The Complexities of Managing Emotional Regulation in
Group Therapy

Friday, November 8, 2024
9AM - 4:30PM
Lunch Included
Location: Woodlawn Pointe Community Center
702 Donaldson Avenue | San Antonio 78228

Description:

In today’s fast-paced, stressful, and often isolating world, the capacity for emotional regulation is essential. Traditionally viewed as an internal or intrapsychic process within the individual, emotional regulation is increasingly recognized as an interpersonal process, especially within group therapy settings. Group therapy uniquely allows for coregulation—where emotional states are managed between group members and between group members and the facilitator—helping individuals develop the capacity for more effective self-regulation over time.

This presentation will explore emotional regulation through the lens of three major therapeutic approaches: behavioral, psychoanalytic/attachment-focused, and neurobiological perspectives. Attention will be given to the neurobiological mechanisms involved in emotional regulation, including the roles of brain regions such as the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus. Additionally, we will discuss the role of psychopharmacology in supporting emotional regulation, exploring how medications can assist in stabilizing mood and emotional reactivity.

A distinguished panel of experts will present on these varying approaches, followed by two live demonstration groups: Susan Mengden will lead a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) demonstration group, and Jake Pickard will facilitate a modern analytic process group. These demonstrations will allow participants to directly experience how these therapeutic models operate in fostering emotional regulation. The session will conclude with a large-group discussion aimed at comparing and synthesizing these different approaches.

Presenters:

Dr. Victor M. Gonzalez Jr.
Dr. Victor M. Gonzalez Jr. is a double-boarded adult and geriatric psychiatrist with extensive experience in both clinical practice and academic leadership. He holds an M.D. from the University of Wisconsin and completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Texas Dell Medical School, followed by a geriatric psychiatry fellowship at UT Health San Antonio. Dr. Gonzalez is the owner of Nexus Psychiatry in San Antonio, serves as a psychiatrist at Televero Health, and is a past president of the Bexar County Psychiatric Society. He is passionate about medical education and actively contributes to psychiatric residency training and mentorship.

 Susan Mengden, PhD, CGP, CEDS-C
Susan C. Mengden, PhD, Certified Eating Disorder Specialist-iaedp Approved Consultant, and Certified Group Psychotherapist is the Founder and Executive Director of Esperanza Eating Disorders Center in San Antonio, Texas. Mengden has 35 years of clinical experience specializing in eating disorder treatment. She is intensively trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Family-Based Treatment (FBT), and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MSBR).

Jake Pickard, Ph.D.
Jake Pickard is a licensed psychologist and certified group psychotherapist in private practice, working with individuals, couples, and groups.  He is a graduate of the Center for Group Studies in New York City, which teaches the modern analytic approach to group therapy.  He runs an ongoing modern analytic process group in his private practice.  In addition to his private practice, he is an assistant professor within the UIW / TIGMER psychiatry residency, where he is chief of psychotherapy training.  He is the current president of SAGPS.  

Objectives
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Identify Core Strategies for Emotional Regulation: Understand and identify several key strategies within behavioral, psychoanalytic/attachment-focused, and neurobiological approaches that facilitate emotional regulation in group therapy.

2. Explore the Neurobiological Basis of Emotional Regulation: Gain insight into the various brain regions involved in emotional regulation, such as the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus, and understand how these regions interact to modulate emotional responses.

3. Examine Psychopharmacology Options: Review common psychopharmacological treatments that can support emotional regulation, understanding their mechanisms of action and how they complement therapeutic interventions.

4. Differentiate Group Therapy Modalities: Clearly articulate the differences between DBT and modern analytic group therapy, highlighting how each modality approaches emotional regulation, group dynamics, and therapeutic goals.

5. Experience Emotional Regulation in Practice: Participate in live demonstration groups to appreciate both the similarities and differences between DBT and modern analytic approaches in real-time, providing experiential insight into how each model facilitates emotional regulation.

6. Enhance Therapeutic Practice: Apply concepts of emotional regulation from the behavioral, psychoanalytic, and neurobiological frameworks to clinical practice, integrating psychopharmacology as needed to support individual and group treatment outcomes.

7. Engage in Reflective Group Learning: Collaborate in a large-group discussion to synthesize the information presented and reflect on how these varied approaches can be used to enhance emotional regulation and group dynamics in clinical practice.

Presented by: Shelley Firestone, M.D., FAGPA-F, CGP, PAT

Group psychotherapy can be a life-changing experience, offering relational experiences critical to the process of healing, growth and transformation, and psychodrama experienced in a group format Is perhaps the most powerful and effective modality in our therapeutic repertoire.  This workshop will showcase the use of psychodrama, while teaching theory and technique invaluable for becoming a psychotherapist, and for anyone working towards self-improvement. The participants will have the opportunity to experience the magic of growth and change, while gaining training and expertise in basic psychodrama action techniques. (Participation in all exercises is voluntary.) 

6 CE’s Available
*Lunch will be provided
Location: Alamo Heights United Methodist Church
825 E Basse Rd
San Antonio, TX 78209

Learning Objectives
From this workshop, the attendee will be able to:

1. Describe basic psychodrama practice.
2. Shift some client(s) from reporting events to creating experiences in the “here and now” of the session.
3. Appreciate the power and effectiveness of psychodrama action concepts and techniques, and explain Doubling, Role Taking and Role Reversal.
4. Use one new technique as a therapeutic intervention in individual, couple, family, or group psychotherapy to facilitate access to emotions or to teach conflict resolution.
5. Use one new technique for building connection and cohesion in families, couples, and groups.

Shelley Firestone, M.D., FAGPA-F, CGP, PAT; a psychiatrist and psychotherapist for 40 years and lecturer at the University of Chicago Department of Psychiatry, with Board Certification, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Psychiatry, Addiction Medicine and S/P Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; Member, Certified Group Psychotherapist, and Fellow, American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA); Member and Editorial Consultant, and Recipient of the Zerka Moreno Award (2016) of the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama (ASGPP) and Certified Practitioner (CP) and Practitioner and Trainer (PAT) of the American Board of Psychodrama, Sociometry and Group Psychotherapy; Member and Certified Consultant for the A.K. Rice Center for the Study of Groups and Organizations (AKRI); Member American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and the American Association of Addiction Medicine (ASAM); Founder and Chairperson of the Jacob and Zerka Moreno Foundation for Psychodrama, Sociometry and Group Psychotherapy; Medical Director, Psychotherapist and Psychiatrist, Chicago Center for Psychotherapy and Psychiatry.

Facing Our Existential Realities:  Group as a Source of
Hope & Connection

This workshop will focus on ethical self-care and the care of our clients as we face the existential threats present in our world today. We face the uncertainty and trauma of global political turmoil, war, catastrophic climate change, mass shootings, radical technological change, and ongoing health threats. How do we face these challenges in our personal and professional lives? To what values do we adhere to inform and guide us? How are we navigating our way through these rough waters? We will use our group to uncover our feelings about our present existence and to discover ways in which we can care for ourselves and for our clients.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:
1)    Name several existential threats in everyday life.
2)    Identify the values that inform how they conduct their personal and professional lives.
3)    Discuss their thoughts, feelings, and perceptions about how the current challenges affect them and their clients.
4)    Identify the ways that group and community create hope and resilience in the face of uncertain existential forces.

Presenters:

D. Thomas Stone, Jr., Ph.D.
Clinical, Consulting and Group Psychology

Dr. Stone is a licensed psychologist in private practice providing individual, relationship, and group services. He also works with organizations applying clinical and group psychology principles to their leadership teams. Currently, he is Co-chair of AGPA Connect, an international conference on group psychotherapy organized by the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA). He has presented nationally on a wide variety of topics in psychology and psychotherapy. Since 9/11, Dr. Stone has provided services to professionals affected by their work serving trauma survivors. He is a published author in group psychology. He is a fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, a certified group psychotherapist, and a diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology in group psychology. He is the most recent recipient of the Social Responsibility Award (2023) from the Group Foundation for Advancing Mental Health.

Jake Pickard, Ph.D.

Jake Pickard is a licensed psychologist and certified group psychotherapist in private practice, working with individuals, couples, and groups.  He is a graduate of the Center for Group Studies in New York City, which teaches the modern analytic approach to group therapy.  He runs an ongoing modern analytic process group in his private practice. In addition to his private practice, he is an assistant professor within the UIW / TIGMER psychiatry residency, where he chief of psychotherapy training.  He is the current president-elect of SAGPS.

Presented by: Ginger M. Sullivan, MA, LPC, CGP, AGPA-F 

Are you looking to add an exciting and potent treatment modality to your clinical practice?

 Join us for an exciting day of exploring all things couples group therapy – the what, the why and the how.

 In the morning, we will explore the odd-yet-winsome unique blend of modern analysis and Relational Life Therapy (RLT), a form of couple’s therapy which espouses full-respect living, with a heavy emphasis on truth telling.  RLT sets the frame and tells the story.  Modern analysis rewrites the story.  We will identify relational styles and how it detracts from psychological maturation and satisfying connection.  Essential concepts, such as grandiosity and shame, will be demonstrated experientially and didactically.

After lunch, these concepts will come to life in an Experiential Mock Couples Group Therapy.

 Whether you plan to run a couple’s therapy group or not, the combination of these approaches can provide new and creative ways of working with individual couples.

 Ginger M. Sullivan, MA, LPC, CGP, AGPA-F is in private practice in Washington, DC where she specializes in psychodynamic individual therapy, modern analytic group therapy and Relational Life Couples therapy. She is on Faculty at the Center for Group Studies in New York and author of the book, The Road Out: Musings of A Southern Wanderlust. Her work with couples consists of traditional on-going therapy and Weekend Intensives for those that want a private time-condensed experience. She is also the creator of an online educational program, Give It One More Chance. You can find out more about Ginger at:  http://www.gingersullivan.org.

Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this workshop, the attendee will be able to:

1. Apply RLT (Relational Life Therapy) principles as a supplemental and beneficial frame to modern analytic work in a couples group setting.

2. Describe the four relational patterns as derivatives from the center of health.

3. Differentiate and utilize the wounded child, the adaptive child and the functioning adult as identified in the group process.

4. Structure and organize a working couples group in a clinical setting.

Please join us for our Annual SAPS Fall Social

This gathering will be face-to-face at our Treasurer Susan Mengden's
home. We will be networking, reconnecting, and enjoying each other's company.

Friday, September 29th

534 Country Lane
San Antonio, Texas 78209

Drinks, food, and fun!

TIME: 5:30-7:00 PM

Refreshments and snacks will be provided.

Please RSVP to sagps.sa@gmail.com regarding attendance and if bringing a guest.

THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL - THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST

Creative Approaches To Trauma Processing and Resilience-Building In An Age of Mass Trauma

PRESENTER:  Craig haen, phd, rdt, cgp, lcat, agpa-f

Location:
Bishop Jones Center
Chapel House
111 Torcido Dr

9:00AM - 4:30PM
6 CE hours
*lunch will be provided

From school shootings to mass disasters, the past several years have offered no shortage of sudden and shocking events that have disrupted communities. Group therapists are ideally situated to respond to these events, both in the immediate aftermath and throughout the extended period of recovery. This daylong workshop offers training on clinical work in the context of community and shared traumatic events, with a particular emphasis on the use of art-based, experiential, and embodied approaches. Such techniques are particularly useful in establishing safety, promoting self-regulation, and making meaning in the face of events that often defy the use of language. Topics will include the impact and nature of mass trauma; factors influencing individual and community responses; building resilience within the professional self; distinguishing between acute and long-term intervention; and the incorporation of creative approaches within group and individual modalities. Attendees will engage with both theory and practice, including in vivo demonstration of experiential techniques. 

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify at least three emotional reactions experienced by people who have been exposed to mass trauma events.
2. Cite three factors that can influence the impact of a traumatic event on a community.
3. Identify at least two ways in which a shared trauma impacts professionals working in that context.
4. Distinguish between acute and long-term intervention by identifying one difference in the therapist’s use of self.
5. Describe two experiential techniques that can be utilized in trauma processing.
6. Apply these experiential techniques to three different patient contexts.

Dr. Haen has a private practice working with children, adolescents, adults and families in White Plains, NY, and provides consultation and training on trauma-responsive practices, as well as frontline and secondary response to traumatic events in communities and systems. He is a Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, where he co-chairs the Community Outreach Task Force, which facilitates the organization’s response to mass trauma events. He co-founded and serves as Program Director for the Kint Institute, offering post-Masters clinical training in the arts and trauma treatment. His most recent book is Creative Arts-Based Group Therapy with Adolescents, with Nancy Boyd Webb.

REGISTRATION IS FULL - THANK YOU FOR INTEREST

Ethical Considerations In Group Therapy With Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) Clients

Presenter:  Jennifer "Alison" Bess, Ph.D. (they/she)

Location:
Alamo Heights United Methodist Church
825 E Basse Rd
San Antonio, Texas 78209

Annual general membership meeting 12:45-1:00pm

More transgender and gender diverse (TGD) clients are seeking therapy than ever before, and referring all such clients to a small number of “specialists” is no longer a feasible way to fill this need. It is an ethical imperative that all practicing psychotherapists become knowledgeable regarding the needs of TGD clients. Recently published best practices by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) emphasize increasing access to gender affirming care for this population, as well as removal of systemic barriers. This 3-hour in-person workshop will focus on ways to reduce or eliminate these barriers to such care, particularly through group psychotherapy. The workshop will consist of didactic material, large group discussion, and small group discussions of case vignettes. (Please note that this workshop will be primarily about TGD adults, not TGD children and adolescents, due to the presenter having expertise with adults only.)

Learning Objectives:

1. Gain a more comprehensive understanding of TGD identities, including terminology

2. Identify systemic barriers and challenges for TGD individuals seeking mental health treatment, particularly group therapy

3.Identify clinical strategies to address such barriers and improve quality of life for TGD individuals

Jennifer “Alison” Bess, Ph.D. (pronouns: they/ them) has been an advocate for Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) individuals since they defended their dissertation in 2006, which was a qualitative study about experiences of TGD individuals in therapy. They are currently a Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) Psychologist with South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS), where they have worked for 9 years. They have facilitated the Transgender Veterans Group at STVHCS and have conducted mental health evaluations for gender affirming medical treatment there since 2014. They are currently a member of the national Transgender Care Coordination (TCC) Integrated Project Team (IPT), Care Coordination workstream, whose goal is to assess current services in Veterans Health Administration for TGD veterans and to plan, develop, and initiate the gender affirming surgery continuum of care. Dr. Bess also frequently provides consultation and didactic presentations to VA providers and staff regarding gender diversity, working with older LGBTQ+ veterans, minority stress, Neurodiversity, disability justice, and the social determinants of health.

Presentation by: Shemika M Brooks, Psy.D., CGP

Location:
Alamo Heights United Methodist Church
825 E Basse Rd
San Antonio, Texas 78209

Microaggressions are common in person(s)-to-person(s) interactions, and thus are often present in counseling group spaces and clinical practice. Among barriers to clinicians’ ability to respond to microaggressions are insufficient sensitivity for defining and detecting microaggressions and a fear of “messing up.” This workshop will examine microaggressions and implicit bias in groups. It will explore definitions of related terminology, examples that may occur in practice, and the relevance to ethical and informed practice. Participants will engage in higher order cognitive processes to practice identifying microaggressions and unmasking their harmfulness. With examination and discussion of different cultural perspectives the workshop will result in practical ways to apply increased awareness in clinical interventions.

Learning Objectives:

1. Define at least three terms related to microaggressions and implicit bias.

2. Explain the ways in which microaggressions negatively impact the issuers and targets of oppression.

3. List five examples of microaggressions (statements, actions, and/or inactions) that can arise in a group setting.

4. Identify the role that increased awareness plays in reducing microaggressive behavior.

5. Discuss three ways in which the intersections of identity and group composition impact the felt experience of microaggressions in a group setting.

Annual Al Riester Memorial Ethics Workshop

Transference and Countertransference in Group Psychotherapy:  Ethical Issues Regarding Termination

with Dorothy W. Le Pere, LCSW, LMFT, CGP,  Susan C. Mengden, PhD, CEDS, iaedp approved supervisor, Jake Pickard PhD, CGP, and Mark Simmons, LCSW, LMFT

Everything has a beginning, a middle and an end. Termination is an important and necessary part of psychotherapy, but the course of treatment can take unexpected turns, ethically testing our mandates to do no harm, and to maintain our professional integrity. Join us to look at several cases involving termination in group therapy, and how transference and countertransference can affect the course and outcome of therapy.

Learning Objectives: 

The attendee will be able to:

1)    Identify the three types of termination.

2)    Define the concepts of transference, countertransference, and resistance

3)    Identify which of the major sources of countertransference resistance are applicable to you

4)    Identify one’s own countertransference reactions and possible resistances to three case studies

5)    Identify three ways countertransference reactions and resistances might affect one’s ability to practice in an ethical manner

FREE for new and renewing MEMBERS

OUR 2022 Yearly Membership Rates:    

  $40 for local affiliate members   $30 for AGPA members $25 for master level students

Non-members ethics workshop fees: $65 professionals $25 students

Registration is closed for this event.

Presenters:

Dorothy W. Le Pere, LCSW, LMFT, CGP Dorothy is a clinical social worker who has specialized in working clients with anxiety, PTSD and adoption.  She works with children, adults and older adults.  She has conducted groups for most of her career.  She ran groups with adoptive families, multifamily groups, women’s groups, children’s divorce groups.  As a widow, she has a special interest in working with widowed persons.  She has 2 adult children and a new grandchild, Willow.

Susan C. Mengden, PhD, Certified Eating Disorder Specialist – iaedp approved supervisor

Susan has specialized in the treatment of adolescents and adults with eating disorders for over 30 years. She is from San Antonio and has founded three eating disorder intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programs in the San Antonio area (one being at BAMC).  Day treatment programs for eating disorders consist primarily of evidence based treatment in group therapy modalities.  Susan has led or co-lead DBT, ACT, CBT, and process groups since 1988. Susan has 4 children and is a Board member for her daughter’s day program – San Antonio Life Academy.    

Jake Pickard PhD, CGP is a psychologist and Certified Group Psychotherapist in private practice working with individuals and groups. Dr. Pickard introduced process groups while working at Kerrville State Hospital. He is currently studying the modern analytic approach at the Center for Group Studies in New York City.

Mark Simmons, LCSW, LMFT is a Clinical Social Worker in private practice in San Antonio. He treats adults, couples, children, and families.  He integrates Cognitive Behavioral, Family Systems, and Solution-focused perspectives in his work. Mark is on the board of directors for SAGPS and currently serves as President-elect.