Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis

Observational Studies

Film Discussion

Meditation, Creativity, and Psychoanalysis

CURED illuminates a pivotal yet largely unknown chapter in the struggle for LGBTQ+ equality: the campaign that led the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to remove homosexuality from its manual of mental illnesses. Before this momentous 1973 decision, the medical establishment viewed every gay and lesbian person as diseased and in need of a cure. Business and government used the mental-illness classification to justify discrimination and bigotry. As long as lesbians and gay men were “sick,” progress toward equality was nearly impossible.
Incorporating a trove of newly unearthed archival material, CURED takes audiences inside this riveting narrative to chronicle the strategy and tactics that led to a crucial turning point in the movement for LGBTQ+ rights. Indeed, following the Stonewall rebellion of 1969, the battle that culminated in the APA’s decision to remove homosexuality from the DSM, marked the first major step on the path to first-class citizenship for LGBTQ+ Americans. CURED sheds new light on this victory, while situating the APA story within the larger context of the modern movement for LGBTQ+ equality.

This workshop includes reflections on the presenter’s experiences as the first openly lesbian candidate at an institute of the American Psychoanalytic Association. She will share lessons learned from her leadership role at the national and local level before and after the APsA's 1991 decision to allow for the training of gay and lesbian psychoanalysts. She […]

Jack Drescher, MD: The history of psychoanalytic theorizing about homosexuality is more than a century old and has undergone numerous revisions. Early on, psychoanalytic attitudes toward homosexuality could be reasonably characterized as hostile. The presentation begins with Freud’s early views on homosexuality within the cultural context of his times. It then reviews later pathologizing psychoanalytic […]

Discussion of the film:  The Invitation (2015) (104 min) Director: Karyn Kusama *** Film must be viewed prior to event.*** REGISTRATION DEADLINE: October 25, 2023 Discussant: Alex Smith, Psy.D. Film Description: When a man accepts an invitation to a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife, the unsettling past reopens old wounds and creates new tensions. […]

Conflicts and Ethics in Psychoanalytic Consultation and SupervisionPresenter: Nancy McWilliams, PhD Discussant: Kit MacLean, PsyD Program Description: This ethics conference aims to be of practical value to supervisors and their supervisees. Utilizing vignettes from the presenter and participants, we will look at recurrent controversies in psychoanalytic supervision, the “vital signs” that supervisors monitor that go […]

Discussants: Oren Gozlan and Willa France.   Moderators: Margarita Cereijido and Anne Adelman The discussion will focus on issues pertaining to transgender people and society’s prejudices against them. We encourage audience participation. Participants should view the film beforehand. It is available on Netflix and Hulu.

Evil is grounded in an effort to correct the errors of Creation– to define, categorize and eliminate what it designates as sources of threat and pain. This logic of elimination distinguishes evil from sadism’s logic of excitement. Stressing personal reactions and leaning on the work of Freud, Primo Levi and Hannah Arendt, the text takes […]

Application Deadline: May 31, 2024 The Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis online application portal for the 2024-2025 Community Psychoanalysis Certificate Program (CPCP) is now open. Expand and enrich your clinical work by engaging in a two-year journey that melds didactic learning, experiential reflective groups, and hands-on placements in community agencies or nonprofits. Fridays, 12:00 pm […]

Please Join Us Discussants: Graciela Abelin-Sas Rose, MD and Carolyn Ratner-Fitzgerald, JD, PsyD Moderators: Margarita Cereijido and Anne Adelman present discussion of the film “Anatomy Of a Fall” (2023) Directed by: Justine Triet Written by: Justine Triet and Arthur Harari *Participants should view the film beforehand. It is available on Amazon. Program Flyer:https://wbcp.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/PR/23-24/5-31-24%20COWAP%20Film%20%28Anatomy%20of%20a%20Fall%29.pdf REGISTRATION DEADLINE: […]

Please Join Us Discussants: Graciela Abelin-Sas Rose, MD and Carolyn Ratner-Fitzgerald, JD, PsyD Moderators: Margarita Cereijido and Anne Adelman present discussion of the film “Anatomy of a Fall” (2023) Directed by: Justine Triet Written by: Justine Triet and Arthur Harari *Participants should view the film beforehand. It is available on Amazon. Program Flyer: https://wbcp.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/PR/23-24/5-31-24%20COWAP%20Film%20%28Anatomy%20of%20a%20Fall%29.pdf REGISTRATION […]

Please join us for a series of conversations Time: Saturday mornings, 11:00 to 12:30 EST 7 sessions 2024: September 14, October 26, December 14 2025: January 11, February 22, March 8, April 12 Presented by the Committee on Women and Psychoanalysis of the International Psychoanalytic Association International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) (COWAP North America) North America, […]

Please join us for a series of conversations  Time: Saturday mornings, 11:00 am to 12:30 pm EST 7 sessions 2024: September 14, October 26, December 14 2025: January 11, February 22, March 8, April 12 Via Zoom Presented by the Committee on Women and Psychoanalysis of the International Psychoanalytic Association (COWAP) North America, and sponsored […]

Racial Rage, Racial Guilt: The Uses of Anger in Asian America Time: 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Presenter: David L. Eng Live Presentation Post Hall George Washington University Mt. Vernon Campus REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Wednesday, October 2, 2024 Description: Asian Americans are conventionally described as “middle-man minorities,” outside of dominant racial paradigms of White and Black, […]

Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm Presenter: Sam Guzzardi, LCSW "Holding Laplanche Lightly: The Story of Two Queer Treatments" Via Zoom Presentation: As psychoanalysis seeks to find new frontiers both for clinical work and engagement with the social, the work of Jean Laplanche is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. In this presentation, participants will hear […]

Presentation Description: Todd Essig and Sherry Turkle will discuss AI and its impact on psychoanalysis, and the ethical considerations for our professional work as well as daily life, moderated by Marc Levine. Interaction and conversation with participants are encouraged. Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/38ukv87h Program Flyer: https://tinyurl.com/3ckxx67w ***DEADLINE TO REGISTER Monday, November 25, 2024. No late registrations accepted […]

Session 3: In Her Own Voice: Challenging Theories of Women’s Development Participants: Nancy Kulish and Catherine Mallouh Registration Deadline: December 11, 2024 For additional information including the program flyer, speaker bios, and information about future sessions please visit the informational program page: https://www.wbcp.org/cowap-women-the-longest-revolution-presenter-biographies/ Description: Notions of woman and the feminine have changed dramatically over the […]

COWAP: Women the Longest Revolution Session 4: Women’s Role as Caregivers Through Their Lifespan Panel: Jessica Benjamin in conversation with Margarita Cereijido, Erika Lepiavka and Tracy Sidesinger Presentation: Notions of woman and the feminine have changed dramatically over the last decades and this is reflected in how women perceive themselves, how they are perceived by […]

Psychoanalytic Takes on the Cinema: Discussion of the Film: “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" 2021 (89 mins) Directors: Dean Fleischer Camp A documentary maker struggling with finances decides to make to make his newest documentary about a mollusk shell he finds living in his Airbnb with his friends. *Film must be viewed before the […]

The Thomas and Julia Saltz Annual Adult Seminar Workshop Presents Something to Lose: Being in Dialogue About Difference When We Feel Like Leaving A special presentation by Dr. Anton Hart When: February 1, 2025 Time: 9:00 am – 11: 30 am Live Presentation Where: University Club of Washington DC 1135 16th Street NW, Washington, DC […]

Please join us for a series of conversations 1  Sessions remaining April 12, 2025 Presented by the Committee on Women and Psychoanalysis of the International Psychoanalytic Association (COWAP) North America, and sponsored by the Washington Center for Psychoanalysis. Organizing Committee: Chair: Margarita Cereijido, Co-chair: Catherine Mallouh, Members: Anne Adelman, Janice Lieberman, Jill Gentile and Jeri […]

Join us Saturday, May 10, 2025 for Thinking Together Without Falling Apart: A Day in Conversation with Dr. Beverly J. Stoute Live Presentation Only Must be able to attend in person. No Zoom option is available. 11:00 am - 1:30 pm E pluribus unum: An American Fantasy? Presentation Open to the Community George Washington University […]

The online application portal for the 2025-2026 Psychoanalytic Institute Training Program is now open! Prepare to practice as an adult psychoanalyst. Child and Adolescent Training is also offered. The Psychoanalytic Training Program is designed to provide psychoanalytic candidates with comprehensive training in psychoanalytic theory and technique. Successful graduates are qualified to practice clinical psychoanalysis with […]

The online application portal for the 2025-2026 Psychoanalytic Studies Program is now open! A two-year program for licensed professional clinicians and advanced scholars interested in learning about psychoanalytic approaches to enrich their work and help their clients. Tuesdays, 4:00 pm - 8:15 pm September–May Via Zoom; Note: There will be one class per month that […]

Psychoanalysis Creativity and the Arts: Session 1 of 3: “Lo creativo y lo vital” Presented by Alfredo Panceira, MD, Jani Santamaria, PhD, Ariel Liberman, PhD, and Rosa Aurora Chavez, MD, PhD, FABP Saturday, October 4, 2025 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm (2 CME/CE) Presentation and Discussion via Zoom *This first session will be conducted in […]

LGBTQ+ Workshop Please join us as Sien Rivera, MD and Justin Shubert, PsyD, PhD present Monstrousness and Aliveness: Engaging Gender in Psychoanalysis Sunday, October 5, 2025 Public Session: 1:00 – 4:00 pm Presentation and Discussion Via Zoom Presentation: This workshop seeks to explore a range of engagements with gender in the psychoanalytic encounter. One portion […]

Exploring the Links: Moving from Observation to Transformative Interventions We are excited to announce our upcoming conference with Jeanne Magagna, PhD, Tavistock Centre-trained Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychotherapist London, UK Saturday, November 1, 2025 George Washington University Hospital Auditorium 8:45 am – 4:45 pm ET 6 CME/CE Dr. Magagna’s work emphasizes the transformative power of […]

Session 1 of 3 *** Film must be viewed prior to event. *** Discussion of the film “The Thing” Friday, November 14, 2025 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm Via Zoom 1982 (109 min) Director: John Carpenter Discussant: Alex Smith, Psy.D. A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance […]

Session 2 of 3 “Creativity and Resiliency” Presented by Rosa Aurora Chavez, MD, PhD, FABP Saturday, November 15, 2025, 12:00 – 2:00pm (2 CME/CE) Presentation and Discussion via Zoom Presentation: In this seminar (in English) we will discuss the evolutionary relevance of creativity for resiliency form psychodynamic and neuropsychoanalytic perspectives. Registration Link: https://wbcp.memberclicks.net/reg_psy_creativity_arts_25-26#/ Flyer: https://wbcp.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/PR/25-26/Psychoanalysis%20Creativity%20and%20the%20Arts%202025_26%20flier%20Multi-Session%20program%20%28B%29.pdf

Please join WBCP with COWAP North America (Committee on Women and Psychoanalysis, International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA)) for: Misogyny Then and Now: Implications for Psychoanalytic Perspectives Presented by: Special Guest, filmmaker, Jennifer Reeves, Margarita Cereijido, PhD, Paula Ellman, PhD, David Joseph, MD, Janice Lieberman, PhD Saturday, November 22, 2025 10:00 am – 1:00 pm (3 CME/CE) […]

Stacia I. Super Memorial Ethics Conference Please join us for a panel discussion on Analyst Losses: Illness and Life-Changing Events and Their Effects on Treatment Presented by: Paula L. Ellman, PhD, Marc S. Levine, MD, and Harvey J. Schwartz, MD Moderated by: Sandra S. Lashley, PsyD Sunday, December 7, 2025 1:00 – 4:00 pm Presentation and Discussion […]

*** Film must be viewed prior to event. *** Discussion of the film “Me Before You” Friday, January 30, 2026 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm Via Zoom 2016 (120 min) Director: Thea Sharrock Discussant: Katherine Marshall Woods, Psy.D. A girl in a small town forms an unlikely bond with a recently-paralyzed man she’s taking care […]

The Leon Levin Psychoanalytic Film Festival Movie: Close (2023) Presented by: Katrin Haller, MSW Date: April 11, 2026 Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm Doors Open at 1:30pm 3.0 CME/CE Where: Baltimore Museum of the Arts 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 Presentation Description: This film by Belgian filmmaker Lucas Dhont was awarded the Grand Prix […]

The Leon Levin Psychoanalytic Film Festival Movie: Speak Sunlight (La Voz Del Sol) (2023) Presented by: Noreen Honeycutt, PhD with Director Carol Polakoff Date: April 25, 2026 Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm Doors Open at 1:30pm 3CME/CE Where: Baltimore Museum of the Arts 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 Presentation Description: Set in 1965, teenage […]

Discussants: Virginia Ungar, Marcelo Haber, Horacio Legras, and Belen de Martino Moderator: Margarita Cereijido, PhD Friday, July 10, 2026 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm ET Via Zoom NOTE: a link to view the film will be sent out 2 weeks prior to the event. No CME/CE Discussion of the film: Marie Langer: Desire and Revolution […]