Morning Focus: Core Competencies in Relational Psychoanalysis

Drawing from Dr. Roy Barsness’ text, Core Competencies in Relational Psychoanalysis: A Guide to Practice, Study, and Research, this session invites participants to identify and explore the seven core disciplines of relational psychoanalysis, as revealed through his qualitative research. The workshop will deepen participants’ understanding of relationally oriented theory and clinical practice, with a special focus on radical openness, courageous speech, and disciplined spontaneity. It offers a valuable opportunity for practitioners to assess and reflect on their own clinical approaches through a relational psychoanalytic lens.

Afternoon Focus: Psychodynamic Supervision

In the afternoon, Dr. Roy Barsness shifts focus to his latest book, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy in a New Key. Traditional supervisory relationships often follow a didactic model, where the supervisor provides guidance, critique, and feedback. In contrast, this seminar introduces an innovative supervision framework that emphasizes affect over cognition and places the therapist’s subjectivity at the center of understanding the patient’s internal and interpersonal world. The discussion will also highlight a reimagining of analytic interpretations as complex, evolving dialogues.