Scientific Meetings
Mission Statement
As an outreach educational arm of the New Center for Psychoanalysis, Extension Division offers educational programs - classes, lectures, seminars, case discussions, film series, and more - intended to augment clinical skills for mental health professionals and to enhance understanding of psychoanalytic theory and practice.
Consistent with the mission of the New Center, the Extension Division courses cover the range of psychoanalytic perspectives and are offered in a spirit of open inquiry. Its courses are taught with an emphasis on an interactive educational approach.
Sexual Boundary Violations:
How Do They Happen?
Sexual boundary violations are considered the most serious ethical infraction in the mental health profession, as well as in higher education and pastoral counseling. Recognized as unethical due to the power imbalance inherent in the structure of the therapist-patient and teacher- student dyads, erotic contact between therapists and patients has been revealed in prevalence studies to occur at an unacceptably high incidence rate (9 to 12 per cent) among mental health practitioners. Dr. Celenza, a recognized expert in the field of boundary violations, presents us with a morning workshop that addresses prevalence, types of transgressors, precursors in transgressors, traumatic sequellae for the victims, and recommendations for prevention.
Course Objectives
• Participants will understand how the intimacy and asymmetry of power in the therapeutic setting can set up sexual boundary violations;
• Participants will better understand what types of analysts get into boundary violation trouble;
• Participants will better understand the traumatic consequences for victims;
• Participants will understand the sorts of institutional changes that can prevent or reduce sexual boundary violations.
Presenter
Andrea Celenza, Ph.D. is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Harvard Medical School. Faculty at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Psychoanalysis. Private practice, Lexington, Massachusetts.
Date: Saturday, February 23, 2008
Time: 9am-12pm
Place: New Center for Psychoanalysis
Fee: $60
Clinical Associates, residents and mental health interns: $30
CE Credits: 3