Scientific Meeting: The Tele-Therapist/ Analyst: Searching for a Silver Lining During the Time of Covid-19
- September 15, 2020
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
The 1042nd Scientific Program Meeting:
“The Tele-Therapist/Analyst: Searching for a Silver Lining During the Time of Covid-19”
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
8:00 – 10:00 pm
This meeting is virtual. ZOOM invite will be emailed to all registrants on the day of the event.
Panelists: Drs. Leon Hoffman (moderator), Tracy A. Prout, Katie Aafjes-van Doorn, Vera Békés
Remote therapy has been used by analytic therapists for a long time. Many, however, have been reluctant to use it regularly due to concerns regarding the distortion of the analytic frame and relational dynamics. The COVID-19 pandemic forced therapists and analysts to switch suddenly to remote therapy from in-person sessions. The panelists will discuss among themselves and with the audience findings from surveys they have recently conducted with therapists and analysts. These concern the previous experience of analytic therapists with remote therapy; the multiple ways in which the clinicians prepared themselves and their patients for the transition; how competent clinicians feel in online as opposed to in-person sessions; the strength of the therapeutic relationship in view of the technical and relational challenges posed by online therapy sessions. Have experiences during the pandemic resulted in more positive views about online therapy, in general? Do most feel online therapy less effective than in-person sessions? Are many willing to continue using remote therapy even with improvement of the public health situation? These and other such questions will be the focus of this meeting.
2 Contact Hours. 2 CME/CE credits offered.
Leon Hoffman, M.D. (moderator) is certified in Adult, Adolescent, and Child Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis. He is Training and Supervising Analyst, Supervisor in Child and Adolescent Psychoanalysis, and Co-Director of the Pacella Research Center at the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute; Faculty, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai; and Chief Psychiatrist/Psychoanalyst at West End Day School. Dr. Hoffman is senior author (along with Drs. Timothy Rice and Tracy Prout) of “Regulation-Focused Psychotherapy for Children with Externalizing Behaviors (RFP-C): A Psychodynamic Approach.” An RCT has recently been completed at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology in New York, with Tracy Prout as PI (https://www.rfp-c.com). Among several papers from this work, findings from a pilot study were published in the American Journal of Psychotherapy in 2019.
Tracy A. Prout, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Psychology at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University. She teaches psychodynamic psychotherapy in the School-Clinical Child Combined Doctoral Program, supervises advanced graduate students in the psychodynamic psychotherapy practicum, and leads the psychodynamic psychotherapy lab at Ferkauf. Dr. Prout earned a certificate in psychodynamic psychotherapy from the Institute for Psychoanalytic Education at NYU Medical Center. She currently serves as co-chair of the Fellowship Committee of the American Psychoanalytic Association and the Research Committee of Division 39.
Katie Aafjes-van Doorn, D.Clin.Psy. is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Clinical Psychology Program of the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, NY. She received an MSc in Clinical Psychology from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, as well as an MSc in Psychological Research and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from University of Oxford, UK. Over the years, she has worked clinically in different settings within the National Health Service, and most recently at a psychoanalytic community clinic in San Francisco. Dr. Aafjes-van Doorn completed a one-year postdoctoral research fellowship at the Derner Institute for Psychological Services, Adelphi University. Her research focuses on psychotherapy process in different modalities, therapist training, and the use of technology by therapists and researchers. She is currently associate editor of the journal Clinical Psychology: Science & Practice.
Vera Békés, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at Ferkuaf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, NY. Her research focuses on trauma and PTSD and the psychotherapy process in various settings, including online interventions. She is especially interested in the role of the therapeutic relationship in symptom improvement. Dr. Békés is co-director of the Psychodynamic Track at Ferkauf Adult Clinical Doctoral Program where she teaches courses on psychodynamic psychotherapy, qualitative methods, and multicultural issues. She is also a fellow at the American Psychoanalytic Association this year.
Educational Objectives: Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:
- describe how the experience of the pandemic resulted in more positive views about online therapy than previously held.
- describe how the majority of analytic therapists felt confident and competent in their online sessions.
Venue: ZOOM Virtual Meeting