David Parnes, LICSW moved to Seattle in 1991, following completion of a Master of Social Work degree at Boston University. He worked for many years in the community mental health setting, working with children, adolescents and families, before opening a private practice. David has had a longstanding interest in British Object Relations theory and, in 2006, completed a certificate program in psychoanalytic psychotherapy at COR/Northwest Family Development Center. David is a past president of the Child Therapy Association and recently taught a class on working psychoanalytically with children. Most recently, David co-taught an introductory class on psychoanalytic psychotherapy, offered through the Alliance. David is currently a senior candidate at the Northwestern Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. He provides psychoanalysis and psychotherapy to children and adults in his Capitol Hill practice.
Available In-Service Topics
Case Consultation
Using clinical material from a participant (process notes of a session, written up and copies made for all participants and consultant), I will facilitate a group discussion of the material. Using the "Weaving Thoughts" method, we will consider the clinical material from a psychoanalytic perspective. The Weaving Thoughts approach is a psychoanalytic approach to case consultation that creates a safe and open space for thinking about the clinical material. It is particularly well suited for a group that is new to psychoanalytic thinking and may not have a well-established process for working together.
Play Therapy Technique
This in-service offers an introduction to psychoanalytic play therapy. Topics will include: setting up and maintaining a play room; approaches to play materials; thinking analytically about play; unconscious phantasy and its expression through play.
Working Psychoanalytically with Children
This in-service presents an introduction to psychoanalytic theory and technique with children. With an emphasis on Object Relations theory, I help participants to understand how psychoanalytic concepts can be usefully applied to work with children.
Psychoanalytic Listening
Working analytically is a lot about how we listen to our clients; listening for the "latent", unconscious material while in a state of receptive reverie. In this in-service, I help participants understand how one develops, nurtures and maintains an ear for the unconscious communications of our clients.
Working in the Transference
An understanding of transference phenomena is an essential aspect to working psychoanalytically. It also has great utility in dealing with what otherwise might feel like inexplicable and troubling interactions with clients. In this in-service, I offer a broad perspective on the concept of transference and how it can be made use of in a range of clinical settings.
Introduction to Object Relations Theory
An overview of the most important and useful aspects of this analytic theory and its clinical application.
As an Alliance Ambassador, my goal is to share with others some of the psychoanalytic knowledge and skills I've found most valuable in my career. I've found these ways of thinking about my clients and my work to be deeply enriching, useful and fascinating. The helping professions can be extraordinarily difficult and emotionally draining. I hope that I can offer new ways of thinking that feel supportive and containing and help to lessen the stresses and strains of the work.