WORKSHOP - FOR THERAPISTS, COUNSELORS, AND EDUCATORS -

I have offered these workshops in various locations around the country, with a variety of sponsoring organizations.
They can be offered in 1-day, evening, or weekend formats.
For each workshop, you will find a sample agenda. Workshops can of course be tailored to the specific needs of groups or organizations.
For rates and booking information, contact osherson@earthlink.net

1. Shame and Self-Esteem in the lives of Parents

This seminar explores the role of shame and self-esteem in the parenting relationship, with particular attention to the way in which shame in created, expressed and managed both for the parent and for the child.  Dr. Sam Osherson will explore the nature of parental shame, the normative nature of shame, its adaptive and maladaptive functions, the reciprocal relationship between parent shame and children's shame, and ways of managing the shame of parenting so as to safeguard the self-esteem of both parent and child.

Topic to be presented:

-- Developmental issues in parents' lives: Stages of parenting.  How unfinished business from earlier in the life cycle is stimulated by becoming and being a parent.  how we grow up as our children do.  Authority and connection in the parenting process. 

-- Shame in the parenting relationship: Oppressive cultural expectations about what parents should do.  Internalized shame and performance worries.  Social isolation of parents.  The split between parents' and children's culture.  The role of envy and jealousy between parents.

-- Manifestations of shame in working with parents in therapy: How shame can undermine/ strengthen therapy.  Managing shame in therapy.  The role of the therapist's shame.

-- Restoration of self-esteem with parents: Individual and group techniques for restoring a sense of healthy pride and hopefulness for parents in difficult situation.  Use of writing as a therapeutic adjunct. 

 At the conclusion of this seminar, participants should be better able to:

-- Identify the major stages of parenting

-- Define and identify the nature of shame and how it shapes the parenting process.

-- Specify the way in which shame is present in counseling parents

-- Identify a umber of therapeutic strategies for helping parents manage shame and develop a more confident approach to parenting.

-- Utilize a variety of techniques for involving parents in counseling and group support, including the use of writing.

2. Contemporary Jewish Identity

This seminar explores the relationship between identity and spirituality through the life cycle. Using Judaism and Jewish identity as a focus, we will explore how the relationship to faith of origin and to spiritual search in general shifts and changes as we age. We will examine the difference between spirituality and religion and how individuals create personally- meaning patterns of spiritual expression. Dr. Osherson will explain the role of psychological dynamics in spiritual search, including shame, self- esteem, loss, authority conflicts and separation- individuation issues from family of origin. The psychological importance of ritual and tradition will also be examined. We will as well consider the clinical- developmental strains of being Jewish in America, particularly around assimilation and intermarriage. Finally, we will look at how we as therapists and counselors hear and respond to the spirituality struggles of our patients.
This seminar is open to Jews, non- Jews, and those of us who are both.

Topics to be presented:

-- Spirituality as a family and life experience. How spiritual identity results from identifications with parents, childhood experiences, adult transformative moments and social opportunities.
-- Spiritual search and life stages: how specific developmental life stages and life events influence our construction of spirituality: childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, midlife, and later adulthood.
-- The role of shame, self-esteem, loss, struggles with authority and issues of separation- individuation from parents.
-- The many pathways to a vibrant faith: how to create a psychologically- vibrant spirituality, combining ritual, personal meaning, and tradition. Ways of both holding onto and letting go off the past. Religion as a personal construction of meaning.
-- When is spiritual search part of identity maturation and when is it part of an isolative, turning away from reality?
-- The therapists experience. How do we integrate our own spiritual practice when working with a wide range of people with differing beliefs and needs? Transference and counter- transference issues. Different ways to integrate (or not) being Jewish and being a therapist. How do we respond to our patients struggles with these matters?
 

Jewish spirituality and thought has played a significant role in the development of psychotherapy itself and we will consider the struggles of several seminar thinkers including Freud and Erik Erikson with their own Jewish identities in the light of recent research on their lives.
 
 

At the end participants will be able to:

-- Identify the role of psychological dynamics in spiritual and religious struggles.
--Understand the role of spiritual concerns in the resolution of life- stage challenges at 5 stages of the life cycle.
-- Explain counseling techniques for helping clients uncover and explore spiritual issues in counseling and psychotherapy.
-- Understand spirituality as a personal and social construction.
-- Explain the psychological importance of ritual and tradition.
-- Identify the difference between adaptive and maladaptive spiritual searches.

3. What Every Therapist Needs to Know About Working with Men

In the past decade, much has changed in our understanding of men. This presentation will focus on the male struggle with intimacy and autonomy, and how it shapes the counselling and therapy experience for mental health professionals, both male and female.

 
We will discuss current psycho-dynamic perspective on male development, and describe their clinical implications. We will look at specific cases to illustrate several key points that all therapists need to keep in mind about men.

These include:
-- The basic male struggle with shame, anger and love
-- How these feelings shape men's experience of counseling
-- The hidden relationship struggles in men's lives, and how they are relived in therapy
-- An overview of specific counter-transference issues for male and female therapists in working with men
 

4. Understanding Fathers

Fatherhood is a vital but little understood experience. As therapists, parent educators or teachers, we often work with fathers, but struggle to engage them in the experience. This workshop uses case studies, poetry, music, and contemporary psychological theory to understand the key challenges of fatherhood, the dilemmas of those who work with them, and how to more effectively engage fathers in both therapy as well as the schools.

5. The Stories Parents Tell: Clinical-Developmental Implications

Parenthood is an important developmental experience in the lives of both men and women. It is also a part of life that may be difficult to bring into focus with the patients or parents we work with. This workshop explores a variety of techniques and theoretical perspectives for understanding the parent's experience, our own challenges and opportunities as professionals, so as to creating a satisfying alliance with parents.
 

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