I just got back from the American Group Psychotherapy Association conference in San Francisco, which was a blast. It was so nice to see old friends and make some new ones; I really appreciate that organization and its dedication to fostering therapeutic communities. Another thing I really loved was how experiential the trainings were! It’s something I really thirst after, and I already find myself looking forward to next year’s conference in New York City.
Some highlights for me were:
- Dr. Donna Harris’s special institute “Reflections of Us: Processing the Many Faces of Intercultural Dynamics in Group”
- Dr. Melba Vasquez’s opening plenary, “Multicultural Psychotherapy: An Ethical Responsibility”
- A day-long workshop on “Psychodrama: The Magic of Growth and Change,” presented by Dr. Shelly Firestone, Sue Barnum, LPCC, and Mariann Shapiro, LMHC
- “Community as Medicine: The Power of Group Preparation and Integration for Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy,” by Jenna Noah, LPCC and Eric Eichler, LCSW
- “The Group Erotic Face: Exploring the Erotic Self Through Group Experience and Art Methods,” by Marcia Honig, PsyD
I was also happy to offer a two-day special institute (training group) entitled “Queer, Trans, and Neuroqueer: Horizons of Possibility in Group Therapy” with fourteen participants. This workshop integrated a developmental social justice skills model (from Nieto and colleague’s book Beyond Inclusion, Beyond Empowerment) with the neurodiversity paradigm (cf. Nick Walker’s Neuroqueer Heresies and the common factors of interpersonal group therapy (as featured in The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy).
I also offered a two-and-a-half hour workshop entitled “Gender-Affirming Group Therapy and Social Liberation: Integrating Developmental Social Justice Skills and the Neurodiversity Paradigm.” This shorter experiential workshop used the same theoretical supports as the two-day institute, but with a (mostly) different audience.
Thanks to all my participants, it was great creating queer, trans, and neuroqueer community with you. 😄🌈🦄💖😄
