You Are Invited!

Therapists for Social Responsibility is co-presenting,
with California Lawyers for the Arts and the Sac. County Public Law Library,

Creative Merger II: Peace and Justice

Wed., June 9th, 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
The Sacramento County Public Law Library
813 6th St., Sac. 95814

• A juried show of art works related to Peace and Justice
• Music by the Jazz Trio from The Sacramento Philharmonic
• Passed hors d'oeuvres
• A glass of wine or other beverage
• A great and varied silent auction!
• And a chance to support community nonprofits

All funds TSR brings in from the silent auction will be divided between California Lawyers for the Arts which offers programs for artists and youth at low cost or free and Opening Doors, Inc., a nonprofit that rescues refugees and victims of human trafficking and teaches them catering skills, among other things. Opening Doors, Inc. will be catering this event.

You can get your virtual ticket ahead of time and save $ and not have to wait in line: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/96843
Tickets are: $15 in advance /$20 at the door.
For more information or to be a sponsor or donor to the silent auction email gushauna@yahoo.com

Hope to see you there!

Event Details

Do you have a social issue you are passionate about?
Would you like to help create needed changes in our world
in community with other like-hearted people?

Please save the date!

Sunday, September 26, 2010, 2:00 to 4:00
General Meeting for
Therapists for Social Responsibility
Place TBA

The following speakers will talk briefly about the work they are passionate about:

• Raquel Simental from Planned Parenthood
• Stella Levy from Dignity in the Schools
• Carolyn Fink from The Soldiers Project

Then we will begin to outline what we will focus on in the next several months.
Light snacks, drinks provided

Please bring your energy, enthusiasm and a friend or two!

Peace and warmth,
Shauna, for TSR Steering Committee, Cynthia, Elisabeth, Helene, Jean, Ray, Shawn, and Sue

Therapists for Social Responsibility

Presents Symposium 2010

Stories, Psyche and Social Action:

Using Psychological Principles to Affect World Events

With Phyllis Watts, PhD
On Empathic Attunement in the Political Process

Saturday, April 10, 2010 • 10:00 to 3:30
Trinity Cathedral • 2620 Capitol Ave. • Sac. CA 95816

Program includes gourmet lunch from the nonprofit Opening Doors, Inc.

4 CE Units for MFTs, LCSWs, RNs $45 • The public is welcome to this event: $20
Please send checks made out to TSR to: Sue Bollig 1615 Vallejo Way, Sac. 95818
Register soon as space is limited!

Program

Welcome	Ray Bacigalupi
Introduction: This Could Be Your Child	Shauna Smith
The Archetype of War: Looking at the Mythic Layer of the Psyche       in Its Human and Inhuman Aspects	Elisabeth Bower
When Fear Is Like Falling In Love	Shawn Sullivan
Q & A Lunch
Using Empathic Attunement in Changing Hearts and Minds:       An Effective Psychological Approach for Progressive Politics	Phyllis Watts
Interactive: Designing Messages Using Psychological Principles	Phyllis Watts
Q & A
Closing	Ray Bacigalupi

This course meets the qualifications for 4 hours of continuing education credit for MFTs and/or LCSWs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Elisabeth Bower, MFT, BBSE provider # PCE628. 4 CEUs for RNs, Helene Beddingfield, RN, MFT, provider approved by the CA Board of Registered Nursing, provider #CEP 15100.

Symposium 2010 Speakers

Ray Bacigalupi, MA, MFT has been a psychotherapist in private practice in Sacramento for over twenty years. He is a founding member of Therapists for Social Responsibility and a Vietnam Veteran. He has given presentations on the traumatizing effects of war titled: In and Out of the War Zone and In and Out of Armor.

Shauna Smith, MSW, MFT is in private practice in Sacramento and coordinator of Therapists for Social Responsibility. She is the author of Making Peace With Your Adult Children (HarperCollins) and numerous articles, stories, songs and poems as well as a visual artist working in various media including clay, pastel and silk.

Elisabeth Bower, RN; MFT is a certified Jungian Psychoanalyst and member of the San Francisco C.G. Jung Institute. She has been in private practice in Sacramento since 1980 and has taught classes frequently on Jungian related topics. She is a long time member of the Therapists for Social Responsibility Steering Committee.

Shawn Sullivan, a Fair Oaks MFT, is a founding member of both Therapists for Social Responsibility and the Christiana Foundation. He has been working for peace in the Philippines, Israel, Switzerland, and the US through freedom in culture and spirituality, equality in rights, and brotherhood and sisterhood in economics.

Phyllis Watts, Ph.D., is President of Wild Swan Resources and a consulting psychologist with over thirty years of clinical and organizational consultation experience. Over the past seven years she has consulted extensively with progressive political and policy organizations as well as on a number of issue based political campaigns in California and nationally. Her clients have included Planned Parenthood, ACLU, Equality California, SEIU and the Courage Campaign to name a few. Her work with these organizations has centered on uncovering the complex psychological dynamics underlying people’s attitudes toward specific progressive issues and helping to craft message strategies that are empathically attuned to these multifaceted emotions and that facilitate changing hearts and minds at the ballot box and beyond. She is devoted to taking sound psychological knowledge out of the consulting room and into the world.

Therapists for Social Responsibility Steering Committee members also include:

Helene Beddingfield, RN, MFT, ATR, has been a therapist in private practice in Fair Oaks for almost 20 years. She is an advice nurse at Kaiser and offers CEUs for RNs for Therapists for Social Responsibility.

Sue Bollig, LCSW, is Treasurer for Therapists for Social Responsibility and an Infant, Toddler and Early Childhood Mental Health Therapist.

Cynthia Neuman, Ph.D., has been a practicing forensic psychologist in Sacramento for 24 years; she maintains a small psychotherapy practice, specializing primarily in women's issues. She is past president of the Sacramento Valley Psychological Association (SVPA) and a founding member and past president of SVPA's Forensic Division.

Jean Rosenfeld, LCSW, a founding member of Therapists for Social Responsibility, is a psychotherapist in Carmichael treating individuals and couples. She is editor of The Clinical Update, the newsletter of the California Society for Clinical Social Work, and a cartoonist.

Flyer

Opening Doors, Inc., a nonprofit that helps refugees and victims of human trafficking (more information at the workshop), will be catering our lunch ("so delicious!" "exceeded all my expectations"). Please register as soon as you can so we know how much to order. Space is limited. (Let us know if you have special needs diet.)

	“Enriching…sensational! People left smiling!" Therapists for Social Responsibility and The Sacramento Valley Psychological Association are pleased to co-sponsor
	Law & Ethics in Psychotherapy 21st Century Challenges Presented by Jules Burstein, Ph.D. Saturday, February 20, 2010 9:30 sign in 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Trinity Cathedral, Great Hall 2620 Capitol Avenue, Sacramento 95816

Mental health professionals are grappling with a number of 21st century challenges to practice that impact the integrity of our profession. This interactive workshop will include discussions about confidentiality such as record-keeping dilemmas brought on by technology (electronic health records, HIPAA regulations) and the patient-litigant exception; ethical issues involving phone therapy; dealing with subpoenas and depositions; malpractice suits, licensure complaints and expert witness testimony as well as social justice issues (including the privacy implications of the USA PATRIOT ACT and the participations of psychologists in the planning or implementation of detainee interrogations in settings including Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib) and other legal and ethical topics.
Law & Ethics Course Outline
Jules Burstein Resume

Reviews from Therapists for Peace and Justice:

I can't imagine that you'd be anything but utterly pleased. It was enriching, engaged and not a single person drifted off or dozed. We had only 2 people out of 54 who wanted to push the river about getting their certificate early - everybody else was hanging onto every word...I was thrilled!

—Michael Anne Connelly, PhD

I think we all felt Burstein was sensational as a presenter. He is VERY dynamic, uses a lot of case examples is very interactive, and makes very dry material incredibly interesting. Feedback from attendees was consistently positive. And of course, his perspective is progressive so he referred to the APA's stand on psychologist's involvement with interrogations at Guantanamo, and of course, the Patriot Act. He had a very good packet of handouts as well.

—Roberta Stern, LCSW

The class was amazing! People left the workshop smiling and I’ve never seen that before after an L&E workshop.

—Zora L. Kolkey, M.A., M.S.S.W.

About the Presenter:
Jules Burstein, PhD, has been a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist for more than 30 years. As a member of the Superior Court Panels of Psychologists for San Francisco, Marin, Alameda, and Contra Costa Counties, he provides expert witness testimony and evaluations on a broad range of criminal cases including murder, child molestation and rape. He also provides civil evaluations in cases involving clergy abuse, sex harassment and psychotherapist malpractice. Dr. Burstein regularly teaches Law and Ethics in Psychology for the San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group.

CEUs
Registration includes:

• 6.0 CEUs for Psychologists
• 6.0 CEUs for LCSWs and MFTs. Course meets the qualifications for 6 hours of continuing education credit for MFTs and/or LCSWs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Elisabeth Bower, MFT, BBSE provider # PCE628.
• 6.0 CEUs for RNs, Helene Beddingfield, RN, MFT, provider approved by the CA Board of Registered Nursing, provider #CEP 15100.

HOW TO REGISTER:
Psychologists, LCSWs, MFTs and RNs can register at the SVPA website using paypal. However, there is an extra $4.65 per person fee to register on-line which we have to cover. If possible, please pay by check.

Mail all checks to TSR treasurer Sue Bollig, 1615 Vallejo Way, Sac. CA 95818.

REFUNDS
Requests for cancellation must be received in writing on or before 02-01-2010 for a refund of fees. Any late cancellations (after 02-01-2010) or no-shows will not be entitled to the return of fees paid for the event.

Therapists for Social Responsibility & Sacramento Valley Psychological Association
present

Saturday, January 17, 2009

10:00 to 5:00

St. Marks Methodist Church, 2391 St. Marks Way, Sac., CA. 95864
6 CE Units for LCSWs, MFTs, RNs, and Psychologists

War can have massive negative psychological effects, both on combatants and on those living in war-torn areas. When called upon to help soldiers and others returning from war, civilian clinicians often feel out of their depths -- both because the content can be horrific and because they may feel unprepared to adequately treat war trauma. These concerns are valid: returning veterans have often undergone events that are hard for those who have not experienced war to understand or to fully appreciate. Yet, there is little question that therapists can provide substantial assistance to combat-exposed individuals. And not all of this treatment can occur within the VA or other federally-sponsored facilities.

In this workshop, attendees will learn about (a) the phenomenology and experience of insurgent-type war, as described by clients who have experienced it, and (b) the major components of trauma-focused therapy, including the application (and limitations) of therapeutic exposure, cognitive interventions, affect regulation building, and mindfulness training as they relate to war trauma. Specifically addressed will not only be the effects of combat injury and witnessing the death or severe injury of fellow combatants, but also the (only recently appreciated) psychological effects of killing or otherwise participating in the death of others, including civilians.

This workshop is led by John Briere, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, Keck School of Medicine, director of the Psychological Trauma Program at LAC-USC Medical Center, co-director of MCAVIC-USC Child and Adolescent Trauma Program, SAMHSA, and author of various articles, books, and psychological tests related to psychological trauma. He is not a military clinician, nor has he personally experienced war. He has taught and consulted with many military and nonmilitary personnel regarding the treatment of trauma in combat veterans, as well as studied and treated the effects of combat, torture, captivity, violent assault, and other severe forms of trauma. This perspective allows him to offer a unique “take” on the role of civilian therapists in treating war veterans and others exposed to war.

Objectives

Participants will:

1. Learn about the general effects of combat-exposure
2. Be able to describe the impacts of killing, including the later “rebound” effects of training for “reflex” killing and military socialization to depersonalize the enemy
3. List the primary instruments that may be helpful in assessing war trauma
4. Describe the contribution of early child abuse on the lasting effects of war trauma
5. Describe the effects of traumatic brain injury on veterans’ clinical presentation an response to treatment
6. Describe the benefits and limitations of exposure therapy, cognitive restructuring, and mindfulness training for those with severe trauma histories
7. List the primary ways in which war veterans can develop affect regulation skills

This workshop meets the requirement for training for clinician volunteers for The Soldiers Project Sacramento. Non-volunteers also welcome.

"There is no one in the field whose latest ideas about trauma I’d rather listen to than John Briere. He has been at the core of developing the diagnosis and treatment of trauma. A riveting, humorous and practical teacher, he helps us become better therapists."
-George Rosenfeld, Ph.D.

Cost, including 6 CE Units: $120/ $100 by 1/5/09.
LCSWs, MFTs and RNs: Checks made payable to TSR. Mail to Elisabeth Bower, 3431 Clemens Way, Sac. 95864. BBSE provider # PCE628. RNs: provider approved by Ca. Bd. of Registered Nursing, provider #CEP 15100 . Psychologists: Checks made payable to SVPA. Mail to Cynthia J. Neuman, Ph.D., 1329 Howe Avenue, Suite 201, Sac. 95825. CE units for Psychologists pending approval- sponsored by SVPA/California Psychological Association and approved by APA

Return policy: In full, on request 24 hours in advance.

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Satsuki Ina, Ph.D.

will introduce her award-winning film

From A Silk Cocoon

Panel Discussion Follows:
“Our Civil Rights, Internment & Racism”

Saturday, October 25, 2008
7:00 to 9:30 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Society
2425 Sierra Blvd, Sacramento 95825
Suggested donation: $10

This event is presented by
Therapists for Social Responsibility

"FROM A SILK COCOON" tells Satsuki Ina's family’s story of the tragic outcome resulting from the wartime hysteria and racial profiling that occurred during WW II. A panel and Q & A on "Your Civil Rights, Internment and Racism" includes Harry Wang, MD, President of Physicians for Social Responsibility and Basim Elkarra, Executive Director of the Council on Islamic Relations. Archival Artifacts and Photos on display, refreshments. Contact Satsuki Ina or Shauna Smith at (916)452-3008 gushauna@yahoo.com for more information.

More about the film

The discovery of a small metal box leads to the uncovering of a family story, shrouded in silence for more than 60 years. Woven through their censored letters, diary entries, and haiku poetry, is the true story of a young Japanese American couple whose shattered dreams and forsaken loyalties lead them to renounce their American citizenship while held in separate prison camps during World War II. They struggle to prove their innocence and fight deportation during a time of wartime hysteria and racial profiling.

“From A Silk Cocoon tells the story of the frightening and tragic outcome resulting from the wartime hysteria and racial profiling that occurred in the name of ‘military necessity.’ Chilling similarities in government decision-making, euphemistic language, and suspension of constitutional and human rights in the name of national security are echoed in today’s post 9/11 America. This film puts a human face and heart to a historical incident that should never be forgotten, lest it be repeated again….. It is our hope that by sharing this story we will not only educate, but inspire and strengthen community commitment to live by our cherished democratic principles, especially in time of great social anxiety.” –Satsuki Ina

“POWERFUL. I was . . . impressed with the film's honesty with respect to renunciation issues. This is art on film . . . the poetry and narrative come together so perfectly . . . Bravo, bravo!” --John Christgau, author, Enemies: World War II Alien Internment

“. . . the issues of renunciation and loyalty resonate deeply with the currenty concerns over war and patriotisem . . . a very important film . . . ” Taro Goto, Assistant Director, San Francisco

Bio: Satsuki Ina, Ph.D., MFT

Dr. Ina is Professor Emeritus in the School of Education at California State University, Sacramento and founder of the Family Study Center. She was born in the Tule Lake Segregation Center during her parents’ four-year imprisonment in the WW II American concentration camps. As a licensed psychotherapist specializing in cross-cultural counseling, she has conducted groups for Japanese Americans who, like herself, were children in the prison camps. She has been researching the long-term impact of the internment for the past fifteen years and her work culminated in the production of the Children of the Camps documentary, which was nominated for a Northern California Emmy and was broadcast nationally on PBS in 2000. With funding from The California Endowment, Dr. Ina utilized the Children of the Camps documentary as a community mental health intervention program, and conducted 110 workshops to address the unresolved trauma in various Japanese American communities in the US and in Japan. In 2004, she served as consultant and assistant curator for the North Dakota Museum of Art for an exhibit titled, Snow Country Prison: Interned in North Dakota. This exhibit was based on a collection of her father’s wartime haiku poetry and other rare, WW II Japanese American internment historical documents and artifacts. In 2006 Dr. Ina and her production team, Hesono O Productions, completed a second documentary, From A Silk Cocoon a docu-drama for national PBS broadcast. This film is based on the letters exchanged by her parents, after her father was unjustly identified as a “dangerous enemy alien” and separated from his wife and two small children. He was held in Bismarck, North Dakota in a Department of Justice internment camp for enemy aliens for two years. Dr Ina and her production team were awarded a Northern California Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Historical/Cultural Programming.

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Therapists for Social Responsibility presents:

Clinicians Presence and Self-Care In the Face of Trauma and Uncertainty

Presenter and Facilitator: Andrew Bein, Ph.D. LCSW

When: Saturday, September 13th, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where: St. Mark’s United Methodist Church 2391 St. Marks Way, Sacramento, CA

6 CE Units for LCSWs, MFTs and RNs.

This workshop will offer some of the skills and the spiritual sustenance needed as we work with clients experiencing PTSD and other serious emotional traumas. Included are Powerpoint presentation, didactic material and experiential exercises. The Zen of Helping: Spiritual Principles for Mindful and Open-Hearted Practice, by Andrew Bein, will provide a foundation for this training. The book will be available for purchase at the workshop at the author’s cost of $20, or may be ordered from the publisher, Wiley (Amazon, etc.) for $34.95.

Presentations by Ray Bacigalupi, MFT, a Vietnam War Veteran and his wife, Shauna Smith, MSW, MFT, will form part of the learning experience for this presentation.

Focus of the workshop:

• Staying meaningfully connected with people experiencing major traumas without becoming lost in a collective sense of despair.
• Utilizing Eastern practices of mindfulness and awareness of breath to serve as foundations for effective use of self, as well as therapist self-care.
• Creating opportunities for the client’s spiritual/religious views to contribute to healing.
• Insights from veterans and their families that can inform this work.

Presenter, Andrew Bein, Ph.D., LCSW is a professor at the Division of Social Work, CA Sate University, Sacramento. He has 23 years of experience as a clinician, consultant, trainer and researcher and has worked in a large variety of settings with highly diverse communities. He has conducted over 80 national, state and local presentations.

To register please send a check for $90, or $80 before September 5th, made out to TSR and mail to

Elisabeth Bower
3431 Clemens Way
Sacramento, CA 95864.

Include your license #, email address and phone #.

RSVP to gushauna@yahoo.com. Sign up soon as space is limited.

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THE SOLDIERS PROJECT:

A way to help soldiers and their families

Now organizing in Sacramento

If you can help to set up the Soldiers Project, please calendar Sunday, August 3rd from 12-2:30 and RSVP so we know you will be there.

Location: Jean and George Rosenfeld's home, 5730 River Oak Way Carmichael, Ca 95608. Light lunch & drinks provided.

This meeting is for people who want to help with the planning and basics. We especially need coordinators or point people for this program! Co-coordinating is fine, so the work can be shared.

Some of the work that needs to be done follows. We are also interested in other ideas on how to make this happen.

1. We need to outreach to and organize lists of therapists who want to help a vet or family member (we have a list started) with their basic information (license, malpractice insur., training) on file.
2. We need to outreach to groups already functioning (the V.A. and others) to see how we can supplement and not conflict with their work.
3. We need training of therapists in working with veterans and/or families. (Zen of Helping on 9/13 and others)
4. Someone to track peer support groups for therapists working with veterans and/or families.
5. Outreach to entry points for vets, spouses, children, parents, at CSUS, Community Colleges, high school/middle/elementary schools and churches.

PLEASE COME if you can represent your college's dept of social work, psychology or the counselors or nurses. We need people from early education through high school too. Also, If you can outreach to your church or are willing to contact other churches. Judy Broder psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, of The Soldiers Project LA is willing to mentor us and help us get started--let's see if we can make it work here. The need is enormous and if we each do a small amount we can give a lot to those in great need.

Thanks for all you do. PLEASE RSVP if you are coming.

Peace and warmth,

Shauna Smith
gushauna@yahoo.com 530/263-3978

THERAPISTS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PRESENTS

REACHING OUT TO OUR VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES

With Judith Broder, M.D. Founder/Chairperson
THE SOLDIERS PROJECT

and Zohreh Whitaker,
MILITARY FAMILIES SPEAK OUT

When: Saturday, June 14th, 2:00 to 4:30 p.m.

Where: St. Mark's United Methodist Church
2391 Saint Marks Way, Sacramento, CA

2 CE Units for MFTs, LCSWs, and RNs $20

Checks for $20 may be made payable to TSR. Mail to Elisabeth Bower, 3431 Clemens Way, Sac. 95864. Return policy: In full, on request 24 hours in advance. MFTs/ LCSWs: provider # PCE638; RNs: provider approved by Ca. Bd. of Registered Nursing, provider #CEP 15100 for 2 contact hours.

Dr. Judith Broder, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, will share her experiences working with returning veterans and their families and the possibility of setting up The Soldiers Project, now in L.A, Chicago, NY, and Seattle, here in Sacramento.

Zohreh Whitaker, whose son recently returned from Iraq, will share her experiences of the effect of war on her own and other families.

We will talk about the benefits, limits & use of services currently offered by the VA, Vets for Peace, MFSO, IVAW, GI Rights Hotline, DOF and others. We will have specific resources available in Sac. for veterans and their families and learn how we can help more families receive needed support.

www.therapistsforsocialresponsibility.org and www.thesoldiersproject.org

RSVP gushauna@yahoo.com or 916/447-5706

This program is cosponsored by Therapists for Social Responsibility, Physicians for Social Responsibility and California Society for Clinical Social Work

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__________________

THE SOLDIERS PROJECT www.thesoldiersproject.org

There is an increasing need for mental health services for the 1.6 million soldiers who have returned or will be returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Soldiers Project, founded by Judith Broder, M. D., in Los Angeles, to help meet that need, has over 100 volunteer clinicians serving over 100 clients.

Licensed mental health professionals including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and marriage and family therapists offer free psychotherapy to any military service member/vet who has served or expects to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan. They also offer free therapy to their loved ones - boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses, children, parents and grandparents. There is no red tape, there are no fees, and there is no arbitrary limit on the number of sessions provided. They configure the therapy to meet the client's needs. Since they are in private practice, there is the flexibility to see people prior to, during and/or following return from deployment and to keep in touch via phone or the Internet if needed. There is no reporting to any government agency.

Therapists for Social Responsibility
SPRING GATHERING AND MEETING

When: Sunday, April 6, 2008
Time: 1:00 to 3:45
Where: George and Jean Rosenfeld's home
5730 River Oak Way
Carmichael, CA

You are invited to our “Spring Gathering/Meeting” on Sunday, April 6th from 1:00 to 3:45 pm at George and Jean Rosenfeld’s home, 5730 River Oak Way, Carmichael. Weather permitting, we will meet in her backyard. Snacks and drinks provided. You are welcome to bring business cards, brochures and any other literature you’d like to share. Also, please bring like-minded/like-hearted colleagues.

This is a chance to meet and network with other concerned progressive mental health professionals and affiliates and find ways to participate in the good work that is being done around the globe.

Agenda

1:00 Time to socialize and network

1:20 Steering committee members will talk briefly about the major areas we have been focusing on over the past 5 years, so you can see what most engages you. These include an overview of our vision and connection with other groups, PTSD and spirituality, psychological effects of war (on soldiers, their families, and us), environmental issues and our psyche, child/family concerns, confidentiality and the Patriot Act, and clinical issues.

1:45 Sharing our thoughts and feelings in this time of political and global uncertainty and unrest.

2:30 What would you like from our group and how would you like to become involved, using your skills, talents and enthusiasm?

3:30 Closing words

Please RSVP to gushauna@yahoo.com if you will be there.

Dear friends,

Therapists for Social Responsibility has asked Dr. Marius Koga, who gave us a very well-received talk on PTSD last year, to create a day-long workshop for therapists and other helping professionals.

The course is: “POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND SPIRITUALITY: A Transpersonal Therapeutic Approach”

6 CEUs for LCSWs, MFTs, and RNs

TO REGISTER, please mail checks for $90 ($80 early bird, before Jan. 12th) made out to TSR (Therapists for Social Responsibility) to: Elisabeth Bower, 3431 Clemens Way, Sacramento, 95864. Please include your license # for CE credits, phone # and email address. Register soon as space is limited. For information contact Elisabeth Bower 916/481-0674 or Marius Koga 916/307-2502.

Peace and warmth,
Shauna Smith
for TSR Steering Committee

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POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND SPIRITUALITY:

A Transpersonal Therapeutic Approach

by Marius Koga, MD, MPH

It is common for PTSD clients to seek religion and spirituality as part of their healing process. However, most psychotherapies are focused on the ego and personality constructs, while religious or spiritual considerations have been traditionally ignored.

It is only in recent years that a therapeutic modality known as “transpersonal psychology “ has emerged which reintegrates psychology and the personality with the soul. The client is encouraged to actively maintain his/her individual self-concept in order to participate actively in his/her recovery. Concurrently, the client is guided to incorporate his/her individuality into the larger plane of the collective identity (including family, community, and religious and spiritual helping resources) to undergo personal transformation and growth.

Our military especially, coming home from Afghanistan and Iraq, are seeking answers to painful questions about the gruesome realities of warfare, the value of personal faith, and the worth of human life itself. Many find that their faith in a God that is always available to respond to one’s personal tragedy can be utterly shattered.

Soldiers and others who are unable to resolve such challenges find themselves lost in a spiritual flatland, which can take many nightmarish forms. They may feel abandoned by God, they reject or curse God, and they feel that God was powerless to help or even non-existent. They may even rationalize that their body mutilation, PTSD, or Traumatic Brain Injury was deserved punishment from God, or, in extreme, believe that their eternal damnation is God’s ultimate punishment. All too often, they feel they have no recourse but to numb their pain with drugs and alcohol. Their families suffer with them.

By providing the opportunity for introspection about the meaning of trauma for the client’s life, transpersonal psychology helps soldiers, their families and friends, and others who have experienced PTSD and other traumatic events, to renegotiate the passive and silent state of the sick role and regain a sense of journeying, integrating, and healing.

Dr. Koga will present “POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND SPIRITUALITY: A Transpersonal Therapeutic Approach” on Saturday, January 19, 2008, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, at St. Marks United Methodist Church, 2391 Saint Marks Way, Sacramento, CA. 6 CEUs for LCSWs, MFTs, and RNs. This lecture and interactive workshop will include integrating spirituality in the overall PTSD treatment; differentiating between psychotherapeutic and pharmacological versus transpersonal approaches; the neuro-network of fear and survival and how it fits into the clinical picture and practice; spiritual resilience and toxic faith; cultural and religious modulators of PTSD and PTSD treatments; and tools for spiritual assessment: SAI; FICA, and HOPE instruments.

TO REGISTER, please mail checks for $90 ($80 early bird, before Jan. 12th) made out to TSR (Therapists for Social Responsibility) to: Elisabeth Bower, 3431 Clemens Way, Sacramento, 95864. Please include your license # for CE credits, phone # and email address. Register soon as space is limited. For information contact Elisabeth Bower 916/481-0674 or Marius Koga 916/307-2502.

This workshop is offered by Therapists for Social Responsibility

Marius Koga, MD, MPH, is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and an Associate Clinical Professor of Public Health at UC Davis School of Medicine. He is also a Professor at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto where he is directing a pilot center for trauma studies. Dr. Koga has developed courses in mental health and spirituality for Chapman University and has been the Course Director for Transcultural Mental Health and Spirituality at Tulane Medical School. A former political prisoner, torture survivor, and refugee from communist Romania, Dr. Koga’s interest is on PTSD in refugee populations and US military who are Afghan and Iraq war veterans. He has given numerous presentations, and workshops on spiritual dimensions of trauma in US and Europe.

Workshop Schedule:

“POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND SPIRITUALITY: A Transpersonal Therapeutic Approach”

CLIMATE CHANGE, DESPAIR, AND EMPOWERMENT ROADSHOW

We hope you will attend this empowering multimedia event that Therapists for Social Responsibility is bringing to Sacramento from New Zealand! It will take all of us working together to "cool down" the earth.

Date: Thursday, September 6th
Time: 7 to 9 p.m.
Place: Trinity Cathedral, Great Hall, 2620 Capitol Ave. Sacramento

Climate Change, Despair, and Empowerment Roadshow with Kelly Tudhope, is coming to the west coast from New Zealand! Multimedia presentations to help us understand our role in a climate changed world and empower us with a renewed sense of commitment to the actions required to address global warming. $5 donation. Drinks/snacks provided.

Cosponsors include Therapists for Social Responsibility, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Sac., Grandmothers for Peace, International, Sac. for Democracy and others.

Information: www.climate.net.au
Local information: gushauna@yahoo.com 916/447-5706

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This event will also be shown in Grass Valley, CA.
Date: Friday, September 7th
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Unitarian Chapel, 246 S. Church St., Grass Valley

Cosponsors include APPLE of NC, Social Forum Film Series, NCTV, Sierra Nevada Deep Ecology Institute and Peak Moment TV.

For more information, contact Ken Hale:
Kenh_ee@yahoo.com 530/273-3018

An all day follow-up workshop on Climate Change Despair and Empowerment will be held in Grass Valley on Saturday, September 8th from 1-8 pm at the same location. Dinner is included. For full details and cost, contact Nory Fussell: nory4u@sbcglobal.net 530/274-7765

IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

Helping Our Soldiers, Ourselves, And Our World

Therapists for Social Responsibility www.therapistsforsocialresponsibility.org is presenting a topical forum dealing with the personal experience of three Veterans who have returned from war, and the practical steps that therapists can take to help soldiers and their families. Since the V.A. is not prepared to deal with the huge numbers of returning soldiers with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and the personal and family devastation that it can bring, therapists are asking, “What can we do?” Collaborating with Give An Hour www.giveanhour.org and Veterans Village www.veteransvillage.org, we will find out how these two innovative organizations are helping to the remediate the problems.

The forum will be held SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2007 from 2:00 – 5:00p.m. at Trinity Cathedral Church, 2620 Capitol Ave., Sacramento, 2nd Floor.

Charlie Brown, candidate for Congress in 2006, George Main, president of Veterans for Peace, and Ray Bacigalupi, MFT will share their personal experiences of coming home from war, dealing with current world events, and transforming their struggles into positive action. Following Q & A and a break with snacks and drinks, the second half of the program will identify actions that we as therapists can take, including working with Give An Hour and Veterans Village.

Cost: $30 with 3 CEUs; $10 donation without CEUs. (A percentage goes directly to services for Veterans.) Space is limited. RSVP to Shauna L. Smith, MFT gushauna@yahoo.com or 916/447-5706.

View Flyer for this Event

Rabbi Michael Lerner will speak on:
Reclaiming America from the Religious Right
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006
7 to 9 pm
Trinity Cathedral, 2620 Capitol Ave. Sacramento

Rabbi Michael Lerner is an internationally renowned social theorist, theologian, psychotherapist, and the editor of Tikkun magazine. Utne Reader named Lerner one of its 100 American Visionaries.

"Michael Lerner is the most prophetic intellectual and spiritual leader of our generation. We ignore his wisdom at our peril!" -- Cornell West

Rabbi Lerner has written a spiritual manifesto for a new kind of social movement that challenges the globalization of selfishness, and speaks to our highest human need – a life of higher purpose than the materialism of the competitive marketplace. He will also be signing his book: The Left Hand of GOD, Taking Our Country Back from the Religious Right (HarperCollins, 2006).

Admission: $10 / Students $5. Come early ~ seating is limited!
Sponsors: Trinity Cathedral and Therapists for Social Responsibility
Information: 916/446-2513, 916/452-0483 or 916/487-8276.

Flyer

The Intersection of The Psychological And Political
In and Out of The Clinical Hour

presented by

Therapists for Social Responsibility

"I had planned on leaving early but I couldn’t do it…I was spellbound!” was one of many positive comments about the recent Symposium, The Intersection of The Psychological And Political: In And Out of The Clinical Hour presented by Sacramento based Therapists for Social Responsibility (www.TherapistsForSocialResponsibility.org). The afternoon of presentations was also called "riveting," and "inspiring."

Shauna Smith, MFT, in her Welcome and Introduction began the Symposium by explaining that Therapists for Social Responsibility began because a few therapists came together in the belief that in these critical times "when it sometimes seems as if the whole world needs healing" psychotherapists must find their voices for peace and justice. She set the tone of the Symposium by sharing a Native American parable in which a grandfather tells his grandson that each of us has two wolves inside: the wolf of greed, hate and violence and the wolf of generosity, love and peace. When the boy asks his grandfather which one will win, his grandfather replies, "Whichever one we feed."

Professor Derrill Bodley, the keynote speaker, talked about Positive Nonviolent Response. He is a member of the 9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, (www.peacefultomorrows.org) an organization of family members who have united to turn their grief into action for peace. He described his journey to come to terms with the loss of his 18 year old daughter, Deora, who was on flight 93 on 911. He shared footage of one of his trips to Afghanistan to meet with a family who had lost their son from U.S. bombing in the war. A music professor, Derrill also wrote a song Steps to Peace in memory of his daughter, based on a poem she had written entitled "I Ask Peace." He sang (cried) the song at the close of the symposium.

Ray Bacigalupi, MFT, opened the first panel, Political Context, with his presentation In And Out of The War Zone, sharing his experiences in Vietnam. He vividly described battlefield sociopathy and government cover-ups, memories and nightmares that have reemerged since the war in Iraq began. His ironic poem, Thank You George Bush, describes his transformation from someone who tried to put his war experiences behind him and live as if they hadn’t happened, to an activist and psychotherapist who is keenly aware of the social injustice and violence here and around the world. He ended by asking compelling questions for psychotherapists to answer regarding whether it is ethical or even possible to remain neutral, both in and out of the clinical hour, "knowing what we know."

Laurie Heller, MA, founder of Mothers United To Stop The Draft, mothersunited@blogspot.com spoke about the real possibility, despite the denials of the administration, that a military draft is imminent. Currently draft boards are mobilizing throughout the country and procedures are being put in place that could activate the draft by June 2005. College deferments will no longer be honored, and borders with Canada and other countries will be closed. Her son, Nate Heller, seventeen, discussed his efforts toward Becoming A Conscientious Objector. In this complicated process the CO must document a personal record that demonstrates a long-term consistently held religious or moral opposition to war.

Psychiatrist Harry Wang spoke about Confidentiality And Section 215 of The PATRIOT Act which allows confidential medical and mental health records to be obtained by FBI agents without probable cause. A gag order prohibits medical/mental health care providers from telling anyone, including their patient/client, about the transfer of records. Dr. Wang summarized a letter to the Board of Behavioral Sciences written and signed by CSCSW, NASW, CA, Therapists for Peace and Justice and Therapists for Social Responsibility addressing the conflict between confidentiality statements, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the USA PATRIOT Act. Among other requests, this letter asks the Board, as the Consumer Protection Agency, to address this conflict and to require that Section 215 and the conflict of confidentiality be addressed in law and ethics courses.

The second panel, Clinical Context, began with a presentation entitled Guidelines for The Socially Responsible Therapist by George Rosenfeld, Ph.D., Jean Rosenfeld, LCSW. They spoke about the importance of the clinician maintaining cognizance of their countertransference and personal political beliefs regarding issues of social responsibility within the context of the therapy session. Three questions were discussed that therapists can ask themselves in order to safeguard focus on the client’s treatment goals. Two case examples were given that demonstrated both the difficulty and the importance of maintaining appropriate boundaries during therapy sessions.

Elisabeth Bower, RN, MFT, discussed the critical need to be aware of the shadow parts of ourselves so that they are not suppressed and projected onto others. Her narrative was blended with several quotes such as the following by C. G. Jung: "One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light but by making the darkness conscious" and "We have in all naivete forgotten that beneath our world of reason another lies buried. I do not know what humanity will still have to undergo before it dares to admit this." In her talk entitled, The Reconciliation of Opposing Forces In The Psyche, she spoke from her personal reference of being a child in Germany under Nazi occupation.

Catherine Lieb, LCSW, in her presentation, Exploring The Impact of Politics, Economics And Culture, proposed that psychotherapists have an ethical obligation to be active in the political process because the larger political, social and economic environment has a powerful impact on the mental health of individuals and communities. She also argued that there is no such thing as complete neutrality for a therapist and that in these times of war and terrorism it is important for therapy to be a safe place where clients can discuss their political views

As the afternoon ended with thoughts spinning and emotions heightened, Carolyn Altrock, LCSW, in her Closing Meditation helped to center us with the poem "Please Call Me By My True Names" by Thich Nhat Hanh and a meditative process taken from Joanna Macy reminding us of our interconnectedness with all parts of the universe.