Film & Mind: Nickel Boys
**PACIFIC TIME** : November 14, 2025, 8:00 - 9:30 PM
*** Registration will close at 4:30 PM the day of the event. No registrations are possible after this time, no exceptions. *** See our Policy page for more info.
PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
- You will receive confirmation and details by email. Contact Byrd at byrdb@n-c-p.org if you have questions.
- The program presentation runs from 8 PM to 9:30 PM
- This program is being presented Online Only.
- A signature is required (in the meeting Chat) for CE/CME Credit.
- 1.5 CE/CME credits are offered for this program.
RaMell Ross's Nickel Boys (2024) is based on Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about two African-American boys sent to an abusive reform school in 1960s Florida. Shot entirely from first-person perspective, the film explores institutional trauma, systemic racism, friendship, resilience, and the long-term psychological effects of childhood abuse. The story is inspired by the real Dozier School for Boys, where extensive abuse occurred for over a century.
The film vividly portrays the brutality and dehumanization experienced by Black boys at Nickel Academy, a fictional institution inspired by real-life abuses in reform schools in the Jim Crow South. This experience reflects a pervasive and ongoing racial trauma that continues to impact individuals and communities. Examining the psychological toll on the main characters can help in understanding how systemic racism inflicts lasting wounds on the psyche, impacting development, interpersonal relationships, and a sense of self and belonging.
The narrative also highlights contrasting approaches to surviving and resisting oppression. Analyzing their individual and combined journeys helps recognize the diverse ways individuals navigate trauma and maintain self-worth amidst systemic injustice.
Finally, the Nickel Academy operates as a microcosm of larger societal structures, revealing how power can be wielded to perpetuate racial hierarchies and maintain secrecy around abuse. Examining these power dynamics sheds light on the interplay between individual experiences and the broader societal forces that shape them.
Where to watch
MGM+, Amazon Prime (subscriptions), AppleTV and others
Schedule:
*** All times listed are Pacific Time (PT) ***
Discussion (on Zoom): 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM - We will hear from our discussants and explore the film together.
We will not watch the film together prior to the discussion. Participants should watch the film beforehand or begin screening on their own before 6:15 pm PT.
Learning Objectives:
As a result of attending this session, participants should be able to:
- Discuss the enduring legacy of racial trauma, as seen in the psychodynamics of the lead characters, and in examples from the clinic.
- Identify the different forms of resistance and resilience to institutionalized oppression and the diverse ways individuals navigate trauma and maintain self-worth amidst systemic injustice.
- Deconstruct the dynamics of institutional power and silence, shedding light on the interplay between individual experiences and the broader societal forces that shape them.
Bibliography:
Levine, L. (2022). Interrogating Race, Shame and Mutual Vulnerability: Overlapping and Interlapping Waves of Relation. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 32(2), 99–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/10481885.2022.2033546
Powell, D. R. (2018) Race, African Americans, and Psychoanalysis: Collective Silence in the Therapeutic Conversation. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association 66:1021-1049
Stephens, M. A. (2021) Collisions in the Dark: Invisible Intersectionality and the Black Female Psychoanalyst. Contemporary Psychoanalysis 57:165-197
Vaughans, K. C. (2021) Black Boys in the Eye of the Storm. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child 74:47-58
Vaughans, K. C. (2022). Commentary on Lauren Levine’s “Interrogating Race, Shame and Mutual Vulnerability.” Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 32(2), 126–129. https://doi.org/10.1080/10481885.2022.2033549
Program Coordinators:
Thomas Brod, MD, Apurva Shah, MD and Mary Starks, MA, LPCC
Discussants:
Debra J. Myers, MD is a graduate of Harvard Medical School. She has a private practice in psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy in West Los Angeles, serving adults and adolescents. She was a biology major at Stanford University and did a residency in Internal Medicine at Stanford Medical Center. Her training in Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine was at UCSF. While on the faculty at Wayne State University School of Medicine, she earned an MS in Biostatistics and Clinical Research Design at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She trained in Psychoanalysis at the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles. There she combined medical training with her humanistic interests and lifelong interest in the human mind. During her psychoanalytic training, she spent five years as a volunteer telephone counselor at the Didi Hirsch Suicide Crisis Line. She spent two years as an intern therapist at the Valley Community Clinic, a facility serving the underserved.
Chauncey K. Robinson is an award-winning journalist and film critic. Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, she has a strong love for storytelling and history. She believes narrative greatly influences the way we see the world, which is why she's all about dissecting and analyzing stories and culture to help inform and empower the people.
IMPORTANT:
- This is online only. It will be held via Zoom.
- Pre-registration is required.
- Target audience: Mental health professionals and open to the public interested in psychoanalytic perspectives. Open to members and the community.
- Level: Every level.
- 1.5 CE/CME credits offered.
- Signature is required for Continuing Education Credit. Zoom attendees must "sign" in and out at the beginning and end of the discussion in the Zoom Meeting Chat to receive credit.
- You will receive a confirmation and event-details message by email after registering. Contact Byrd at byrdb@n-c-p.org if you have questions.
FEES:
$25 with CE Credit
$15 without Credit
Free for NCP Psychoanalysts-in-Training and Students
"How do I get my CE/CME Credit?"
- Pre-Register below
- If you are registering for the first time you will receive a welcome email. You must follow the directions in this email to complete your registration in order to access your certificates.
- "Sign" in and "sign" out during the event (by typing your full name into the chat). This is how we record your attendance at the event.
- Wait 10 business days.
- Download your Certificate on the NCP website.
CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT
PHYSICIANS: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of American Psychoanalytic Association and the New Center for Psychoanalysis. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
The APsA CE Committee has reviewed the materials for accredited continuing education and has determined that this activity is not related to the product line of ineligible companies and therefore, the activity meets the exception outlined in Standard 3: ACCME's identification, mitigation and disclosure of relevant financial relationship. This activity does not have any known commercial support.
PSYCHOLOGISTS: The New Center for Psychoanalysis is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The New Center for Psychoanalysis maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Psychologists must report CE credits directly to MCEP using the attendance certificate to verify attendance. Please note that a psychologist must attend the CE program in its entirety in order to receive credit.
SOCIAL WORKERS, MARRIAGE and FAMILY THERAPISTS (LCSW, LMFT, ASW, IMF, LEP, LPCC, PCCI): The New Center for Psychoanalysis offers continuing education via the organizations listed above whose requirements meet the course content requirements set by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (see 16 CCR section 1887.4.0 for General CE Course Content Requirements). Acceptance of the CE credits for this activity is at the discretion of the licensing board.
Registration
Sorry, registration is not available at this time.
Registration Type | Registration Opens | Registration Closes |
---|---|---|
General Registration (Zoom Only) (CE/CME Credit) | Sep 25, 2025 | Nov 14, 2025 |
NCP Students (Zoom Only) (CE/CME Credit) | Sep 25, 2025 | Nov 14, 2025 |
General Registration No Credit (Zoom Only) (No CE/CME Credit) | Sep 25, 2025 | Nov 14, 2025 |
Presenter with Credit (CE/CME Credit) | Sep 25, 2025 | Nov 14, 2025 |