing a dance class at ThePlayground in Los Angeles with achoreographer I had admired for years. Itwas a rare opportunity to expand the partof me that loves creative expression. Iknew I would have other chances tointroduce myself to these people. So, Idanced hip hop that night. The icing onthe cake was that the idea behind thechoreography spoke to some of theuncomfortable feelings I had unearthed inprocess group. I used dance to give myvoice a break and let my body movethrough the emotions and knowledge andinsight I had gleaned from process group.It was divine. I ended up crying happytears there, too.

Now that I have had some time anddistance from the conference I can betterappreciate the emotional intensity of it.My first experience showed me how I (andmany others) can best benefit theconference. Rather than attacking everyopportunity to meet and discuss my workwith colleagues, I can accept thatsometimes I will need to take introvertbreaks. Or do creative processing activitiesand take a break from discussion. Even inresting I am absorbing the message ofAGPA. I built bridges of connection withmyself.

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Committed Action(continued from page 5)

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CrosswordSolution on Page 10

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Dear Analyze This,

I am writing in regards to a member ofmy group who I am struggling with.For starters, I don’t think I like hervery much, which doesn’t feel verygood. I think I basically understandher, in the sense that I think Iunderstand her internal dynamics andwhat may make her act the way shedoes, but I could use some helpworking with her.Some background: it’s a group ofyoung adults, men and women, most ofwhom identify with having a “mentalillness” or “mental health struggles”.Many if not all of them have at somepoint in their lives been in an inpatientor partial hospitalization program. Asa broad generalization I’d say they arestruggling to cope in the world, tomanage their intense and at timesoverwhelming emotions, and tomaintain steady work, school, livingsituations, or relationships.This member who I am writing about,who I’ll call C, is a woman in her late20’s. She came to group because sheis very depressed, has been for years,and wanted to try something toaugment her individual therapy andmedication. She has shared in groupthat she has been a ‘responsible adult’since she was 8 years old despitebeing the youngest of three children.Her older siblings and parents werealways getting into some sort oftrouble or argument, and there was ahigh degree of chaos in the home, andthat she was the “good one” who

didn’t need special attention and couldtake care of herself. Left to herself, shesays, she became very competent andcapable, and is especially good, in herown opinion, of solving others’problems. She takes great pride in thisskill of hers.As is no surprise, she likes toshowcase this “problem solving skill”in group, and at every opportunitywants to help others’ solve theproblems in their lives. Much of thetime, the other group members have noobjection to this tendency of hers —some even report to appreciate thatshe is helping them to solve theirproblems; or if not appreciative, theyreport being “neutral” about it. Onegroup member calls her the “GroupMom,” yet attempts to explore whatit’s like to have a “Group Mom” don’tseem to go anywhere. It doesn’t helpthat C is one of the more talkativemembers of the group, so at times thegroup is dominated by her problemsolving and concrete approach torelating.For my part, I tend to challenge orinquire with C about her impulses toproblem solve. This sometimes makesher frustrated with me because shefeels as though I’m taking away theone thing that she has that makes hercapable and strong, or that I’m tellingher that her behavior in group is “notgood”. She reports that she’d like to bemore in touch with what she is feeling,so in one sense I’m glad that she isaware of how frustrating and angryshe is with me, but this seems to bethe only affect she can identify ingroup, and it feels terrible to her. Shereported recently that after almostevery group she feels worse aboutherself than she did when she came in.I’d like to help her make the connectionbetween her depression/emptiness andthe ways that she is relating to othersin the group as well as the ways thatshe does not allow herself to feel. Ithink I’d like her more as a group

member if she were not so active anddominant in group as well. So, this ismy problem — help is welcome!Sincerely,

Stumped by a Problem Solver

Dear Stumped by a Problem Solver,

I have reread the vignette multiple times,and at each turn I was captured by one ofthe opening sentences, where the writerconfesses to disliking the group member,Ms. C. I am struck by the courageous actof the writer in opening these feelings tothe public eye. As clinicians, it is oftenassumed that we would adopt thefundamental value of our profession asdispensing unconditional positive regard,the act of loving in 45 minute chunks. Inmy second year of graduate school, I wasinfluenced by an exchange with mybehavioral team supervisor. Being acheeky student, I challenged her,“Patricia, it is written that therapists arefriends for hire.” I recalled that she staredat me directly for a few moments, “Yes,but you will never grow to be that kind oftherapist.” So, my current reaction is toquestion whether mutual frustrationbetween the therapist and her clientrepresents a clinical difficulty or, incontrast, whether these feelings enactexactly the kind of situation that wouldlay a foundation of a healing experience.

As a psychologist who strongly identifieswith cognitive behavioral theoreticalorientation, I often find myself in a role ofadjunct treater, working with a client onbuilding their coping skills as theystruggle with anxiety, OCD or depression,while they may continue in long-termsupportive psychodynamic treatment. Justthis past week, I have spent time facingan internet page starting a job applicationwith a young adult who has been mainlyconfined to his room for the past sixmonths, providing him with exposureexperience so that he would tolerate thesame anxiety outside of our meeting. Or,listened to the lyrics of a sad song with awoman who becomes obsessivelypreoccupied at a possibility of mourningthe death of elderly family members.There is a combination of art and craft inleading clients toward such activation orexposure exercises. Ironically, researchshows strong correlation betweenclinicians' willingness to use exposuretechniques and their own willingness to

This question-and-answer column appearsregularly in the Newsletter and addressescomplex dilemmas in group therapy.Featured are case vignettes presented by NSGP members, with responses bysenior clinicians. If you have a questionyou would like considered for thiscolumn, please submit a case vignette of400 words or less to Caleb Englander,LICSW through the NSGP office, or viaemail to newsletter@nsgp.com. (Pleaseremember to preserve the confidentialityof any group members described.)

tolerate accompanying frustration, panicor despair.

If I were to approach our writer as asupervisor, my impulse would be toempathize with the struggle of showingup as an effective group leader whiletolerating the discomfort of disliking aclient. And then, I would invite thetherapist to consider the function of thatfeeling. The client appears committed to being an active group member. So, the initial intent seems to be differentother than separating her from thegroup. Is it possible that she generatesfrustration to be noticed, to be in theapple of the group leader's eye, to earnattention and admiration? The writerclearly stated her own value in supportingthe resolution of Ms. C’s debilitatingdepression. If depression were resolved,how would her life be changed? Whatnew value guided behaviors would sheengage in on a daily basis that she findsherself unable to do currently? And, if so,may she start by experimenting withenacting such behaviors in the group?

Quite often, at early stages of treatment,I suggest to my clients that we would beworking on becoming friends with theiranxiety, ADHD, OCD, depression orwhatever label they choose to assign totheir emotional discomfort.By approaching theirfeelings from the perspectiveof a friend, they would bemore likely to acknowledgetheir distress early andrespond with compassion.Similarly, in this situation,the writer’s challenge maybe in approaching herinternal frustration as afriend and continuing towork with Ms. Ccompassionately, supporting her incrafting life worth living that wouldinclude strong positive relationships bothinside and outside the group.

Sincerely,

Ari Shesto, PhD

�

Dear Stumped by a Problem Solver,

Sounds like a really difficult dynamic foryou, C, and the other group members.It’s clear you’ve put a lot of thought andeffort into your work. Good for you forreaching out for help.

You start with how you don’t really likeC. That’s a great place to start! Workingwith someone you don’t like is achallenge. And it’s diagnostic — it’scertainly not just you! I would probablyhave a hard time liking C as well. She keeps others at a distance by not revealing herself — herfeelings, vulnerabilities, and“below-the-neck” reactions.She gravitates toward thenegative and what she’smost familiar with (solvingothers’ problems). I wouldneed to remind myself herproblem-solving is anadaptation that has servedher over the years. It’s a bigpart of her identity, andshe’ll likely need to develop otheridentities and strengths before she’s ableto examine the downsides of herproblem-solving skills.

Though it might feel like swimmingupstream for a while, I would strive tonurture my relationship with C, payingclose attention to times I notice feelingwarmly (even slightly) and moreconnected (which might mean feelingjust a bit less annoyed) toward her. Itmight be when she’s taking a risk in thegroup — even the smallest one. It might

be a spontaneous sharedlaugh. Whatever it is, I’d wantto name it and how I’mfeeling toward her. The goal isto show C (and the group)you see and appreciate heroutside of her problem-solving. I’d also have my radaron for moments when othermembers seem to beappreciating C for somethingother than her problem-solving. You might ask, “How

are you (group member) feeling toward Cright now?” You could ask C how theappreciation (or other feeling) lands inher. Over time, C’s self-esteem willimprove, and she’ll be able to toleratemore.

Moreover, I’d try to get the whole groupmore connected to their “below-the-neck” experiences, while holding in mindhow difficult and scary it probably is forthem to notice their feelings, which canbe intense and overwhelming. Problem-solving is a largely cerebral process thatcan really limit (and protect) membersfrom getting in touch with thoughts,feelings, and reactions. I’d be active in

wondering about the feelings andsensations in their bodies, in their bodylanguage, in the exchanges with eachother and you, and group happenings(members’ absences, group breaks,anticipated new members, etc.). Iwouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t yield

much at first. Members mayhave an easier timeidentifying feelings inbetween groups. They’relikely afraid of losing controlof the emotions in the groupand jeopardizing therelationships they’ve come tovalue. The process ofbecoming more connectedto their feelings is a slowprocess. Be patient.

It could seem counterintuitive, but youcould try creating more of your ownallowance for the group’s problem-solving. If you address the problem-solving, you could offer a reframefocusing on connection. “I’m really struckby the way the group works to connectwith each other through trying to helpT,” or “I can feel the camaraderie createdfrom getting different perspectives onwhat X is going through.”

As the group becomes more cohesive andcomfortable with uncomfortable feelings,you’ll likely have more success addressingthe function problem-solving serves.While C plays an important role, I’dsuggest the group is using C’s problem-solving skills to avoid uncomfortablefeelings, including feelings aroundgetting close. What might happen if thegroup experimented with being witheach other without solving problems?

I hope you find this useful. Good luck!

Joel Krieg, LICSW, CGP

�

“I’d try to get thewhole group moreconnected to their“below-the-neck”experiences...”

9

“I suggest to myclients that wewould be workingon becomingfriends with their anxiety...”

SHARE THECONNECTION!

Invite a colleague, co-worker,or other clinician to join NSGP!

Learn more atwww.nsgp.com

Anti-Racist Practicefor White GroupFacilitatorsBy Zachary Wigham, MSW

T he group had started off at a crawl,even for 9am on Sunday. The natural

quiet of the morning had been difficult toshake off. In frustration, “Sherry”, a whitewoman in her 40’s began: “Why is it I’vegot to go to these groups to get my dose?Private doctors don’t put you in a bind likethis. Recovery is hard enough and thengroups get piled on.” Two members in thecorner, “Chris”, a Puerto Rican male in his30’s and “Dan”, a white male in his 20’s,nodded. The group began to seethe. “It’sjust more work, and you never knowwhat’s going to get stirred up. The wholething makes me want to go use.” Sittingwith them, I did what I could to validatefrustration and survive this or that attack.The attacks on the group continued until,gradually, another thread came up.

“Turner”, a white fellow in his 20’s,hunched forward and took a differenttone. “I’m not saying the clinic heremakes it easy, but I don’t know what I’ddo without it. I was shooting up bundlesbefore I got in and I’m still on the edge.My apartment sucks, I feel in danger, I’vegot these Puerto Ricans in the apartmentbelow dealing…” I bristled immediately,but Chris reacted before I could think,“What the f### does that have to dowith it?” Turner began to backtrack. I felttorn in attempting to figure out how tohold Turner accountable and protect amember who I perceived to be quitevulnerable. I felt off-balance regardinghow to respond in a way that supportedChris without appearing cruel to Turner. Ifelt unskilled and unprepared, trying toreflect on how my position as a whitegroup leader added to this dilemma. Iresponded, “Turner, is there a reason youlinked their ethnicity to your sense ofdanger? Maybe you can give us a bettersense of what you want us to hear.”

Over a year later, the scene laid out aboveserved as a plunge into a workshop twocolleagues and I facilitated at AGPAConnect 2019. The full-day workshop,Facilitating Justice: Anti-Racist Practice forWhite Group Facilitators, held a packedroom of about thirty attendees. Theworkshop used an “affinity model”,aiming to promote white group leaderstaking the responsibility to educate and“work through” with other white groupleaders, while allowing a space forfumbles, guilt, shame, and learning tooccur, and not at the expense of groupleaders of color. Our aim was twofold:convey foundational definitions andhistories of race, racism, and the origins of“whiteness” while engaging participantswith the complexities of addressingmicroaggressions and white fragility in

psychotherapy groups. Each facilitator leda didactic portion including a break-downof the construct of “whiteness”, atranslation of white fragility reactions intopsychoanalytic defenses, and the portion Iled, a look into common grouppsychotherapy concepts and techniquesalongside pitfalls for the group leaderwhen addressing white fragility reactions.

Several didactics, pair-ups and break-outdiscussions saw us through the morninghalf of the workshop. Morning didacticsincluded important definitions andbackground, such as the origins of theterm “Caucasian” as invented by JohannBlumenbach, an 18th century physicianwho believed, via his collection and studyof skulls, that white people originated inthe Caucuses and were the “mostbeautiful”. He went on to note his beliefthat the other “races” that he inventedwere deteriorations of the supposedoriginal Caucasian form. Anotherimportant didactic portion was theintroduction of Robin DiAngelo’s term“white fragility” (2011), a “state ofdepleted psychosocial stamina” in theface of racial diversity and challenges towhite people’s racial insulation viainstitutions, cultural representations,media, geographic segregation, etc.,which triggers a range of defensivereactions.

As several other concepts were laid out asa foundation for the workshop, many inthe audience began to discuss therelevance of the material to grouppsychotherapy. A host of membersnarrated scenes not unlike the one laidout above. Many shared their worry over

attempts to respond to microaggressionsand instances of white fragility reactions,while not building shame upon theperpetrating member. All members, afterall, deserve care. Despite a range ofexperience as leaders, the topic ofmicroaggressions and white fragility in theworkshop presented itself as a uniqueform of rupture requiring certainconsideration to repair. To demonstrate viathe scene above, how may Chris’experience in the group have changed if Ihad remained silent (considering, too, thatI am white)? Alternatively, my responsemay have been too heavy-handed withTurner even after my attempt to sit withthe situation.

This knot made up of a white groupleader’s function as provider and role-model within a group, a member’sperpetration of a microaggression and/ortheir decompensation into a state ofwhite fragility, and the experience of allother members in the group continued tohang over the remainder of theworkshop. All group leaders may benefitfrom examining tensions between theirresponsibilities as care providers, theirpersonal reactions when confronted withwhite fragility in groups, and their owndrive to create positive sociopoliticalchange in the world. Illustrated by myinternal deliberation over how to engageTurner and Chris, the kinds of questionsnoted above may position different valuesand identities of each group leaderagainst one another.

�

10

Crossword Solution

Are you looking for support in growing a healthy and successful

clinical practice?Would you like to connect with other clinicians to enhance your

professional network? The Practice Development Committee encouragesyou to attend one of our events. Our events are

open to all, so please invite your colleagues as well.

A preview of what’s upcoming (dates and location TBA):Paperless Practice: A Guide for the

21st Century TherapistClass Matters: How Class (theirs and yours)

Impacts the Therapeutic RelationshipShould I Stay or Should I Go: Making the

Decision to Stop Taking Insurance.

If you have a topic or workshop that you haven’t seenaddressed in the community or would like to host one

of our two hour events please contact the PracticeDevelopment Chair Oona Metz at

oona.metz@rcn.com

Practice Development

.....your practice matters.

11

EGPS Annual ConferenceNovember 22 & 23, 2019

The Riverside Church

New York City

Sympathy for the Devil?Resisting and Confronting

the Pull of Vilification in GroupPlease join us for our annual conference. Theconference offers a large plenary presentation, large group immersive experiences, didactic andexperiential workshops, among other invaluableopportunities for learning and personal andprofessional growth. For more information, visit egps.org.

ADVERTISE YOUR PRACTICE, GROUPS or OFFICE

SPACE in the next NSGPNEWSLETTER!

NSGP members can now purchase advertisement space.

All ads (except classifieds which can be text) MUST meet theserequirements or will be returned for revision:1) Submitted as a high resolutionPDF* with fonts embedded inthe file.

2)Must be 300dpi at 100% size,black & white only.*The PDFs should be ready toprint directly from the filewithout need for furtherprocessing.

$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 callthe NSGP office at (617) 431-6747.The ads will not be edited for accuracy.NSGP does not endorse these groups.

112019 - 2020 Calendar

THE UPCOMING SERIES OF OUR SUNDAY MORNINGS’ blend of enticinggroup therapy topics with intimate breakfasts commencing this Septemberpromises to be as tasteful and engaging as they were this last season.

We anticipate presentations from respected members of our professionalcommunity who will again delve head-on into topics that stir passion,excitement and challenge. Among the subject areas being planned are thefollowing (watch for future announcements on website & emails): ClinicalAspects of Money, Understanding and Use of Transference, Building aGroup Therapy Practice, Termination, Diversity.

THE BREAKFAST CLUB COMMITTEE THANKS LAST SEASON’SPRESENTERS for their excellent contributions: Mara Wagner, ScottRutan, Annie Weiss, Sasha Watkins, Jennifer Leigh, and Jeff Brand.WE ALSO THANK OUR GENEROUS HOSTS who opened their homes:Jennifer DeSouza, Michel Selva, Lise Motherwell, Jim Leone, and Marc Buldoc.

IAGP: OurInternational ParentOrganizationBy Richard Beck, LCSW, BCD, CGP, FAGPAIAGP President

T hank you, Kurt, for inviting me toshare the history of IAGP with our

NSGP Colleagues.

If memory serves me, IAGP was foundedat about the same time that AGPA wasconceived.

Imagine, if you would, that there were nogroup therapy organizations at that time.Imagine further, if you would, that thelate Anne Alonso and the late YvonneAgazarian, two experts in group therapy,each with their own theoreticalunderpinnings, decided to form a grouptherapy organization, respectful of andinclusive of both paradigms. These aretwo brilliant women with very differentperspectives on group therapy. Imaginefurther, if you would, that these two co-founders conceptualized their newgroup therapy organization to be not only the professional home of individualgroup therapists, but also an umbrellaorganization for group therapyorganizations around the world.

Such is the history of IAGP…only, insteadof Alonso and Agazarian, IAGP was the

child of Sigmund Foulkes and Jacob LevyMoreno, along with his wife Zerka. Thesetwo men, both Viennese psychiatrists,who founded very different theoreticalschools of helping people in group,created IAGP. Foulkes is the founder ofGroup Analysis and the Moreno’s, ofPsychodrama.

My experience, initially as a member ofIAGP and now as its President, has beenone of curiosity as to how colleagues usethe modality of group therapy to helppeople. This experience has also helpedme understand whatever biases mightoccur when looking at groups from only aNorth American perspective. For example,when I reflect on my meaningfulexperiences in Belfast with NSGP and theThreshold Group I imagine the power ofthis connection for Kathy Ulman, PatriciaDougherty, and the late Cecil Rice had inthis experience, given their Irish roots.

When Karen Travis presented me with the2019 Social Responsibility Award in inLA, Karen mentioned that I was the childof two Viennese Holocaust Survivors, theonly one in my family born in this country.In my acceptance speech, I described howbeing Co-Chair of the AGPA CommunityOutreach Committee with Dr. TomStone, helped inform my thinking as Chair

of the IAGP Task Force for DisasterManagement for ten years, coordinatinghelp for the helper responses on aninternational stage.

My European heritage, similarto how Kathy, Pat and Cecil’s Irishbackground influenced them, hascultivated my interest, connection andcuriosity about international thinkingabout group therapy. The meaning ofculture, and being culturally sensitive,takes on an important consideration whenleading groups around the world.

IAGP has evolved over time, as it isinclusive of ALL types of groupapproaches, including systems theory andanalytic group theory, to name a few.IAGP is an international organization,hosting international congresses andconferences, with board members fromaround the globe. Currently, the IAGPboard has members from every continent,and the IAGP Executive Committee has members from Egypt, Greece, Spain,Austria, the Netherlands and a Presidentfrom New York City.

IAGP could be thought of as aprofessional nomadic organization, in thatIAGP has no central office located in one

12

Who Ya Gonna Call?You are picking up your office after your group at theend of the day. You're a little troubled. Something feelsamiss and has felt that way for a few weeks. Yourattempts to address the dynamic have fallen flat, and youworry because some members are beginning to talkabout what else they could do on Wednesday night.Yikes! Even your consultation group is stymied, or maybeyou 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 ChristineBoie (christineboie65@gmail.com or (857) 576-0395).Christine (or another committee member) will find outwhat your concerns are and provide you with the namesof 2-3 senior people in NSGP who have agreed to offerone free hour of consultation per year. That’s right. Allmembers of NSGP are entitled to one free hour ofconsultation about group psychotherapy per calendaryear. What a deal!

The Consultation Benefit cannot be used to address anemergency situation. It is not available to students as they haveconsultation built into their programs.

Apply for an AGPA Scholarship Starting

July 2Attending the AGPA Annual Meeting allowsrecipients to learn and grow personally and

professionally, making connections that will last alifetime. Through the generosity of its donors, the

Group Foundation will again offer multiple fundingopportunities to attend AGPA Connect 2020,

March 2-7, in New York City.

To apply for a scholarship, visit AGPA’s websitehttp://www.agpa.org/Foundation/scholarships

after July 2, where there will be detailed informationand required application forms.The early decision

application deadline is November 1, 2019Additional Questions?

Email: Angelajaramillo@agpa.org

If you are interested in contributing to the GroupFoundation to help qualified candidates attend the2020 AGPA Connect in New York City, contact theFoundation office at 212-477-2677 or visit the

website and click on Donate Now.

(continued on page 13)

Office space available for sublet inArlington and Brookline. Both officeshave day and evening availability, easyparking, wifi. Please contact Oona Metzat oona.metz@rcn.com.

CLASSIFIEDS

13

city, as AGPA does in New York City,though IAGP is incorporated as a non-profit organization in Switzerland.

IAGP has held Congresses every threeyears around the world since its inception.Recent Congresses have been held inMalmo, Sweden (2018), Rovinj, Croatia(2015), Cartejena de Indias, Columbia(2012), Rome, Italy (2009), and beforethat in Sao Paolo, Brazil, Istanbul, Turkey,Jerusalem, Israel, London, England,Buenos Aires, Argentina, Montreal,Canada, Amsterdam, Netherlands, MexicoCity, Mexico and Toronto, Canada.

In addition, IAGP has RegionalConferences around the world. Some ofthem have been held at:

Havana, Cuba; Beijing, China; Cairo,Egypt; Porto, Portugal; Barcelona, Spain;Athens, Greece; Beijing, China;Melbourne, Australia; Tokyo, Japan;Stockholm, Sweden and Budapest,Hungary.

IAGP has evolved to have Sections thatinclude: Family Therapy, Analytic Group,Organizational Consultancy, Psychodrama,Transcultural, and Young Professionals.IAGP also has a Task Force for DisasterManagement and also a list for Spanishand Portuguese Speakers.

What I’ve come to appreciate about IAGP,as I have also appreciated about AGPA,EGPS, and NSGP to name but a few, ishow organizations evolve to developtheir thinking about how help people inand with groups.

Attending international events is a wayfor all of us to leave our comfort zonesand learn from other caring and giftedgroup clinicians. I hope that this briefhistory of IAGP can cultivate your appetitefor learning how people around the worldthink of working in group.

Upcoming opportunities to learn frominternational colleagues include the 2021IAGP Congress in Vancouver, Canada aswell as regional IAGP eventsin Thessaloniki, Greece; Iseo, Italy andCairo, Egypt.

AGPA is an Affiliate Member of IAGP.Come join us as we learn together in theinternational village of group therapists!

�

NSGP Group Therapy Training Program 2019/20 Edition

Learn Group TherapyNewly recognized as a specialty by the American Psychological Association

Enroll Now for the Fall 2019-2020Group Psychotherapy Training Program in One, Two or All Three of Its Venues

http://nsgp.wildapricot.org/trainingContact Annie Weiss for more information by

email at annieweiss@aya.yale.edu

THIS YEAR WE CONGRATULATE the following graduatesfrom the two-module Experiential Component and thank

Barbara McQueen, for her excellent leadership

Kristen DreyfusYoko Hisano Alice Kalafarski

Kara LustigNicolas McQueen

WE CONGRATULATE the graduates of our Foundations Component

Fanny AudhuyFriedrich BelindaJanice DelgadoSamantha DorianKristen DreyfusSelina Guerra

Alice Kalafarski Ellen McCarthySaul MoskowitzCarmen PullellaWendy Zunitch

And THANKS to our distinguished faculty:Joseph Shay,Ann Keren Neeman-Kantor, Theresa Cohen, J. Scott

Rutan, Ken Jaeger and Oona Metz.

Know it!Principles Course

Learn fundamentals/Principles in a sequence of 6 Saturdays

Watch it!Observation Group

Observe a real group in real time led by senior staff.

Do it!Experiential Group

Join a time-limited process training group

Enroll in all three or choose single components in any orderand according to your interest and schedule at the time.

Discounts and scholarships are available

IAGP: Our International Parent Organization(continued from page 12)

Jeff Brand recently published anarticle in the journal GROUP (Winter2018) entitled, “The Opioid Epidemicas Collective Trauma: An Introductionto the Crisis”. The article provides aconcise overview of both the historyand scope of the epidemic beforereframing the discussion according toconcepts of collective traumatization.

Bet MacArthur was honoredwith the annual award for LifetimeAchievement in Social Work by theMassachusetts Chapter of theNational Association of SocialWorkers, at NASW’s March 19, 2019annual dinner during Social WorkMonth.

Amy Matias had a successfulturnout of close to 50 attendees atan AGPA Open Session this winterentitled “Getting off the Runway:Launching your New PsychotherapyGroup.” Amy has been enjoyingserving on the board and the PracticeDevelopment Committee of NSGPand is branching out into theMarketing Committee after her termon the board ends this spring. Amyalso hosted her fourth “Game Night”as part of the NSGP FoundationAuction and had a great time eating,drinking and laughing with otherNSGP colleagues and friends.

Oona Metz continues to enjoyher roles in NSGP, as co-chair of thePractice Development Committee,Treasurer of the NSGP Foundationand faculty in the Training Program.She enjoyed being on a panel atAGPA entitled “Anger in GroupTherapy: Grist for the Mill vs. WhenRage Kills” with Stewart Aledort,Ronnie Levine, Molyn Leszcz and JoeShay and she is looking forward toco-leading a Day Long ExperienceGroup with Deborah Carmichaelat the NSGP conference in June.

Jenn Ruiz was thrilled towelcome her second daughter in thefall, and enjoyed an extendedmaternity leave over the wintermonths, returning to work just afterreceiving her AGPA Fellow award atthe annual meeting in February,about which she was also veryexcited.

Howie Schnairsohn haslaunched a new group for ‘helping-professionals’ in Porter Square on5/15/19. He also receivedauthorization from his agency toorganize an all-day retreat on Friday,June 21 for the two process groupshe leads for clinical staff at NorthSuffolk Mental Health Association.

Marsha Vannicelli presentedher workshop on endings (“FaringWell through Farewell”), with co-presenter Jeff Mendell on March 2,2019 at the annual Conference ofAGPA in Los Angeles, CA. Havingended her 25-year involvement inteaching and supervising at MSPP(William James College) in August2018, she is using the time for areturn engagement at her almaMater, Mclean Hospital, where sheis doing a group ‘group supervision’for psychology interns and isexpanding the consultation andsupervision part of her privatepractice in Cambridge.

Kurt White presented his work-shop “Authenticity in Leadership”,with co-leader Liz Dietrich, at AGPAConnect in Los Angeles, and has also presented on “Counseling Skillsin Co-occurring Disorders” withAnthony Quintenielli, in April, and“Assessing and Managing Suicidalityin Co-occurring Disorders” in May,both for the Vermont AddictionProfessionals Association, and“Opioids: Use, Addiction, andTreatment” at Brattleboro Retreat in March.

14

Progress NotesProgress 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.

Congratulationsto Jenn Ruiz, FAGPA on beingrecognized as a Fellow ofAGPA at AGPA in LA!

The Newsletter Committeebids farewell to HowieSchnairsohn, co-editor thesepast two years, and to CalebEnglander, Analyze This Editor.Thank you for your service,you will be missed!

In MemoriamSteve Haut,

Past President of NSGP(1994-1996), passed away

April 20, 2019.

Jenn Ruiz, FAGPA

15

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 Renee Hoekstra

Spring/Summer 2019 Cartoon CaptionWinners from Fall/Winter 2018-9

Selected by the Cartoon Committee (Ellen Ziskind, Oona Metz & Joanne Lipner)

Winner“How about we start by addressing the three elephants in the room?” — Janice Delgado Second”Hearing each other is what we do best because everyone here has such big ears.” —Renee Hoekstra

Third“Some in the group are snorting their anxiety at all in the room...not just the elephants inthe room...will be addressed. I assume all share this concern including the elephants.How is the group going to handle your shared concerns???” — Steve Cadwell

Honorable Mention“Can he really get these subgroups talking to each other?” — Marsha Vannicelli “You ass! What do you mean by ‘prefrontal cortex envy?!’” — Rick Bouchard

Drawn by David Goldberg

NewsletterCommittee seeking new Members forvarious positions. Please be intouch with Kurt White todiscuss: kurtlorenc@gmail.com

16

Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy, Inc.PO Box 356 Belmont, MA 02478-3201(617) 431-6747www.nsgp.com

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Save the Date!

NSGP’s 39th Annual Conference!June 12, 13, & 14, 2020

For more information or to sign up, please call 617-431-6747 or go online to www.nsgp.com.

NSGP Upcoming Events Calendar

June 7-9, 2019 NSGP 38th Annual ConferenceDiving In: From the Shallows to the DeepAt Simmons College, Boston

Sept. 4–8, 2019 IAGP Psychodrama Conference, 2019: “Who Shall Survive?”Iseo, Italy

Mar. 2–7, 2020 AGPA Connect 2020Building Bridges of Connection Through GroupNew York, NY

June 12–14, 2020 NSGP 39th Annual ConferenceDiversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Enriching Our Groups and OurselvesAt Simmons College, Boston