NIP Fall Brunch Seminar:

The Reversal of Roe v. Wade and the Psychological Assault on Women

A Panel Discussion and Brunch Presented by The Equity Advisory Committee of NIP

Please join us for light fare & lively conversation with friends and colleagues following the discussion.

Presenters:

Sally Bjorklund, MA, LMHC

Hillary Grill, LCSW

Discussant:

Caryn Sherman-Meyer, LCSW

Interlocuter:

Steven Kuchuck, DSW

The pandemic set in motion a mental health crisis in the U. S. Unprecedented socio-political events have piled-on to exacerbate widespread psychological instability—including an attempted insurrection, a former president being investigated for a multitude of sins and crimes and the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. Since 1973, American women had the right to abortion, and therefore a voice and control over their bodies. This right no longer exists. Without authority over their bodies, women’s agency and sense of self fades. This panel delves into the history of reproductive control, the cultural marginalization of poor women and those of color, and the othering of all women. We look at the history of psychoanalysis’s misunderstanding of women and its discounting of the fullness of the female experience. Historical context frames our exploration of the socio-cultural in our consulting rooms, how we listen for the psychological effects and understand the connection to the individual’s conflicts and psychic suffering. We pay special attention to locating and articulating desire that’s been snuffed out. In addition to the clinical implications and applications, we will think about the ways in which psychoanalysis can be a positive force that informs socio-cultural change.

Learning Objectives

I. Participants will be shown some of the clinical implications of state imposed reproductive laws.

II. Participants will learn how historical and cultural context is used in understanding the individual’s conflicts and psychic suffering.

III. Participants will learn about the history of psychoanalytic theorizing about the female body.

Caryn Sherman-Meyer, LCSW, is faculty, supervisor and training analyst at the National Institute for the Psychotherapies and other psychoanalytic institutes. She is director of its Training Program in Psychoanalysis and Comprehensive Psychotherapy, founding director of its License Qualifying Program and a member of its Board of Directors. Caryn teaches and writes about therapeutic action, eating disorders and embodied communication. She practices and supervises individuals, groups and couples in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in New York City.

Hillary Grill, LCSW is a psychoanalyst practicing in New York City. She is a supervisor, faculty member and training analyst at the National Institute for the Psychotherapies, the Institute for Expressive Analysis, and is on the faculty, supervises and co-directs the Seminar Series at the Stephen Mitchell Relational Study Center. She is executive editor of the journal Psychoanalytic Perspectives, writes and presents widely. Areas of interest are the psychological aspects of women’s reproductive health, contemporary family-making and the impact of the culture on the individual.

Sally Bjorklund is a psychoanalyst, supervisor and consultant. She was co-founder and faculty member of Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy Seattle. She is on the editorial board of the journal Psychoanalytic Perspectives and Supervisor for the National Training Program at the National Institute for the Psychotherapies. She was a contributor to “Clinical Implications of the Psychoanalyst’s Life Experience: When the Personal Becomes Professional,” and has written and presented on topics including sex and gender, adoption, aging, working with hard to reach patients, treatment by telephone, and erotic transference.

Please consider making a donation to the NIP Equity Fund, which supports scholarships, programs and services that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion at NIP.

Continuing Education

This class is approved for 2.0 CE contact hours for psychologists, social workers, and licensed psychoanalysts.

The National Institute for the Psychotherapies is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education credits for psychologists. The National Institute for the Psychotherapies maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

The National Institute for the Psychotherapies is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0018.

The National Institute for the Psychotherapies is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychoanalysts #Psyan-0004.

The National Institute for the Psychotherapies is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0131.

National Institute for the Psychotherapies (NIP) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0059.