This program, when participated in its entirety, is available for 2.5 continuing education credits. Division 39 is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Division 39 maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This presentation also meets the requirements of WAC 246-809-620 (definition of recognized categories of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists and social workers).
In this Alliance Master Class, Christopher Bonovitz, PsyD will lead participants in a discussion of his 2018 essay, “All but Dissertation (ABD), All but Parricide (ABP): Young Adulthood as a Developmental Period and the Crisis of Separation”. Dr. Bonovitz will elaborate upon his thinking since publication, facilitate discussion, and answer questions. All participants will receive a copy of the essay upon registration. In order to provide an intimate, stimulating discussion, the group will be limited to 10 participants who can directly engage with the author.
Bonovitz, C. (2018). All but dissertation (ABD), all but parricide (ABP): Young adulthood as a developmental period and the crisis of separation. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 35(1): 142-148.
In this paper, the author examines young adulthood as a developmental stage in its own right and as distinct from adolescence. The author describes the tasks and various factors that contextualize young adulthood and highlights a common developmental crisis that young adults often experience with regard to achieving self-responsibility and individuation. Drawing on Loewald’s seminal work in understanding the process of individuation and the mutual dimension of the act of parricide, attention is given to those young adult patients who struggle with committing this symbolic murder of the parent/analyst, especially when confronted with a narcissistically vulnerable parent who is unable to allow him or herself to be “killed off.” A detailed case is presented in which analyst and patient collude to avoid the act of parricide, and the complicated enactments that ensue as a result.
Christopher Bonovitz, PsyD, is a Training and Supervising Analyst at the William Alanson White Institute in New York City; Clinical Assistant Professor at New York University’s Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis; and Faculty and Supervisor at the Mitchell Center for Relational Studies and the Manhattan Institute for Psychoanalysis. Dr. Bonovitz is the Associate Editor of Psychoanalytic Dialogues and the Journal of Contemporary Psychoanalysis. He is also co-editor (with Andrew Harlem) of a 2018 volume in the Relational Book Series, Developmental Perspectives in Child Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy.
Suggested supplemental reading:
- Loewald, H. (1979). The waning of the Oedipus complex. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 27: 751-775.
- Ogden, T. H. (2006). Reading Loewald: Oedipus reconceived. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 87: 651-666.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will be able to describe the stage of young adulthood and its various challenges using a theoretical paradigm.
- Participants will gain a comprehensive framework for working with young adults who are unable to launch.
- Participants will learn effective clinical interventions for navigating the impasses that often ensue during the crisis of young adulthood.
Recent Publications:
- Bonovitz, C. (2021). Malignant envy and preservation of the idealized object: Discussion of “Whose envy is it anyway?”. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 30: 682-688.
- Bonovitz, C. (2021). The anxiety of growing up: The developmental processes in early adolescence. Psychoanalytic Perspectives, 18(1): 8-21.
- Bonovitz, C. (2021). The waiting room as an extension of the treatment: Transference and countertransference across the consulting and waiting rooms. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 31(1): 50-62.
- Bonovitz, C. (2021). What makes time fly: Loewald’s concept of time and the resuscitation of vitality. In R. Sopher & A. S. Cooney (Eds.), Vitalization in psychoanalysis: Perspectives on being and becoming (pp. 257-275).
- Bonovitz, C. (2021). Early adolescence and the search for idealization through basketball and its celebrities: A developmental perspective. In I. Hirsch, P. Blumberg, & R. Watson (Eds.), Psychoanalytic perspectives on intense involvement in sports (pp.127-143).
Participants: This event is designed for graduate level students in mental health and all mental health professionals from introductory to advanced levels. The presentation is geared for clinicians who wish to advance their knowledge and expand their skill base in psychodynamic clinical work.
Refund Policy: Refunds less a $35 handling fee will be given up until three weeks before the presentation.
This program, when participated in its entirety, is available for 2.5 continuing education credits. Division 39 is committed to accessibility and non-discrimination in its continuing education activities. Division 39 is also committed to conducting all activities in conformity with the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles for Psychologists. Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods. If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them. Please address questions, concerns and any complaints to John Allemand at 253-509-8302. There is no commercial support for this program nor are there any relationships between the CE Sponsor, presenting organization, presenter, program content, research, grants or other funding that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest. Participants will be informed of the utility/validity of the content/approach discussed (including the basis for the statements about validity/utility), as well as the limitations of the approach and most common (and severe) risks, if any, associated with the program's content.
