REFLECTIVE SPACES/MATERIAL PLACES

March 17, 2012
Instituto Familiar de la Raza, 2919 Mission St, San Francisco
Discussion by Neil Altman, Ph.D.
Conference directors: Lani Chow, Francisco Gonzalez, Beth Kita

Community mental health clinics are under enormous pressures to deliver more service with less and less resources. Meanwhile, the cases themselves are often extraordinarily complex, often involving layers of personal and multi-generational trauma, multiple mental health diagnoses in the context of personality issues and substance abuse, fractured families and social networks -- and all in a system that suffers from cutbacks, turf battles, conflicting contractual expectations, and inadequate support. And yet, extraordinary therapeutic work gets done.

Access Institute, PINC, and NCSPP are encouraged to co-sponsor a day of reflection, collaboration, connection, and networking in an innovative conference that will bring together frontline mental health workers, community activists, psychoanalysts, and therapists. The conference will take place on March 17 at Instituto Familiar de la Raza in the Mission district from 9:00am to 4:00pm.

In order to provide a common starting point, providers from Larkin Street Youth Services and Family Service Agency will present case material about a complex client who uses services at both sites. Neil Altman, Ph.D., a New York-based analyst and author of "Analyst in the Inner City", will discuss the case, emphasizing larger issues and the importance of sociocultural context. We will then break up into smaller work groups, using the morning presentation as a stimulus to further thinking. We will end the day with a large group roundtable discussion and a social hour.

We believe the intersection of community mental health and psychoanalytic thinking is a place of vibrant dialogue and creative mutual enrichment for both disciplines. We invite you to join us in what we hope will prove to be the first of a series of creative partnerships.

Fees:
$80 General Public
$65 NCSPP Assoc. & Full Members, Access Members, PINC Members
$20 Students, PINC Candidates, Community Mental Health Providers
$10 CE Credit Processing Fee

Lunch included. Registration at NCSPP website www.ncspp.org