The Institute comprises a two-year program of six (6) intensive weekend group conferences, focusing on contemporary approaches to psychodynamic group psychotherapy and issues in group therapy. Each conference offers multiple opportunities within the faculty/member community for didactic and experiential learning, including lectures and panel discussions, demonstration groups, small group experiences and large group experiences. Attention to diversity issues and multiple minority identities are featured topics in some conferences, but attended to in every weekend, even when not the main focus.
Participation in the Institute is open to mental health practitioners and clinicians-in-training who are interested in learning about groups and about group therapy. Group therapy experience, either as a participant or a group leader, is not a pre-requisite.
There are two options for participation:
It is possible to register for multiple conferences and not attend the entire two-year institute.
All conferences take place at the Washington School of Psychiatry, 5028 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Ste. 400, Washington, DC 200016; Tel: 202. 237. 2700. The conferences are held on Saturday and Sunday, unless stated otherwise on the brochure for each conference.
*Schedule subject to change. Conference dates to be determined.
NGPI will not be holding conferences for the 2021-2022 academic. Take a look at some of our previous conferences:
Co-Chairs: Stacey Jackson-Lampley, Ph.D. and Victoria Lee, Ph.D.
There are many ways to lead and conceptualize a therapy group. In this inaugural conference we will consider the interplay of psychodynamic processes and sociocultural factors, and the role of ethical considerations in both the development and ongoing leadership of an effective group. Interactive plenaries and experiential small and large groups will illuminate both the dynamic and social unconscious of group life in the here-and-now and examine the role of theory as a guide for the group psychotherapist.
Chair: Karen Eberwein, Psy.D.
Guest Presenter: Robert Grossmark, Ph.D.
Being known by the group and companioned in areas of pain, shame and fragmentation can be a foundation on which group and individual transformation and healing rests. For this conference, Dr. Robert Grossmark will outline a relational approach for working with groups that involves a present and engaged group analyst, who is unobtrusive to the unfolding of the patient’s and group’s inner worlds and yet-to-be-known dynamics. Through vivid examples drawn from his work, he will illustrate how the group analyst unobtrusively companions the group in the flow of enactive engagement and in the emergent narratives of trauma and transformative states. Dr. Grossmark will conduct a demonstration group to illustrate these concepts. This conference is designed to address specific learning objectives through a combination of didactic, demonstration and experiential/reflective learning approaches.
Co-Chairs: Molly Donovan, Ph.D. and Barry Wepman, Ph.D.
Co-therapy can be an effective way of leading therapy groups, and yet it is fraught with complexities. While the differing perceptions and styles of each therapist can enrich the group experience, these differences also present challenges to the co-therapy relationship and its functioning in the group. We will examine the ramifications of this intense relationship, both pros and cons, from its inception through its working life.
Chair: Jonathan Stillerman, Ph.D.
We’ve come a long way from the abstinent, anonymous therapist as an ideal. Yet, how therapists most effectively use and reveal themselves remains an area of spirited debate in the clinical and empirical literature. This conference will expand that conversation to the unique context of group therapy. Participants will explore how we as group therapists decide whether to reveal ourselves in our groups, and if so, what to disclose, how to do so, and how to evaluate its impact on members and the group as a whole. We will be paying particular attention to countertransference and its relationship to self-disclosure.
The large group provides a unique opportunity to examine the stereotyping thoughts and beliefs of implicit bias that exist uniquely within all of us. Using LG experience and reflective commentary, we will explore how life circumstance and a multiplicity of large group identities existing within individuals, subgroups, and the group-as-a-whole result in conflicting world views, generating tension and conflict as well as opportunities for collective learning and personal growth. Of particular interest will be unconscious belief systems of social privilege. Our goal is to promote a spirit of inclusion and cultivate therapist empathy for diverse experience and competing perspectives.
Co-Chairs: Maryetta Andrews-Sachs, LCSW and Farooq Mohyuddin, MD
Existential issues - freedom, isolation, meaninglessness and death - intertwine throughout our lives and the lives of our group members and underlie all our therapeutic work. This final conference of the two-year cycle will provide the perfect context for Institute members to experience these profound human issues first hand and explore their impact on therapy group members and group dynamics.Please note: This final conference of the cycle will be limited to those students who have been enrolled in the full two-year Institute. No single conference registrations will be accepted.
Coming Soon
A faculty advisor is available to assist any Institute member seeking additional training components to supplement their educational Institute experience, including:
An advanced Training Track is available to persons interested in getting the necessary training for eligibility to obtain the Certificate of Group Psychotherapy through the American Group Psychotherapy.
72 CE/CME credits for the two (2) year cycle.
Program Contact(s)
Steven Van Wagoner, PhD, CGP, FAGPA
Program Email
NationalGroupPsychotherapyInstitute@wspdc.org)
Application Deadlines
Note: NGPI is not currently accepting applications for the 2021-2022 academic year. But applications for the 2022-2024 cycle are now open!
Applications for training courses are due by August 15 to the WSP administrative office each year. After this date, admissions will be considered on a space-available basis and is up to the faculty of each program. Reach out to the program contact (above) for more information.
Please submit the following to the Washington School of Psychiatry:
All applicants will be interviewed by faculty.
Admissions Requirements
Applicants must have:
The Program is open to psychiatrists, medical residents, psychologists, doctoral psychology students, social workers, social work students, nurses, counselors and other licensed mental health professionals.
$2000 total, $1000 due each year. Single conference tuition is $350.
Payment installments may be arranged through the administrative office.
The $50 application fee is nonrefundable.
The Sy Rubenfeld Scholarship Fund provides financial support for tuition for clinicians-in-training and early career professionals based on available funds. Contact the Dean for more information.
For individuals interested in the Advanced Training Track, you would need to complete the Basic Principles course listed above and obtain 75 hours of group psychotherapy supervision in addition to attending the six (6) weekend conferences. Faculty can provide this supervision at a reduced fee of $75/hour payable to the faculty supervisor.
Steve Van Wagoner, PhD, CGP, FAGPA (Chair)
Jonathan Stillerman, PhD, CGP (Dean)
Faculty
Maryetta Andrews-Sachs, MA, CGP, FAGPA
Kavita Avula, PsyD, CGP
Mary Tatum Chappell, PsyD
Mary Dluhy, MSW, CGP, FAGPA
Molly Donovan, PhD, CGP, FAGPA
Karen Eberwein, PsyD, CGP
Stacey Jackson-Lampley, PhD
Bradley Lake, MSW, CGP
Victoria Lee, PhD, CGP
Beatrice Liebenberg, MSW, CGP, DFAGPA
Rachel Miller, PsyD, CGP
Farooq Mohyuddin, MD, CGP, FAGPA
Reginald Nettles, PhD, CGP
Leon Paparella, MSW, CGP
Bruce Pickle, PsyD
Robert Schulte, MSW, CGP
Rosemary Segalla, PhD, ABPP, CGP, FAGPA
Christopher Straley, MSW, CGP, CST
Ayana Watkins-Northern, PhD, CGP
Barry Wepman, PhD, CGP, LFAGPA
The Washington School of Psychiatry
5028 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20016-4118
Call us at 202-237-2700 or 202-537-6050
Celebrating its 85th year, the School is an accredited provider of post-graduate continuing education.
The Meyer Treatment Center provides low cost access to mental health services. It is an out-of-network facility for insurance purposes.
The Washington School of Psychiatry is an independent non-profit organization. It is not affiliated with the government of the District of Columbia or the government of the United States.
Copyright © 2020 The Washington School of Psychiatry - All Rights Reserved.
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