Fridays @ CCP Lecture Series
Joyce Slochower, PhD
(New York, NY)
Psychoanalytic Endings
Friday November 20, 2026
7-9pm (CST)
1132 S. Wabash Ave., Suite 502, Chicago
& ZOOM
About this presentation: I consider the place of termination in contemporary psychoanalytic practice. A more flexible approach to therapeutic endings represents one dimension of a broader paradigm shift away from rule-boundedness and toward clinical flexibility. I first describe the broader move toward flexibility within the field and then explore its complex implications for psychoanalytic endings. Ironically, despite the power of our termination ideal, less-than-final, and absent goodbyes have always been part of psychoanalytic reality. While traditional psychoanalytic endings do exist, it’s my sense that they are far rarer than is believed. Our discussion will address the role of dyadic and individual dynamics on the decision to end, the impact of early experience of endings—ordinary and traumatic—on the termination process. We’ll also address the effect of real-world constraints (time limits, institutional pressures, pandemics, etc.) on termination. Finally, we explore the dynamics and implications of the decision not to end at all.
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Joyce Slochower Ph.D. is Professor Emerita of Psychology at CUNY; Faculty, NYU Postdoctoral Program, Steven Mitchell Center, National Training Program, & PINC in San Francisco. Second Editions of her books, Holding and Psychoanalysis: A Relational Perspective and Psychoanalytic Collisions were released in 2014. Her latest book, Psychoanalysis and the Unspoken, was released by Routledge in 2025. She is co-Editor, with Lew Aron and Sue Grand, of “De-idealizing Relational Theory: A Critique From Within” and “Decentering Relational Theory: A Comparative Critique” (2018, Routledge) both of which received the Gradiva award in 2019. She is in private practice in New York City where she sees individuals and couples and runs supervision and study groups.
Learning Objectives
After the lecture participants will be able to describe
1. The traditional psychoanalytic theory of termination
2. How contemporary thinking has changed our understanding of termination and its many shapes
This is an Intermediate to Advanced Level Presentation
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 19, 2026 at: tkalven@ccpsa.org
References/Suggested Readings
1. Bass, A. Ph.D. (2009): “It ain't over ‘til it's over”: Infinite conversations, imperfect endings, and the elusive nature of termination. Psychoanalytic Dialogues: The International Journal of Relational Perspectives, 19:6, 744-759.
2. Bergmann, M.S. (1997). Termination: The Achilles heel of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalytic Psychology 14(2) 172-174.
3. Loewald, H.W. (1988). Termination analyzable and unanalyzable. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child 43:155-166.
4. Salberg, J., ed. (2010). Good Enough Endings: Breaks, Interruptions, and Terminations from Contemporary Relational Perspectives. New York: Routledge
5. Slochower, J. (2022). Sequels. J. Amer. Psychoanal. Assn., 70(5): 845-873.
Presented by
The Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis/CCP Program Committee