Hedda Bolgar Lecture Series

Friday, September 17, 2021

Inaugural Remarks

Alan J. Levy, PhD, President, Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis

Allen M. Yasser, PhD, Co-Founding director of the Wright Institute Los Angeles 

Claude Barbre, M.S., M.Div., PhD., L.P.

(Chicago, Il)

Plenty Good Room: The Theoretical and Therapeutic Contributions of Margaret Morgan Lawrence-- Pioneer African American Psychoanalyst, Psychiatrist, and Pediatrician

Respondent

Angela Sedeño, PhD

(Chicago, Il)

7-9pm (CST): ZOOM Presentation and discussion

*** A recording will NOT be available for this session. ***

About the presentation:  Pioneer psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Margaret Morgan Lawrence, M.D. was the first African American psychoanalyst trained in the United States, the first African American female pediatrician certified by the American Board of Pediatricians, and the first African American resident at the New York Psychiatric Institute. Drawing from Dr. Barbre’s twenty years of work with Dr. Lawrence, this presentation we will explore the impact of historical and cultural forces on Dr. Lawrence’s theoretical innovations and therapeutic contributions to the many clinical worlds of psychology, psychoanalysis, education, pastoral care, and medicine. Born in New York City in 1914, Dr. Lawrence was raised mainly in Mount Bayou and Vicksburg, Mississippi—the daughter of a teacher and an Episcopal minster. Her decision to study medicine came early, inspired by a passion for healing and by her family’s loss of a child, and her father’s pastoral ministry. A graduate of Cornell University, she received her medical degree from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1940. She trained in psychoanalysis at Columbia Psychoanalytic Institute. Dr. Lawrence taught pediatrics and public health in Rockland County, and Harlem Hospital for many years, and the Child Development Center of Rockland County was renamed the Margaret Morgan Lawrence Center in 1989. In her writings Dr. Lawrence has pioneered the clinical teamwork approach in school settings, helping children and families of all backgrounds find strength and voice in the midst of personal struggle. Her play therapy innovations and methods in working with traumatized children are still taught today, and have inspired many generations of clinicians and civic leaders, while also continuing to influence groundbreaking changes in the way we think of community and individual medical and psychological care. In this presentation we will provide case examples from her clinical work, and also explore her theoretical contributions to the healing professions.

Claude Barbre, M.S., M.Div., PhD., L.P., is a Board Member and Training Supervisor at The Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis (CCP) and is in private practice in Chicago IL. He is Distinguished Full Professor, Clinical Psychology Psy.D. Department, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Barbre is Course Lead Coordinator of the Psychodynamic Orientation at The Chicago School, a faculty member of the Child and Adolescent Area of Study, and lead faculty in Psychology and Spirituality Studies. He has counseled adults, children, and families for over 35 years, and served for 12 years as Executive Director of The Harlem Family Institute, a New York City school-based, psychoanalytic training program, working with children and families in high-needs neighborhoods. An associate editor of the Journal of Religion and Health: Psychology, Spirituality, and Medicine (Springer Press) for 15 years, his edited books include: with Esther Menaker, The Freedom to Inquire (Jason Aronson, 1995), and Separation Will, and Creativity: The Wisdom of Otto Rank (Aronson, 1996); with Alan Roland, and Barry Ulanov, Creative Dissent: Psychoanalysis in Evolution (ABC-Clio Press, 2003); and with Marcella Weiner and Paul C. Cooper, Psychotherapy and Religion: Many Paths, One Journey (Rowman and Littlefield, 2005). In addition, he is a William B. Given Jr. Fellow of the Episcopal Church Foundation, and a Daniel Day Williams Fellow in Psychiatry and Religion at Union Theological Seminary, New York City. Author of prize-winning articles, books, and poetry, Dr. Barbre is an eight-time nominee and five-time recipient of the international Gradiva Award, presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis (NAAP) for “outstanding contributions to psychoanalysis and the arts.” He is also the recipient of the 2017 Ted Rubenstein Inspired Teaching Award, and the 2018 Distinguished International Research and Scholarship Award, presented by the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Angela Sedeño, PhD., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who earned her doctorate at Loyola University Chicago with a specialty in child and family psychology. She is a native Chicagoan who has worked in community mental health since 1999. Prior to joining The Kedzie Center as its founding Executive Director, she served as Family Services Program Director at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. The Kedzie Center is the first of four community-funded mental health centers in Chicago, whose mission is to provide culturally responsive quality mental health care, regardless of the individual's ability to pay. The Center provides a full range of clinical services as well as mental health education, consultation, and violence prevention. It has emerged as a valued training site for graduate students seeking to practice insight-oriented therapy within a community mental health approach. 

Her clinical interests include adolescent psychology, trauma informed care, acculturation, cultural identity and immigration-related stress and resilience. Other interests include mental health equity, restorative justice, and the roots and impact of community violence on youth and families. A first generation Mexican-American, she is bilingual/bicultural.

Learning objectives:

1. Articulate the psychosocial influences on Margaret Morgan Lawrence and her vocational calling to the healing professions.

2. Specify theoretical and therapeutic contributions of Dr. Lawrence’s clinical approaches, especially regarding her writing on self-humanization, team and community approaches to working with children and families, play therapy, civil rights, and her place in the canon of psychology and spirituality.

3. Identify and apply her innovative treatment interventions and supervisory approaches to psychoanalysis and primary health care.

This is a beginning and intermediate  level presentation

Fees
CCP members: free with annual $175 membership, payable at registration.
Students:free with annual $150 membership, payable at registration.
Fellows: free with annual $150 membership, payable at registration.
Non-CCP members, single admission: $50
Student non-members, single admission: $15

Continuing Education
This program is sponsored for Continuing Education Credits by the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis. There is no commercial support for this program, nor are there any relationships between the continuing education sponsor, presenting organization, presenter, program content, research, grants or other funding that could be construed as conflicts of interest. Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If the program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods. The Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis maintains responsibility for this program and its content. CCP is licensed by the state of Illinois to sponsor continuing education credits for Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Licensed Social Workers, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors, Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Counselors and Licensed Clinical Psychologists (license no. 159.000941 and 268.000020 and 168.000238 Illinois Dept. of Financial and Professional Regulation).

Professionals holding the aforementioned credentials will receive 2.0 continuing education credits for attending the entire program. To receive these credits a completed evaluation form must be turned in at the end of the presentation and licensed psychologists must first complete a brief exam on the subject matter. No continuing education credit will be given for attending part of the presentation. Refunds for CE credit after the program begins will not be honored. If a participant has special needs or concerns about the program, s/he should contact Toula Kourliouros Kalven by September 16, 2021 at tkalven@ccpsa.org

References/Suggested Reading

Lawrence-Lightfoot, S. (1989). Balm in Gilead: The Journey of a Healer. Boston: Addison-Wesley Publishers.

Lawrence, M.M. (1971). The Mental Health Team in the Schools. New York: Behavioral Publications.

Lawrence, M.M. (1973). Young Inner City Families: Development of Ego Strengths Under Stress. New York: Behavioral Publications.

Presented by
The Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis/CCP Program Committee: Carol Ganzer, PhD, Toula Kourliouros Kalven,  Adina Bayuk Keesom, PsyD

The Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis is an IRS 501(C)(3) charitable organization, and expenses may be tax deductible to the extent allowed by law and your personal tax situation