15th GEI Annual Conference, with Lynn Preston and Ellen Shumsky
The « New Us »: The Developing Therapeutic Systems
a conference by Lynn Preston, M.A., M.S., L.P. and Ellen Shumsky, L.C.S.W., L.P. *
Time: From 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., lunch included at the hotel buffet restaurant
Registration starts at 8:00 a.m., continental breakfast included (juice, fruits, coffee and pastries)
Venue:
Le Nouvel Hôtel,
room Maisonneuve-Dorchester,
1740, René-Lévesque Blvd. West
,
Montréal
At 5 minutes from
Guy-Concordia
metro station, exit Saint-Mathieu/de Maisonneuve Saint-Mathieu St.
Parking in the vicinity, or hotel indoor parking at 11$ (taxes included),
entrance on Saint-Mathieu St.
Don't forget it will be the Marathon de Montréal day for the 1K, 5K and 10K courses. To plan your trip please consult the courses maps : 1K, 5K and 10K,
Registration: See the Online registration section below
N.B. Lunch reservations will be possible only for registrations completed by Tuesday, September 18th
This conference is approved by the Ordre des psychologues du Québec for 6 hours of continuing education units (CEU) in psychotherapy. No OPQ: RA02375-18.
The systems vision represents a revolution in the scientific world as well as for the understanding of human development and change. Through this perspective, therapeutic change is seen as less related to the therapist’s interventions but as emerging from the intersubjective system itself, from the “us”.
In this presentation, Lynn Preston and Ellen Shumsky look at the therapeutic process from this systems perspective and offer the view that each therapeutic dyad, each healing relatedness, is a unique living system with its own particular needs and challenges and its own developmental unfolding. With this perspective, the focus of attention is primarily on the growth of the partnership within which the individuals develop, rather than the more conventional focus of attending to the development and healing of the patient.
The speakers propose that when our treatments are stuck and we have lost our way - when the avenues of exploring the patient’s experience are closed and attention to the analyst’s experience isn’t leading anywhere - we can tune into the dreads and needs of the therapeutic system (the “Us”) as a third dimension of experience. The New Us is an ever-changing system out of which new self-experience emerges.
Through clinical stories, discussion and demonstration, Lynn Preston and Ellen Shumsky look at how the lens of the “us” or “us thinking” can open new attitudes and new therapeutic possibilities.
Some of the subjects to be discussed include:
- A complexity view of agency and responsibility
- The power of the language of “we”
- Attitudes as the hidden determining ingredient of the therapeutic process
- Improvisation as a language of “us-ness”
- The leading edge of the intersubjective field
- Cultivating an awareness of “the relational implicit”
- How a systems lens can cultivate empathy for the partnership
- The interwoven dimensions of the “me” the “you” and the “us”
* The speakers
Partial bibliography
- Preston, L. et Shumsky, E. (2000). The Development of the Dyad: A Bidirectional Revisioning of Some Self Psychological Concepts. In: How Responsive Should We Be? Progress in Self Psychology, vol. 16, ed. A Goldberg, Hillsdale, NJ: The Analytic Press, pp. 67-84.
- Preston, L. et Shumsky, E. (2002). From an empathic stance to an empathic dance: Empathy as a bidirectional negotiation. In: Postmodern Self Psychology: Progress In Self Psychology, Vol. 18, Ed. A Goldberg, Hillsdale, NJ: The Analytic Press, pp. 47-61.
- Preston, L. et Shumsky, E. (2004). Who Tore the Web? Thoughts on Psychoanalytic Authority and Response-Ability. Transformations in Self Psychology: Progress in Self Psychology, Vol. 20, ed. W.J. Coburn, Hillsdale, NJ: The Analytic Press, pp. 189-206.
- Preston, L. et Shumsky, E. (2013). Toward an integrative sensibility: Conversing across theoretical boundaries. International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology, 8: 309-327.
- Preston, L. et Shumsky, E. (2016). The Ever-Emerging New Us: The Developing Therapeutic System, International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology, 11:2, 169-182.
Learning objectives
-
At the conclusion of this presentation, the participant will be able to:
- Explain the concept and clinical usefulness of a systems vision.
- Describe the concept of the therapeutic partnership development.
- Analyze the nature of improvisational moments as “tipping points” in complex therapeutic systems.
- Define the notions of the therapist’s authority and responsibility in a postmodern psychoanalytic perspective.
Schedule
20 minutes a.m. and p.m. breaks
Snacks included (cookies and beverages)
| 08:00 | Registration, and continental breakfast |
| 09:00 | Introduction of speakers |
| 09:15 | Presentation by Lynn Preston and Ellen Shumsky |
| Discussion with audience | |
| 12:00 | Lunch at the hotel buffet restaurant |
| 13:30 | Presentation by Lynn Preston and Ellen Shumsky |
| Discussion with audience | |
| 16:30 | End |
It is possible to prepare questions in advance for the discussion periods between the speakers and the participants. It will be possible to ask questions (or to read them) in English or in French.
Readings
At the Vendredis intersubjectifs (evenings of text study at the GEI) of this year, three of Lynn Preston and Ellen Shumsky's papers have been studied in preparation for their conference (n.b. it is not required to read the papers to fully benefit from the conference). They are available at a cost of 10$ (for copyright fees) in their original English version and their French transalation at this page: Trois articles de Lynn Preston et Ellen Shumsky (the page is in French).
If you were a participant to the three Vendredis intersubjectifs Lynn Preston et Ellen Shumsky : You have access to these papers by clicking on the My files link, in the User menu, located in the right margin of the site (it is necessary to log into your user account to access this link).
Clinical workshop
You are also invited to attend a clinical workshop (limited to 20 participants) with Lynn and Ellen to be held the following day, on Sunday, September 23rd, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Myriam Chiniara will present a clinical case, and after an exchange between her and our invited speakers, the discussion will be open to the group. To register, please go to the Atelier clinique page (in French).
Organizing committee
Sylvie Ledoux,
psychologist, coordinator
Monique Dubé,
psychologist, administrator
Jean-François Bernard,
psychologist, webmaster
Annette Richard,
psychologist, GEI president
Downloadable brochure
With online or mailed payment
(click on the
Add to cart
button below)
Registration fees
The registration fees include lunch at the hotel buffet restaurant.
Please note! : Lunch reservations will be possible only for registrations completed by Tuesday, September 18th. Participants registering after this date will be able to dine at their own expense at the hotel's restaurant (buffet, at 25$ plus taxes and service, or à la carte) or plan for their lunch (Ste-Catherine street is a 5 minutes walk).
| By Saturday, September 8th | After Saturday, September 8th | |
|---|---|---|
| Members 1 | 235$ | 250$ |
| Non-members | 260$ | 275$ |
| Students 2 | 165$ | 180$ |
1
To become a member of the GEI, please go to the
Membership application
page.
2
A proof of full time university student status will be required at the registration table.
Cancellation policy
A 25$ administration fee will be withheld for refunds requested in writing up to one week before the event (e.g. up to Saturday one week before the next Saturday conference). Please address your request to the GEI treasurer. No refunds will be issued after this date. For more information please refer to the Tableau des modalités d'inscription aux activités du GEI.
To apply for (or renew your) membership and register at member fee
Please first complete online your GEI membership application. Following your membership application, you will immediately receive an automated email confirming your application. As soon as your payment is completed, you will receive a second email of Confirmation de votre paiement. From then, your member status will give you access to member's reduced fees for your next registrations to an activity of that membership year.
- If you choose to pay online, the payment confirmation email will be received immediately.
- If you choose to pay by mail, allow an additional week before the payment confirmation email.
To register at student reduced fee (GEI members or non-members)
It is necessary to have site user account with a student status in order to automatically get the student fee when registering online.
If you don't have a user account, please first create your account by clicking on the following link Create a new account or on the link located in the site's right margin. The following account creation page will allow checking a student status option. This student status account will enable registrations at student fee when logged in.
- If you already have a user account but without a student status, please email the user accounts administrator to request a student status. Your account will be updated (in approximately 24h), and your student account will then enable registrations at student fee when logged in.
Your registration requires logging into your user account
During the registration process you will be required to:
- to log into your site user account if not already logged,
- or to create a user account if you don't have one yet.
Payment modalities
Click on Add to cart below (after indicating if you intend to use simultaneous translation), and on the next page choose your payment method:
- By credit card on ayPal's secure web site (it is NOT necessary to have a PayPal account)
- Or by cheque mailed to the GEI.
Registration payment receipt
Your receipt is the GEI - Confirmation de votre paiement email (don't use the GEI - Registration notification email, which is not printer-friendly). If you don't have this email anymore, please follow these steps:
- First log into your site user account (by entering your username and password in the login box).
- Once logged in, click on the My transactions link in your User menu (in the right margin).
- On this page is the history of the transactions for your registrations, membership applications and texts purchases. Identify the transaction for which you wish to print a receipt and click on the corresponding print icon (representation of a printer). If needed, first click on the viewing icon (representation of a document under a magnifying glass) to view this transaction's details.
- On the receipt page, click on the Print invoice button, in the upper right corner.
CEU certificate
The certifcate attesting to your participation to this continuing education activity will be sent as an email attachment in the following week. For any question regarding the CEU certificates, please email the CEU certificates administrator.
Free WiFi internet access at the Nouvel hôtel
Please note: To register at member fee it is necessary to have previously completed your membership application for the current year (and to have received the automated payment confirmation email).