Resume:

1975: Phd in Clinical Psychology, City University of New York;

1979: Family Externship with Salvador Minuchin and Marianne Walters at Philedelphia Child Guidance Clinic

1972-1976: Created Adolscent Day Program for Adolescents in acute crisis at Queens General Hospital 

1976-1992: Morrisania Neighborhood Family Care Center: Director Day Hospital; Chief Psychologist; Director of Training

1992- present: Private Practice

2000- Faculty of Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy

1974-present: developing model to work with adolescents and their family

1974-present: have delivered multi hundred workshops, classes and live supervision sessions on family therapy

 

Title of Speech: 'Reconnecting Adolescents and Their Families'

 

Abstract: Psychotherapy has followed the lead psychology in framing the therapy task with adolescents as SEPARATION FROM FAMILY.  Although it is accurate to describe the main task of working with adolescents as a time of identity formation embedded in the process of separation, this formulation has led therapists astray.  When families arrive for psychotherapy, whatever the problems they present have led to alienation between the adolescent and his/her family. The job of the therapist is to reconnect the adolescent to his or her family which then makes it possible for the process of separation to proceed in a healthy, productive way. Using extensive case material I will describe the process of reconnection.