Fridays @ CCP Lecture Series
Jan Abram, PhD
(London, UK)
Holding and Containing: on Winnicott’s Specificity of Object Relations Theory
Friday October 17, 2025
7-9pm (CST)
Zoom
About the presentation: In this lecture Abram offers her thoughts about how Winnicott was influenced by Freud’s writings and, in turn, how Bion was influenced by Winnicott’s perspectives on early psychic development. In examining the meaning of holding and containing in Winnicott’s work Abram identifies the specificity of his clinical paradigm in contrast to other clinical paradigms such as both Freudian and Kleinian.
Jan Abram is a training and supervising analyst of the British Psychoanalytical Society in private practice London. She is visiting professor at the University College London and President of the European Psychoanalytical Federation. She has published many books notably: The Language of Winnicott (1996 1st edition; 2007 2nd edition), judged Outstanding Academic Book of the Year (1997); Donald Winnicott Today (2013); The Clinical Paradigms of Melanie Klein and Donald Winnicott (2018) and The Clinical Paradigms of Donald Winnicott and Wilfred Bion (2023) (with co-author R.D.Hinshelwood).
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to identify the holding and containing concept in Winnicott’s work.
Participants will be able to distinguish between holding and containing in psychoanalytic technique.
This presentation is designed for intermediate to advanced-level participants.
Fees
CCP members: free with annual $195 membership, payable at registration.
Students:free with annual $175 membership, payable at registration.
New Fellows / Ongoing: free with annual $250/$300 membership, payable at registration.
Non-CCP members, single admission: $50
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/they should contact Toula Kourliouros Kalven by October 16, 2025 at: tkalven@ccpsa.org
References/Suggested Readings
Abram, J. (2021) On Winnicott’s concept of trauma Int J Psychoanal., (102) (4): 778-793
Abram, J. (2008) Donald Woods Winnicott (1896 – 1971): a brief history Education Section Int J of Psychoanal 89: 1189-1217
Freud, S (1911) Formulations on the Two Principles of Mental Functioning SE 12 213-226 Winnicott, DW (1962) Letter to Bion in The Spontaneous Gesture
Winnicott DW (1968-9) The Use of an Object in the context of Moses and Monotheismin Abram 2013 Chapter 13
Presented by
The Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis/CCP Program Committee: Zak Mucha, LCSW, Alan Levy, PhD, Toula Kourliouros Kalven.
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.