Joe Bobrow, Ph.D.
Everything Happens for a Reason—Or Does It? Knowing and Not-Knowing in the Analytic Encounter
Instructor: Joseph Bobrow, Ph.D.
Course Description
Knowing and not-knowing are both elements intrinsic to the analytic process.
Not infrequently however, knowing, and with it thinking and even understanding, can inadvertently narrow and constrain the analytic encounter. The search for reasons, answers and certainty can drive a need for things to make sense; to fit neatly together. One can plumb one’s past, one’s unconscious, and one’s traumas, and obtain answers of a sort— yet little may shift in the quality of the patient’s sense of aliveness and depth of inner experience.
A number of analysts have come to see the analytic process in a fresh way, seeking to expand both the patient’s and analyst’s range and capacity for experiencing that conveys a sense of the real. Ogden calls this a shift from an epistemological to an ontological framework: From thinking and knowing to being and becoming. Bollas, Bion, Winnicott and Goldberg, Milner and Laplanche have also creatively articulated in their own way a similar shift. The instructor will draw from these innovators and from his own explorations of these developments, in the service of widening the clinical and theoretical horizons of therapists and enhancing the experience of patients.
Educational Objectives
Upon completion of this activity participants should be able to:
Describe the features and the differences between the epistemological and ontological models of psychoanalysis, and their implications for clinical practice.
Describe the dialectic between the activity in psychoanalysis of knowing, and aiming for it, on one hand; and not-knowing, along with a related quality, sustained curiosity on the other.
Licensed Professional — 50
Pre Licensed/Student — 40
2 CE Credits offered
Program Committee
Thomas P. Helscher, Ph.D., Chair
Lisa B. Crilley, LMFT, Co-Chair
Committee Members
Scott Shapiro, Psy.D.
Sandra Wilder-Padilla, Ph.D.
Rachel Katz
Dimitri Gatsiounis, LMFT
Simone Kiboudi, LPC
Lauren O’Connell, LMFT
Instructor Bio
Joseph Bobrow, a teacher, supervisor and training analyst at LAISPS, is also an author and Zen teacher. He has long been creating innovative communities for transforming individual and collective anguish.
His books include Waking Up from War; Zen And Psychotherapy: Partners in Liberation; After Midnight: Collected Poems; and A True Person of No Rank: Awakening Buddha's Dream to Save the World.
Joseph practices psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in Studio City, and teaches widely.
Target Audience
This program is on an advanced level and meets the needs of all mental health professionals, including Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists. CE Credit is offered for licensed psychologists, social workers, and marriage and family therapists.
CE Credit Information
Important Disclosure: All planners, faculty, staff and others involved with this activity have reported no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
This activity has not received commercial support.
Accreditation Statements
Psychologists: LAISPS is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. LAISPS maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Psychiatrists: CME credit will not be offered for this program
Board of Behavioral Sciences: The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts courses approved by the APA for Continuing Education for LCSW, LMFT, LPCC and LEP licenses.
To Earn Credit: Participants must complete an online evaluation within two weeks of completing each session of this CE activity in order to receive credit.
Attention Psychologists: Psychologists can earn a maximum of 2 CE credits for this program. Partial credit may not be awarded, based on APA guidelines
Refunds/Cancellations: Refunds, less a $10 administrative fee, will be made if cancellation notification is phoned or postmarked three (3) business days in advance of this program. There will be no refunds on requests received after the refund deadline. Full refunds are made in the event that LAISPS must cancel this program.
Returned Checks: A $35.00 service charge will be assessed for checks returned by the bank.
Confidentiality: By registering for this educational event, attendees agree to strictly maintain confidentiality of any clinical material shared and will not distribute or convey such confidential material outside of the conference.
Covid-19 Protocol: Attendees are requested to have a negative home test the morning of or evening before class, and to stay home if they are experiencing symptoms or have recently been socially exposed
Virtual Meeting Services This program will be presented via Zoom Video Conferencing. The Zoom login ID will be provided no later than the night before the program is scheduled. Please make sure to provide LAISPS with the email address you want your login information sent to. Please let us know 48 hours in advance if you are switching to zoom from in person.