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 […]