Seminar 2
APS Home Page

2002-2003 Schedule
 

Appalachian Psychoanalytic Society
 

presents
 

Ann Grief Howe, Ph.D.
 

THE PATIENT WITH NO HOPE
 

Saturday, November 2, 2002
9:15 AM - 12:45 PM
 

Medical Conference Room #1
Fort Sanders Medical Center
19th Street and Clinch Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37919
 

Welcoming Mental Health
Professionals of All Disciplines
 

SCHEDULE
9:15 AM Registration
9:30 AM Paper and Discussion
11:00 AM Break
11:15 AM Special Problems
12:45 PM Conclusions and Evaluations
 

WORKSHOP GOALS
Upon completion of the workshop, participants should be able to:
bulletRecognize the place and relevance of hope in conducting effective psychotherapy.
bulletApply the principles of a "hope-full" perspective to work with the severely ill patient without recourse to manipulation or misinformation.
bulletExamine transferential/countertransferential patterns of cynicism and distance which reflect an unconscious hopelessness lived out in the treatment.
bulletIntegrate Erikson's concept of "virtues" including hope to the conduct of psychotherapy, as energetic resources to bring to bear on treatment, in a manner similar to how they fuel and direct development generally.
 

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES
Treating patients without hope throws into relief the therapist's capacity to remain hopeful in the face of despair.  It is my contention that therapy does not occur without the basic virtues as discussed by Erikson, such as hope and perseverance in the face of adversity.  Often patients who feel hopeless become suicidal, either passively or actively.  The therapist acts as a container for toxic affects while offering possibilities for engagement and transformation.  Is it also possible that in our technologically advanced times that there are many patients who have lost the capacity to imagine a future and therefore to be hopeful about themselves?  What can psychoanalytically oriented treatment offer both types of individuals -- either those who passively experience a lack of hope or those who more energetically name their despair and consider acting out self-destructively?  It is my intention to propose that the curative nature of treatment rest on the therapist's willingness to speak truthfully and yet to be life-affirming.  In other words, as therapists we have no alternative but to be hopeful.
 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Howe graduated from Purdue University in 1973.  She went on to complete a masters and doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1976 and 1979 respectively.  From 1979 to 1984 she served as a Post-Doctoral and Advanced Post-doctoral Fellow at Austen Riggs.  She continued as a Clinical Staff Member at Austen Riggs until her move to Roswell, Georgia in 2000.

Currently she is an adjunct faculty member at Argosy University, an outreach therapist with Catholic Social Services, as well as in private practice working with children, adolescents and adults in individual and family treatment.  She is particularly interested in long term treatment of people with personality disorders and spirituality as an important aspect of mental health.
 

PARTICIPANTS
This seminar is open to all APS members and interested mental health professionals who are not members.  It is not limited to individuals practicing in a predominately psychoanalytic mode.
 

CONTINUING EDUCATION
Continuing education credits (3.0 credit hours) will be offered by the Appalachian Psychoanalytic Society.  Upon completion of workshop evaluation form, a certificate will be provided.  This serves as documentation of attendance for all participants.  Psychologists will have their participation registered through Division 39.  Division 39 is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists.  Division 39 maintains responsibility for the program.