We hope that you enjoy this month's issue, and we hope you'll join NCSPP or contribute to our scholarship fund to assist us in fostering a vibrant psychoanalytic community in Northern California.

The NCSPP board is very pleased to welcome Matthew Morrissey as the Editor-in-Chief of IMPULSE. Matthew has served as Technical Editor for the past year. He brings to his new position a passion for building psychoanalytic community. We are thrilled to have him aboard and look forward to seeing his ideas come "online".

I had originally planned to use this brief column to alert readers to recent publications supporting the effectiveness of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. This is a crucial development for us therapists and analysts, but one that I will wait to address.

As you may know, the psychoanalytic community is mourning the loss of Ruth Stein. She died unexpectedly while attending the national meeting of the American Psychoanalytic Association, just hours after receiving the JAPA prize for her article, "The Otherness of Sexuality: Excess." In announcing Ruths tragic death, Jeremy Safran, President of the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy (IARPP), noted her "rare combination of brilliance, eloquence, depth, passion, vibrancy and heart."

Members of our local community were fortunate to experience her remarkable person and skill in 2008, when Ruth presented "A Deep Well: Ruth Stein on the Feel of the Unconscious" at the opening event for the NCSPP Intensive Study Group (ISG). Ruth spoke about the ways that we, as clinicians, become personally involved in the clinical process, necessitating our encounter with the deep wells of our own unconscious psychic lives in order to make contact with those of our patients.

In an email, my colleague, Drew Tillotson, shared with me his recollections from the NCSPP dinner that evening with Ruth. "She was warm, funny and brilliant ... we laughed and had a vibrant conversation. I tell you this because she did not know me, and I did not know her, but after dinner she gave me a warm hug. ... I felt very much like she was ... a real humanist, a connected soul with passion in her eyes. She moved me, she got me, she was so very wise. This is so very sad and such a huge loss to psychoanalysis. Such a loss because she was so truly 'alive.'"

The NCSPP board expresses it deepest condolences to Ruth's family and friends.


Andrew Harlem, Ph.D.
NCSPP President


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As the new Editor-in-Chief of IMPULSE, I'd like first to thank Cleopatra Victoria, the previous editor and founder of this newsletter, for her vision and careful stewardship these past five years. I look forward to working with our dedicated staff, namely Bruce Weitzman, Meg Earls, Terra Morais, and Michele McGuinness, who each month ensure quality content and timely delivery.

I decided that my first task on the job should be to take a careful developmental history. So, I read through the IMPULSE archives. The history was notable in two ways.

First, I marveled at the ongoing diversity of psychoanalytic thought and activity in Northern California, from the panoply of seminars and lectures listed in Appointment Book and Event Spotlight to the portrayals of various organizations in Piece of Mind and even IMPULSE's growing Classifieds section. My historic review helped me realize that a sizeable community had become visible through IMPULSE's aggregating function.

Second, I noticed that staff writers made many attempts over the years to chronicle something of this community in greater depth. There used to be wonderful stories in a column called Psychoanalysis on the Streets. There was also a Candidate?s Blog, an opportunity for candidates at local institutes to write about their experiences. There also was an occasional feature called Making Links, a tastefully curated gallery of links to psychoanalytic media on the web.

As Editor-in-Chief, I would like to bring this diversity to IMPULSE. Such a sizeable community is full of exciting stories waiting to be told. There is ample opportunity, in short, for some quality journalism. I have a few ideas up my sleeve for how to make this happen with regularity. Any ideas or interest from you, our readers, would also be most welcome.

Matthew Morrissey, MFT
IMPULSE Editor


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This year's conference of the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, an international gathering of psychoanalysts and professionals working in allied intellectual fields on socio-cultural projects, joins our Bay Area colleagues to explore "Expanding the Relational Context." This conference seeks to broaden the horizon of relational theory and clinical work by taking up several themes that mark the opening of psychoanalysis in the social sphere: desire, sexuality, politics, economics, aesthetics, technologies.

Conference Highlights include five plenaries that highlight these topics: Desire and Consent, Transgendering, Economic Crisis/Relational Crisis, Birth Technologies and Subjectivity, and Collective Trauma and Reconciliation. In addition to pre-conference workshops on relational theory, adult-onset trauma, and meditation in psychoanalysis, there are 35 paper sessions and featured panels that include: A Conversation Between Steve Seligman, Erik Hesse, and Mary Main, a Roundtable on Community-Based Psychoanalysis, Aesthetics, and Culture and the Transformation of Psychoanalysis.

Complete conference information at: www.iarpp.net, or see the IMPULSE ad below.


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Appointment Book offers a sampling of the psychoanalytically oriented events taking place in Northern California over the coming month. Where available, simply click an event title to view details on the sponsoring organization's web site.

SFCP Salon: The Anatomy of the Paperless Practice
Wed, Feb 3 / 7:30 PM - 9 PM / 2340 Jackson, 4th floor / SF
SFCP / (415) 563-5815 / Amy Berlin, M.D. / $35

SFCP Psychoanalytic Student Seminar
Thu, Feb 4 / 6:30 PM - 8 PM / Psychiatry Building 401 Quarry Road / Stanford
SFCP / (415) 563-5815 / Shela Fisk, Ph.D. and Jana Kahn, Ph.D. / free

SFCP: Mum's the Word: Are We Becoming Silent on Masturbation
Sat, Feb 6 / 10 AM - 12 PM / 2340 Jackson, 4th floor / San Francisco
SFCP / (415) 563-5815 / Denia Barrett, L.I.S.W. / free

SFCP Scientific Mtg: Immaculate Attachment vs Passive Yearning
Mon, Feb 8 / 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM / 2340 Jackson, 4th floor / San Francisco
SFCP / (415) 563-5815 / Donald Moss, M.D. / free

SFCP Community Members North Bay Clinical Forum
Tue, Feb 9 / 7 PM - 9 PM / 4340 Redwood Highway / San Rafael
SFCP / (415) 563-5815 / Raja Hornstein, Psy.D. & Steve Purcell, M.D. / free

SFCP Community Members East Bay Clinical Forum
Wed, Feb 10 / 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM / Herrick Hospital, Conf. Rm CC, 2001 Dwight Way / Berkeley
SFCP / (415) 563-5815 / Carolina Bacchi, Psy.D. & Barbara McSwain, M.S.W. / free

The Body in Adolescence and the Origins of Self-Destructive Acts
Sat, Feb 13 / 10 AM - 1 PM / 100 N. Winchester Blvd. / Santa Clara
NCSPP / Terry McLarnan (408) 985-8115 ext. 212 / Brian Feldman, Ph.D. / $30-$70

SFCP Community Members San Francisco Clinical Forum
Tue, Feb 16 / 7:15 PM - 9 PM / 2340 Jackson, 4th floor / San Francisco
SFCP / (415) 563-5815 / Arlene Bermann, LCSW & Alice Jones, M.D. / free

SFCP Community Members South Bay Clinical Forum
Tue, Feb 16 / 7:15 PM - 9 PM / Psychiatry Building 401 Quarry Road / Stanford
SFCP / (415) 563-5815 / TBA / free

SFCP Dialogues: Truth, Beauty, & Aesthetic Experience in PA
Sat, Feb 20 / 9:30 PM - 12:30 PM / 2340 Jackson, 4th floor / San Francisco
SFCP / (415) 563-5815 / H. Markman, M.D., R. Peltz, Ph.D., A. Sweetnam, Ph.D. / $35-$45

SFCP Special Program with Adrienne Harris, Ph.D.
Tue, Feb 23 / 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM / 2340 Jackson, 4th floor / San Francisco
SFCP / (415) 563-5815 / Adrienne Harris, Ph.D. / $50

SFCP Psychoanalytic Student Seminar
Tue, Feb 23 (begins) / 7:30 PM - 9 PM / 2340 Jackson, 4th floor / San Francisco
SFCP / (415) 563-5815 / Beth Steinberg, Ph.D. / free

SFCP Grand Rounds: Sculpted Creativity & Active Self Acceptance
Wed, Feb 24 / 6:15 PM - 7:30 PM / Psychiatry Building 401 Quarry Road / Stanford
SFCP / (415) 563-5815 / Carlo Strenger, Ph.D., Tel Aviv / free

IARPP Annual Conference: Expanding the Relational Context
Thu, Feb 25 (begins) / 3:15 PM / Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason Street / SF
PINC / (858) 270-3503 / Harris, Altman, Dimen, Benjamin, Slowchower, Bass, et al. / $140-$380

P/SB NCSPP Pre-licensed Event: Meet the Professors
Fri, Feb 26 / 7 PM - 9 PM / Private home / Redwood City
NCSPP / (650) 833-9574 / Michael Axelman, Ph.D. & Helen Marlo. Ph.D. / $10

PINC: Continuous Case Conf.: Analytic Approaches to Therapy
Wed, Mar 3 (begins) / 7:30 PM - 9 PM / PINC Library, 2252 Fillmore St. / San Francisco,
PINC / (415) 922-4050 / Bob Carrere, Ph.D. & Ralph Kaywin, DMH / $260

Thinking Psychoanalytically in the Community
Fri, Mar 5 / 4 PM - 5:30 PM / The Wright Institute / Berkeley
NCSPP / (510) 207-9443 / Francisco Gonzalez, M.D. / free

To submit an event, please see our submission guidelines.

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LEFT BEHIND? - GET ONLINE! Create Your Presence on the Web. Need a good website but don?t know where to start? What about Twitter. Wiki. Blog. Facebook. Social Network. Demystify web terms and processes in a supportive environment and create your own position on the Internet. The key to a comfortable and effective web presence comes with understanding the choices and creating a fit that's right for you. If you are new to it, or if it's just been awhile, I?m here to help. Websites. Computer and Internet Basics and Beyond. Customized Individual Tutoring. sherri.ortegren@yahoo.com, (415) 250-1034, www.sherriortegren.com.

PSYCHOANALYTIC ORIENTED CONSULTATION GROUP forming, Mondays 1:45-3:00, Palo Alto. Reading plus case material. For information contact: Carol Harrus, M.D., (650) 328-8935 or Diane Strongwater, MFT, (408) 737-1337.

PSYCHOANALYTIC CASE CONSULTATION GROUP. Ongoing consultation group with openings starting March 5th. The focus will be on working from multiple perspectives. Even though we may be familiar with a variety of theories, it is often difficult to work from a number of perspectives in any one case or session. We will be addressing the complexity of working from a multi-model approach drawing on Freud, Klein, Bion, Middle School and Intersubjective approaches. Friday afternoons. Oakland. 16 week commitment. $800. CE pending. Annie Sweetnam, Ph.D (510) 531-5212. Anniesweetnam@sbcglobal.net

PSYCHOANALYTIC WRITING GROUP. Ongoing group with openings. A supportive group for those already writing or for those wanting to start. Focus will be on helping each member to develop their unique style and form of analytic writing. Saturday mornings once/ month. Oakland. 8 meeting commitment. $600. Annie Sweetnam, Ph.D (510) 531-5212. Anniesweetnam@sbcglobal.net

PSYCHOLOGIST SEEKS TUESDAY OFFICE SUBLET in Sacramento or Fillmore Street area; $200 max. Contact Ilene (415) 820-1508.

THINKING OF READING BION? Study and Case Consultation with Eileen Keller. Bion's works on thinking and states of mind are wonderfully useful in clinical work, though hard to grasp in isolation. In this group we will investigate the foundations of his thinking, in "Second Thoughts," a collection of his earliest papers, where Bion articulates his understanding of the basis for attacks on reality through primitive "de-linking" defensive activity. We will alternate close reading with case presentation by group members, to build an understanding of his seminal ideas about the psychotic and non psychotic parts of the personality, attacks on linking, the psychic meaning of arrogance, and his theory of thinking. Dr. Keller is a psychologist/psychoanalyst, Member and Faculty at SFCP. www.kellerphd.com. ?I have been studying and teaching Bion in the context of his contemporaries, including Klein and Winnicott, for twenty years. I continue to discover meaning anew in every group reading Bion together. I hope you will join me in this ongoing endeavor to deepen clinical practice through the study of theory.? Thursdays 12:30 ? 1:45. March 4- June 17, 2010 5435 College Ave. #201, Oakland Cost is $50 per session. Limited to six. Contact Dr. Keller at (510) 654-2420 or kellerphd@gmail.com.

PSYCHIATRIC MEDICATION MANAGEMENT for patients in psychotherapy. Victor Libbey is a physician assistant (PA-C) with over 10 years experience in psychopharmacology. Expert MD supervision and a convenient Castro area location, sliding scale available! Victor Libbey, PA-C. Victor@psychiatrybayarea.com or (415) 437-1339.

ONGOING PSYCHOANALYTIC CONSULTATION GROUPS utilize case material, readings and group process as vehicles to deepen work with patients while embracing and developing one's own personal and unique clinical style. Berkeley location. Contact Cindy Sachs at (510) 339-3260 for more information about individual groups.


Old couches, new books, hot jobs, cool internships? Post classified ads on NCSPP's online bulletin board at no charge. We will also feature your listing in IMPULSE for a modest fee. Please see our submission guidelines for details.

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The Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology (NCSPP) is committed to the study of psychoanalytic psychology and the encouragement of its interest in the professional and general communities. We are a multi-disciplinary, non-profit membership organization open to mental health professionals and all others interested in the study of psychoanalytic psychology.

Our more than 650 members form a community that spans the greater Bay Area and Northern California. NCSPP is a local affiliate of Division 39 (psychoanalysis) of the American Psychological Association. Our vast array of lectures, intensive study groups, scientific meetings, courses, our journal fort da, and numerous special events and projects are all brought to you by scores of volunteers who work to support NCSPP's mission. Our educational programs include continuing education credit for psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and licensed clinical social workers. We welcome you into the psychoanalytic community in Northern California. Join us.

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Andrew Harlem, Ph.D., NCSPP President
Matthew Morrissey, MFT, Editor-in-Chief
Bruce Weitzman, MFT, Managing Editor
Meg Earls, M.A., Features Editor
Terra Morais, M.A., Appointment Book Editor
Michele McGuinness, Production Manager

Cleopatra Victoria, M.A., MFT, Founder and Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
Cate Corcoran, Psy.D., Brad Falconer, M.A., Editors Emeriti

Each month, IMPULSE reaches over 1,830 psychoanalytically interested professionals and students in Northern California.

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IMPULSE is a monthly newsletter published by the Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology for the purpose of connecting Northern California psychoanalytic practitioners, students, and scholars. IMPULSE aims to foster the development of psychoanalytic practice and thought in our region through collaboration and understanding.

For information on submitting event listings and other content to IMPULSE, please see our guidelines and policies page on the NCSPP web site.

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IMPULSE is published electronically once a month by the Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology. Comments are welcome and should be sent via our online contact form.

You are receiving this monthly newsletter from the Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology (NCSPP) because of your interest in psychoanalysis. Any mental health professional or student interested in psychoanalytic thought may subscribe free to IMPULSE, regardless of organizational affiliation. To ensure that IMPULSE isn't misidentified as junk mail, we recommend adding impulse@ncspp.org to your email program's address book. If you haven't done so already, click to confirm your interest in subscribing. To unsubscribe, click the SafeUnsubscribe link at the bottom of this message.

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