Race, Class, and the Unconscious: Barrio Stories
Sponsored by the NYSPA Psychoanalysis Division

Sunday, April 11, 2021

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET

Documentary film, Presentations, and Discussion

In contrast to many Latin American countries, where psychoanalysis is tied to social justice, in the United States psychoanalysis has been viewed as reserved for the well-to-do, thus heeding invisible but no less rigid class boundaries. Challenging such discrimination, Patricia Gherovici and Chris Christian will shed light on the psychological complexities of life in the barrio that is often marked by poverty, migration, marginalization, and barriers of language, class, and race. Two clinical cases will be presented to illustrate principles that have been expounded more extensively in their award-winning and highly acclaimed book, Psychoanalysis and the Barrios: Race, Class, and the Unconscious. Rafael Javier, whose work has been essential in challenging many biases in the application of psychoanalysis to diverse populations, will be the respondent and moderator.

Speakers:

Patricia Gherovici, Ph.D. is a psychoanalyst, analytic supervisor, and recipient of the 2020 Sigourney Award for her work with Latinx and gender variant communities. She is an Honorary Member at IPTAR and Founding Member of Das Unbehagen. Her books include The Puerto Rican Syndrome (Other Press: 2003) winner of the Gradiva Award and the Boyer Prize,  Please Select Your Gender: From the Invention of Hysteria to the Democratizing of Transgenderism (Routledge: 2010) and Transgender Psychoanalysis: A Lacanian Perspective on Sexual Difference  (Routledge: 2017). She has published (with Manya Steinkoler) Lacan On Madness: Madness Yes You Can't (Routledge: 2015) and Lacan, Psychoanalysis and Comedy (Cambridge University Press: 2016) and most recently (with Chris Christian) Psychoanalysis in the Barrios: Race, Class, and the Unconscious  (Winner of the Gradiva Award for best edited collection and the American Board and Academy of Psychoanalysis Book Prize; Routledge: 2019.)  

Chris Christian, Ph.D. is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Psychoanalytic Psychology. He obtained a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; earned a Certificate in Psychoanalysis from the Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research (IPTAR), where he is past Dean and Training and Supervising Analyst. His most recent book, Psychoanalysis in the Barrios: Race, Class, and the Unconscious (Routledge), with Patricia Gherovici, is the winner of the 2020 Gradiva Award and the American Board & Academy of Psychoanalysis Book Prize. He is co-editor of Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Conflict with Morris Eagle and David Wolitzky; and co-editor with Michael J. Diamond of The Second Century of Psychoanalysis: Evolving Perspectives on Therapeutic Action (Karnac Books). Dr. Christian is a clinical supervisor in the internship program at Yale. 

Rafael Javier, PhD, ABPP is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Post-Graduate Professional Development Programs, and Postdoctoral Certificate Programs in Forensic Psychology, and founding Director of the Center for Psychological Services and Clinical Studies at St. John's University. He is faculty and supervisor at the Object Relations Institute and founding member of the Center of Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLAS).  He has co-edited several books: Reaching Across Boundaries of Culture and Class, Domestic Violence and Personality Development; Psychotherapy in our Diverse Society: A Source Book; and Patterns of desire: Sexual diversity in psychoanalysis (2006), co-authored with William Herron.  The Handbook of Adoption: Implication for Researchers, Practitioners and Families (2007) was co-edited with Amanda Baden, Frank Biafora, and Alina Camacho-Gingerich.  He wrote The Bilingual mind: Thinking, Feeling, and Speaking in two Languages (2007) and The Specialty competencies in Psychoanalysis in Psychology (2015) co-authored with Dolores Morris and William Herron. He co-edited Understanding Domestic Violence: Theories, Challenges, Remedies (2018) with William Herron, and Assessing Trauma in Forensic Context (2020) with Elizabeth Owen and Jemour Maddux.  He is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless, and Journal of Infant, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

1. Name two ways psychoanalysis can bear witness to trauma and memory of patients living in poverty.
2. List one concrete intervention to reinstate agency on the side of patients.
3. List two things to be wary of in repressing/eliminating symptoms too fast according to a Lacanian approach to therapy.
4. Identify two unconscious features contributing to ataque de nervios.
5. List two ways that a diagnosis that fails to take into consideration the cultural context can cripple therapeutic action.

Tickets:
Psychoanalysis Division Members: $15
NYSPA Members: $20
NYSPA Student Members: $10
Non-NYSPA Members: $25

CE Information:

Two (2) CE credits are available for this program at an additional fee of $10 for NYSPA Members and $20 for non-members. Information regarding purchase of CE credits will be sent out to all registered attendees at the conclusion of the event. 

The Foundation of the New York State Psychological Association, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #Psy-0066.

The Foundation of the New York State Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Foundation of the New York State Psychological Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Grievance Procedure:

Grievances about the workshop must be submitted in writing to the Foundation of the New York State Psychological Association, Inc., 555 8th Avenue, Suite 1902, New York, NY 10018, Attn: Continuing Education Committee.

Cancellation & Photo Policy:

The New York State Psychological Association will accept refund requests made in writing no later than Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Registration fees are not refundable after this date.

By registering for this New York State Psychological Association event, I give consent for my photograph to be taken or presence recorded and possibly used on the organization’s intranet, internet, newsletters, board reports, and other organizational materials as needed. I understand that I am not eligible for compensation for use of my photo and I may not be informed in advance of the specific use of those images.

Event registrant’s registration information may be shared with event organizers who are NYSPA Members for the purpose of communicating information related to the event. If you do not wish to have your information shared, please alert the NYSPA Office by emailing nyspa@nyspa.org immediately after you register. Be sure to include your name and the name and date of the event. Please note, NYSPA is required to provide registrant names, email addresses and license information to event organizers if the applicant is applying for CE credits.