Fridays @ CCP Lecture Series
Ann D’ Ercole, PhD, ABPP
(New York, NY)
Love, “The Kiss” and Repair: Clara Thompsons Contributions to Relational Theory
Friday November 7, 2025
7-9pm (CST)
After-words bookstore, 23E Illinois Street, Chicago
&
Zoom
About the Presentation: An important aspect of Clara Thompson's pioneering work in psychoanalysis stems from her personal analysis with Sandor Ferenczi. Her contributions, deeply rooted in her own experiences of emotional trauma and psychic pain, led to an innovative clinical perspective that emphasized empathy and mutuality. This approach challenged traditional Freudian methods and laid the groundwork for the relational turn in psychoanalytic practice. Thompson's legacy continues to shape contemporary psychoanalytic thought, underscoring the significance of empathic connections and the influence of the analyst's personality in therapy.
Ann D'Ercole, Ph.D. ABPP, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology at New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. Distinguished Visiting Faculty at the William Alanson White Institute. Author of Clara M. Thompson’s Early Years and Professional Awakening: An American Psychoanalyst (1893-1933) and Clara M. Thompson’s Professional Evolution and Legacy: An American Psychoanalyst (1933-1958), Routledge, 2023. Co-Editor of Uncoupling Convention: Psychoanalytic Approaches to Same-Sex Couples and Families (2004) and other essays.
Recipient of the APA, Div.39, SGI Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Advancement of Sexualities and Gender Identities in Psychoanalysis and the American Board and Academy of Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Psychology (ABAPPP) book award for her contribution to Frie, R. & Sauvayre, P. (eds). Culture, Politics, and Interpersonal Psychoanalysis: Breaking Boundaries, Routledge, 2022 for, Considering the Radical Contributions of Clara Mabel Thompson. She is in private practice in New York City.
Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will be able to describe the life and work of Clara M. Thompson.
2. Participants will be able to identify Clara M. Thompson’s contribution to relational theory.
This presentation is for all levels of professional experience.
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 November 6, 2025 at: tkalven@ccpsa.org
References/Suggested Readings
D’Ercole, A. (2023a). Clara Thompson’s Early Years and Professional Awakening: An American Psychoanalyst (1893-1933). Routledge Press, London & New York.
D’Ercole, A. (2023b). Clara Thompson’s Professional Evolution and Legacy: An American Psychoanalyst (1933-1958). Routledge Press, London & New York.
Dupont, J. (Ed.). (1988). The clinical diary of Sándor Ferenczi (M. Balint & N. Z. Jackson, Trans.). Harvard University Press.
Thompson, C. (1938). Notes on the psychoanalytic significance of the choice of analyst. Psychiatry, 1(2), 205–216.
Thompson, C. (1941). The role of women in this culture. Psychiatry, 4(1),1-8.
Thompson, C. (1944) Ferenczi’s Contribution to Psychoanalysis, Psychiatry, 7:3, 245-252.
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.