Addressing the challenges presented by systemic racism, discrimination, and othering in our psychoanalytic and community-based organizations is a long-term, multi-generational endeavor. As part of that effort, the Council for Leadership and Organizational Studies (CLOS) of the Department of Psychoanalytic Education (DPE), American Psychoanalytic Association (APsA), in collaboration with the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA), is offering an innovative virtual course to the future international leaders of psychoanalysis: current candidates, students, and recent graduates of psychoanalytic and psychoanalytic psychotherapy programs. Enhancing their knowledge and skills in leadership and group dynamics will help them, their psychoanalytic organizations, and other community-based organizations in which they participate to more effectively address the challenges of systemic racism and othering.

This virtual seminar will explore critical concepts in systems psychodynamics and field theory, such as intersubjective processes, group relations, the social unconscious, projective identifications, splitting,  and social defenses. Thinking of the individual and the group simultaneously, developing what Bion referred to as binocular vision, we will deepen our understanding of racism and othering in ourselves and in the groups in which we are embedded. In addition, we will consider applications of these concepts organizationally to enhance our individual and collective efforts to become more inclusive, more open in our thinking, and equitable in sharing power. Each session will be evenly divided between theoretical and experiential components. In the group-as-a-whole we will discuss key points in the assigned readings. Then we will break into pre-assigned small self-study groups to observe and reflect on our own group process as it relates to our learning together about racism and othering. Membership in the small groups will remain constant throughout the course. There is no charge for this course. However, we ask registrants to commit to attending all 8 sessions, if possible, in order to foster trust, cohesion, and a deeper level of engagement.

Co-Leaders: James W Barron, PhD and Paula Christian-Kliger, PhD

Guest Faculty: Anton Hart, PhD, Beverly J. Stoute, MD, Mira Erlich-Ginor, M.A., and Shmuel Erlich, Ph.D., ABPP

Candidate Faculty: Himanshu Agrawal, MD

Thursdays 11 AM–1:30 PM ET / 4–6:30 PM GMT

October 5, 12, 19, 26; November 2, 9, 16, 30