Santa Cruz Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Society (SCPPS)

Co-sponsored by MBPA

Presents

AMERICA ON THE COUCH

Psychological Perspectives on the 2008 Presidential Election

with

Sheila Namir, Ph.D. and Alan Strachan, Ph.D.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Unitarian Fellowship Hall

6401 Freedom Blvd.

Aptos, CA

Description: The U.S. socio-political climate is highly polarized, dominated by projection, and rife with religious dogma. Add to this the candidates’ increasingly sophisticated efforts to manipulate voters, the biased reporting by corporate media, and the many unconscious beliefs operating in the American psyche, and we are left with a tremendous need for a psychological clarification of the issues.

Psychoanalysts and psychotherapists, due to their specialized training, are uniquely positioned to examine social, political and religious attitudes and beliefs. However, they are often reluctant to (1) apply their clinical understanding to individuals or groups with whom they have had no direct contact; (2) examine their theories and work in terms of moral, ethical and political implications; or (3) discuss political and social issues during psychotherapy.

In part one of this workshop, Alan Strachan will explore the mythic structure of American identity, delineating some of the conscious and unconscious values and convictions operating in the collective psyche of the American people. He will then use this psycho-historical framework as a context for understanding the 2008 presidential election.

In part two, Sheila Namir will explore how social and political issues both complicate and are a part of our clinical work. She will present the purposes of and possibilities for “politics on the couch,” as well as the history of resistances and objections to bringing political considerations into the work of psychotherapy. Clinical examples of transference and countertransference will be highlighted in the context of the current election process.

ALAN STRACHAN, Ph.D., MFT is a psychotherapist, workshop leader, teacher and author. He was the staff psychotherapist at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI International) for 9 years and has been in private practice since 1985. Alan trained in Process-Oriented Psychology with Arnold Mindell for eight years, and received specialized training and certification in gender issues from the Satyana Institute. He has been exploring the interface between psychology and spirituality for over 35 years, and, along with his wife, Janet Coster, he is co-founder of the Temenos Fellowship of AIWP, a non-profit organization that has offered support groups, as well as individual and couples counseling, for people on the spiritual path. Alan’s recent research is focused on the intersection of psychology, spirituality and politics. He is currently writing a book about the dialectic between democracy and dominance in politics, religion and the individual psyche, focusing on topics such as the psychology of religious fundamentalism, the spiritual nature of democracy, and the mythic dimensions of American identity. For more information, please visit Alan’s website at www.alanstrachan.com.

License MFC21129

Sheila Namir, Ph.D. is a training and supervising analyst at the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles and a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst practicing in Santa Cruz, California. She was on the faculties of UCLA Medical School, California School of Professional Psychology and the Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute in Los Angeles. She has published in the areas of psychosocial aspects of AIDS and cancer, medical psychology, trauma and feminist psychoanalysis. License PSY9304

AMERICA ON THE COUCH

Psychological Perspectives on the 2008 Presidential Election

Schedule:

1:30 – 2:00 Registration

2:00 - 4:30 pm Program

4:30-5:00 pm Refreshments and Networking

Directions:

From Santa Cruz traveling south on Highway I: Exit right on Freedom Blvd., then go left over the overpass, go past Aptos High School on your right. Unitarian Fellowship Hall will be on your right, approximately 1 mile from Highway

From Watsonvillle traveling north on Highway I: Exit right on Freedom Blvd., exit and continue past Aptos High School to Unitarian Fellowship Hall, approximately 1 mile from Highway 1.

Cost: ____$35 ____With CEUs $45 - (2.5 CEU credits available for MFTs, LCSWs, and Psychologists)

Name: __________________________________________________

License # _____________________

To Register: Please mail bottom portion of this flier and your check to: Robert Lundquist at 550 Water Street, Bldg C-2, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.

Make checks payable to: Santa Cruz Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Society (SCPPS).

For questions: Please contact Jane Dawson at 425-3302 or Francine Lapides at 335-4830