Hope and Dread in Psychoanalysis: Reading Stephen A. Mitchell

Via Zoom | Max Capacity: 15

Join us for a close reading of Stephen A. Mitchell's Hope and Dread in Psychoanalysis, one of the foundational texts of the relational psychoanalytic movement. We will explore Mitchell's articulation of a relational model that places the wishes, needs, and emotional lives of both therapist and client at the center of the therapeutic process.

Through careful engagement with Mitchell's theoretical arguments and clinical case illustrations, we will explore the major ideas that define his vision of psychoanalysis. Core topics include the dialectics of hope and the presence of dread as the emotional engine of therapeutic change, the ambiguity of authenticity and the contested meanings of true and false selves, the rethinking of aggression as a relational rather than drive-based phenomenon, and the constructive nature of psychoanalytic interpretation.

Purchase or borrowing of Hope and Dread in Psychoanalysis required.

Speaker and Credentials: Rebecca Brabo Silva, MA, LMHC

Rebecca Brabo Silva is a licensed psychotherapist with 25 years of private practice experience who also serves as an approved clinical supervisor and mentor for NWAPS. An enduring student of psychoanalysis, Rebecca draws on her own formative experiences to guide others by encouraging them to think analytically and develop a personal relationship with the learning Rebecca Brabo Silva is a licensed psychotherapist with 25 years of private practice experience who also serves as an approved clinical supervisor and mentor for NWAPS. An enduring student of psychoanalysis, Rebecca draws on her own formative experiences to guide others by encouraging them to think analytically and develop a personal relationship with the learning material.

Learning Objectives:

1. Compare and contrast competing concepts of the self, including true and false selves as well as multiple selves and the singular self.
2. Articulate Mitchell's concept of the dialectics of hope and reflect on how this framework informs the clinician's stance at the beginning, middle, and ending phases of treatment.
3. Describe Mitchell’s reconceptualization of aggression as a response tied to threats to the self and be able to describe the clinical implications of this

References

Mitchell, Stephen A. Hope and Dread in Psychoanalysis. New York, Basicbooks, 1999.

Fees (member/non-member): $220 Members & $275 Non-members

Cancellation Policy: If you need to cancel your purchase, please do so before September 16, 2026 by emailing admin@nwaps.org to request a refund minus a 30% cancellation fee. We are unable to process or offer any refund for cancellations made after September 16, 2026. Allow 2-4 weeks to process your refund request. Note that participation in the entire event is required to obtain CE credits.