Editor's Note
Hello MAGPS community,
On September 30th I welcomed a new member to my family group, my son. I am so in love with him and enjoying spending these early days together. This has been the second newsletter I’ve assembled with a newborn on my chest! As much as I enjoy having a co-editor, I’ve decided it’s time for me to let go of some of my professional projects and turn my attention to my family for a while; that said, the Spring 2023 Newsletter will be my last and MAGPS is looking for a new newsletter editor. If you are interested or have questions about the role, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at newsletter@magps.org or send an email to nominations@magps.org.
This is a really exciting issue of the newsletter. Check out information about our upcoming conference with Paula Atkinson on Body Justice in Group, lots of updates from the Anti-Racism Committee, several great submissions from members of our community, and more! Thank you to everyone who contributed! Enjoy!
Warmly,
Rebecca Abell, Newsletter Editor
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BIPOC Racial Affinity Group
October 23, 2022
White Racial Affinity Group
October 23, 2022
MAGPS Fall Conference
November 4-6, 2022
White Racial Affinity Group
November 27, 2022
AGPA Connect
March 6-11, 2023
Read on for more details about these events!
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Letter from the President
2022 Fall Conference, In Person: Being Safe, Being Brave, and Being Together
Karen Eberwein, PsyD, ABPP CGP
This is a picture of my daughter, who is 5 years old (and very tall), at her weekly horseback lesson. She is riding a horse named Astoria, who I think will be her first true love. My daughter is indisputably the bravest person in our family. What you cannot see from the picture is that her instructor is about an arm’s length away. Nor could you know, Astoria is a gentle soul, who was delivered by my daughter’s instructor, and the bonded pair have been together for over 24 years. This makes me feel safe watching my daughter ride.
In a few weeks, we will be together, IN PERSON, at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, Maryland, participating in Body Justice in Group, MAGPS’s Fall Conference presented by Paula Atkinson. I am sure this statement evokes different reactions in you. So much has changed. It has been at least three years since we have been in the same room together, in community, participating in an MAGPS Conference. The current Board, which took office in Spring 2021, has NEVER been in person together. Some of us only know one another through Zoom meetings. Similarly, you may only know some of your MAGPS colleagues through participating in a virtual experience, such as an Affinity Group, a Round Table, the Cinema Series, or a small group during a conference. Sit with all of this for a second.
We have delayed being in person until things seemed safe enough. Since Fall 2019, the last time we have been “together,” safety has taken on a new meaning and we behave differently. During the conference, we will be exercising physical safety measures such as distancing and wearing masks at events, including small groups. Instead of a banquet you will have a catered, boxed lunch. We will also be encouraging folx to spend time together outside, and the Conference Committee will host a Cinema Series (instead of a dance) Saturday evening. We are being thoughtful in our planning; however, we also need your help. We must work together, which includes reminding and confronting others who may not be doing their part to create an atmosphere that is safe enough for us to be brave and learn. In addition to the actions that have already been mentioned, this includes following some practices, which may be unfamiliar or new to you, if you have not attended an MAGPS event recently.
Since Fall 2020 MAGPS conferences have been evolving to also include personal safety measures. I am a tall, athletic, white, healthy, cis-gendered, straight, married, female, Gen-X’er. When I was 9 years old, I used to horseback ride, but a year into lessons my instructor changed, I fell off the pony and was not injured but felt scared and did not want to continue. Because of who I am and my life experiences, my safety barometer (including the triggers and the experiences that activate me) at MAGPS conferences, is different than others around me. I have fallen off and felt injured during small groups but not routinely, and despite the sting, always could find support from my small group leader or a peer. This has not been the case for many of our BIPOC colleagues, who have regularly found themselves in positions where white members’ learning is promoted and occurs at their expense; yet, some of these brave members continue in MAGPS, and sadly others do not come back.
At MAGPS, we want to establish a culture where learning about differences can occur without routine injury to the assumed other. If you have not attended a conference since Spring 2020, there have been some changes. Small Group Leaders do not have to pay for conferences, the conference registrar now assigns members to small groups, we offer a BIPOC-identified small group, we offer a BIPOC social, all conference attendees must endorse MAGPS’s Safe Environment Policy, and, if you are participating as a Small Group Leader, you must attest to your ability to maintain AGPA’s Guidelines for Creating Affirming Group Experiences. These practices will also continue at the 2022 Fall Conference, please read the links, and know that the Conference Committee and Board take them very seriously.
Finally, despite our efforts, we are also aware this conference will not feel physically and/or personally safe enough for some of our members, which is a tremendous loss to us all. While it cannot make up for our colleagues’ absence MAGPS is planning future, virtual events including Affinity Groups, the Cinema Series, and the Spring 2023 Conference. In addition, the Board has also voted to allocate $2,500 for Dr. Kimberly Burdine, MAGPS’s Equity Consultant, to conduct an organizational survey that begins to assess how well we are meeting members’ needs. Questions will address equity concerns, antiracism efforts, how you perceive MAGPS, and ask about in-person and virtual programming preferences. Finally, MAGPS Board Elections will be coming up in November-December 2022. Self-nominate or suggest a colleague be a part of the Board. We need you and your energy to keep MAGPS thriving.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for bringing you to our MAGPS experiences.
I look to seeing you soon!
Warmly,
Karen
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Fall 2022 MAGPS Conference |
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Click the thumbnail to see an interview with Paula D. Atkinson by Dr. Kelechi Fluitt! |
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Are you interested in interviewing one of our future speakers?
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Paula D. Atkinson is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, working as a psychotherapist in private practice. She is also a yoga teacher, certified at the highest level, a Reiki practitioner and a writer. She has been working for years with those who
suffer from disordered eating, food obsession, exercise compulsion and body hatred. She treats clients of all sizes and identities with a weight neutral, anti-diet, body liberation approach.
Paula proudly identifies as a body justice activist, teaching courses on the myths of
current measures of health, our culture's thin worship, and the oppression of people in large bodies as a professor of Weight & Society at George Washington University, as well as to other mental professionals, clinics and organizations.
Paula is a Health At Every Size registered practitioner, a member of The International
Association of Eating Disorders Professionals, the National Association of Social Workers and the Association of Social Work Boards. She is currently working on a book of essays on the topic of body sovereignty, food sanity, and freedom for bodies of all shapes.
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An Update from the Anti-Racism Committee
Hello MAGPS community,
Please welcome our new Anti-Racism Committee Co-Chairs, Jill and Maggie! Jill and Maggie are honored and thankful to be a part of this organization and cannot wait to continue the amazing work the previous chair and task force! Please see below for the Statement of Introduction, Mission Statement, and Meeting information for BIPOC & White Affinity groups subject matter and times.
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Credentials:
Licensed Psychology Associate (D.C.): PSYA200001266
MA: Masters in Forensic Psychology (2018)
MA: Masters in Clinical Psychology (2022)
Contact Info:
Biography:
Margaret Wilmot Francis is a predoctoral extern in the 4th year of her clinical psychology doctoral program
(PsyD) at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She obtained her B.A. in Criminal Justice from the
University of Maryland Eastern Shore and her M.A in Forensic Psychology from Argosy University- Inland
Empire. Currently, she is a licensed psychology associate in Washington, D.C. Margaret strives to cultivate a
safe and professional environment centered around processing and working through one’s traumas and
interpersonal issues. Margaret is trained in cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic therapy but hopes to expand her skills further. In her personal life, Margaret enjoys personal training and hiking.
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Credentials:
LCPAT (Licensed Clinical Professional Art Therapist) #: ATCO22
MS Ed. ATR-BC (Master of Education and Board-Certified Art Therapist)
CGP (Certified Group Therapist)
Contact Info:
410-279-3106
Biography:
Jill Penaloza, LCPAT, CGP, is an art psychotherapist in private practice in Annapolis, Maryland, with over 30 years of experience as an individual and group therapist, and a co-founder of 2XL Concepts, an advisory firm that trains CEOs and their teams in the art of heart-based leadership to create healthier, happier, and more sustainable work environments. Jill is a Sheng Zhen Moving Meditation teacher and a faculty member at The Ferentz Institute in Baltimore, MD, where she trains mental health professionals in the use of trauma-aware embodiment practices.
Additional Info:
Jill believes that every person carries within the capacity for healing and that her role is to help access this wisdom. Jill incorporates creative cognitive therapy, embodied mindfulness practices and expressive modalities to help groups and individuals access the wisdom of their "whole" brain-body to cultivate a more conscious, heart-centered way of being in each moment. One of the primary tools she uses is Sheng Zhen Meditation, a system of movement and non-movement with ties to the ancient practice of qigong, an internal healing art. Sheng Zhen Meditation has the healing power of Unconditional Love as its core foundation, and those who practice it experience the revitalizing of mind and body as the heart begins to open. For corporate clients, the enhanced sense of well-being results in improved productivity and increased organizational and group cohesion.
Prior to her corporate work and private practice Jill was a mental health staff clinician at Strong Memorial Hospital and a group program director at Genesee Hospital in Rochester, New York. She has worked with non-profit and private organizations across the United States and presented and taught at AACC Women’s Institute, Maryland Psychological Association, Rochester NY City School District, CHADD Maryland, and the Washington DC Department of Corrections.
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ANTI-RACISM TASK FORCE Becomes ANTI-RACISM COMMITTEE
Statement of Introduction
In February 2020, the MAGPS Board met for our Spring meeting. One of the items on the agenda was to create an Anti-Racism Task Force to address systemic racism in the mental health field, as well as in our own organization. In the mental health community, and more specifically within our organization, individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have sustained significant injuries as a result of implicit bias, racism, and other related behaviors that perpetuate systemic oppression, both consciously and unconsciously. We feel strongly that we must take a hard look at our organization.
The Board voted unanimously to support the efforts of the Taskforce and agreed that the first action item would be to write a mission statement for the website. Directly after this meeting, AGPA held their annual conference in New York City and many of MAGPS’ members became ill with COVID-19. Two of the Task Force’s members were at the conference and also became ill with COVID-19. Our mission was stalled because of illness and then by the devastating effects of the pandemic, particularly in Black/African American communities. Just before George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, the Anti-Racism Task Force for MAGPS began to reassemble. The reason for our inception has not changed but the urgency for this work has become center stage in our country. It is unacceptable that it took the unjust murder of yet another Black person to create the current energy towards dismantling racism, and we are dedicated to maintaining the energy that was behind the creation of the Task Force.
The Anti-Racism Task Force is a brand new and overdue initiative, and we are committed to facing racism and white privilege at personal, systemic, and organizational levels. We, and MAGPS as a community, are committed to advancing our mission to train group psychotherapists through the lens of cultural humility and with the understanding that the mental health profession, including group psychotherapy, has not done enough to understand systemic racism in our field, and thus has been complicit in it. As we watch various organizations struggle to capture the right sentiment to convey their anti-racist position, it is a part of our task to wonder why it has taken us so long.
The mission of the MAGPS Anti-Racism Task Force is fluid and the work that we do to fulfill our mission will evolve as we grow in our work as anti-racists. We are committed to being accountable to each other in the learning we must do. We are committed to inclusion. We are committed to being allies to all marginalized people; and in particular, we are committed to fighting the systemic oppression and racism against Black and Brown people. We apologize on behalf of MAGPS for not having stood up sooner.
In Solidarity,
Alison, Shemika, Liz and Chris
MAGPS Anti-Racism Task Force Chairs
ANTI-RACISM COMMITTEE
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Anti-Racism Committee is to provide recommendations to the MAGPS Board to address systemic racism in our organization and the mental health field as a whole. Our task is to use education, dialogue, outreach, and personal growth accountability to be a voice for change within our group therapy community.
VISION STATEMENT
By addressing institutional racism, we are creating change in who we are as a community and how we work as therapists. We are re-envisioning our organization to foster a community of inclusion in order to create a new culture of equity for group therapists -- one in which we deconstruct the ways that white supremacy has shaped our organization within the field of mental health.
ACTION PLAN
We are committed to increasing awareness among group therapists of how white supremacy, structural racism, and personal bias influences us in groups, and the Anti-Racism Committee has proposed the following opportunities for MAGPS members to learn alongside our organization.
For the purpose of enhancing members’ awareness of race and racism both as group members and group leaders, we will be holding White and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) caucus groups. All participants will begin together in a large group and then break out into smaller Caucus groups. After meeting, the small group facilitators will gather feedback from the groups about process, and invite questions, and comments to share with the MAGPS Board. The feedback will be compiled and shared with the membership. The steps after that will be discussed with the board and decisions will be made with how to best move forward to meet the needs of membership and help our organization to evolve.
We are also offering round table discussions on topics furthering MAGPS’ Anti-Racism mission. These discussion groups will be open to all members, and registration information will be sent to the membership in advance. Our hope is to eventually offer Continuing Educations Credits in cultural competency for group therapists.
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(Online) White Racial Affinity Group
Sunday, October 23rd, 2022
3:00-5:00 PM
We are pleased to offer the next White Racial Affinity Group on Sunday, September 25th from 3:00-5:00 p.m. This Anti-Racism Affinity Group will be for White participants and led by Alison Howard and Barbara Cristy. Alison has graciously volunteered to lead the upcoming groups as well and will be asking for volunteers to co-lead with her for upcoming sessions.
Through consensus of the group, we have also agreed to always hold this meeting on the 4th Sunday of the month. Please mark your calendars for 10/23 and 11/27.
The meeting will take place through the Zoom platform (you will receive a link when you register). We will be discussing our own experiences of race and how white supremacy affects our practices and MAGPS.
Although these groups are not traditional interpersonal process groups, we do expect to be attuned to what comes up in the here and now. The purpose is not to enhance clinical group skills but to use process to deepen our awareness of how we can become anti-racists in an anti-racist organization.
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(Online) BIPOC Racial Affinity Group
Sunday, October 23rd, 2022
3:00-5:00 PM
The Anti-Racism Committee of MAGPS is continuing to work on getting the BIPOC affinity groups up and running again. We are currently looking for individuals who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People for Color) to join our monthly racial affinity group. BIPOC Racial Affinity groups are held for the purposes of enhancing members’ awareness of race and racism both as group members and group leaders. We will be hosting our first BIPOC Racial Affinity Group of the year, Sunday October 23rd, 2022, 3pm-5pm. This meeting will serve as an informational setting and a meet and great! This meeting will be held virtually via zoom.
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Reflections on the 2022 Spring Conference
Liz Marsh, LICSW, ATR, CGP
It was truly and honor and a privilege to co-chair the Spring 2022 MAGPS virtual conference May 21st and 22nd with Dr. Karen Eberwein. In a program entitled, “Passing the Torch: Viewing Intergenerational Dynamics in Group”, Dr. Jackie Darby and Dr. Shemika Brooks offered a profound reflection on how the age of the clinician intersects with other identities and affects our work with clients, and also how ageism is influencing our field and organizations such as MAGPS.
Using a multi-cultural and intersectional framework, Dr. Brooks and Dr. Darby challenged us to think of our different approaches to psychotherapy as “cultures”. For example, we compared a more medicalized model with indigenous approaches to communal healing and we also talked about CBT “culture” or Modern Psychoanalytic “culture”. Different generations of practitioners have unique cultural approaches as well. Based on our age, each of us have different reference points in regards to social norms, relationships, technology, media, language, gender, sexuality, body politics, and race.
There is no doubt about it, our field is going through a historic revolution. In every professional organization that I am a part of, therapists are being asked to think about our personal biases and how this affects the theories or clinical approaches our work is grounded in so that we can better our relationships with our clients and with one another. This includes power and privilege and understanding that what we take for granted as a “norm” can have a profound impact on the other. Why have we been leaving our chronological age and our historical reference points out of this discussion?
In line with this revolution, MAGPS is working on changing our culture for this new age. This conference was the first time we asked for adherence to the MAGPS Safe Environment Policy (https://magps.org/Safe-Environment-Policy). Following AGPA’s example, our hope is that this new policy and the AGPA Guidelines for Creating Affirming Group Experiences (https://agpa.org/home/media/social-issue-policy-resolutions/agpa-guidelines-for-creating-affirming-group-experiences) will help our membership and our broader community take into account the effects of our personal lens on the other as we do the important work of training in group psychotherapy. We are demonstrating, through action, the changing culture at MAGPS, with more of an emphasis on enabling everyone’s voice in the room.
Our Small Group Leader team (Vinny Dehili, Robin Dean, Marvin Evans, Latoyia Griffin, Joshua DeSilva, and Christopher Ray) did an incredible job of reinforcing this culture of sharing and challenging so that all participants can learn equally from this important material.
As Dr. Brooks and Darby taught us: “The good old days are not historic, they’re nostalgic.” As MAGPS continues to evolve, this is an important message to carry into our future conferences and beyond.
I look forward to being with you at our Fall Conference In-Person!
~Liz Marsh
President Elect and Co-chair for the 2022 Spring Conference
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First Time Facilitator
Shemika M. Brooks, PsyD, CGP
I facilitated a professional development group for the first time.
No, that’s a gross understatement.
I developed a Process Group Immersion (PGI) program for trainees in college and university counseling center settings, wherein they would be immersed in process groups through a role as a two-day, marathon, process group participant-- but with only other graduate-level clinical mental health trainees. This professional development program brought together (virtually), across various regions of the east coast, a number of trainees from college/university training sites, a select number of trainees who registered independently, and a team of talented and skilled group facilitators. In addition to founding and coordinating PGI, I was one of the facilitators...
While I was putting this program together using my big picture, systems-oriented, logistically thinking brain, I wanted to control for everything that I possibly could: selecting facilitators for the program
that have ample experience in group process AND who could be trusted to respond appropriately to the identities and needs of the participants through a lens of social justice and equity; not having folx in a group together from the same training program; not having trainees in a group led by a facilitator from their current training site; leaving it up to each site to determine if this would be optional, expected, required; addressing the REQUIREMENT to respect self and others, and identifying potential consequences of breaching that agreement.
Along the way, I faced a distinct choice point: do I participate in the program as a process group facilitator, or no? For some this would be a no-brainer, but at the forefront of my consciousness was the fact that I had never facilitated a professional development group before.
Participated? Oh yes, plenty of times, for over a decade.
Facilitated!? No. Never.
I went back and forth in my mind, but ultimately I decided not to allow the fear and discomfort to hinder me. I decided to lean into this new role, and to use it as an opportunity -- dare I say, for my own professional development!? ::insert joke rimshot here::
So I put myself on the list to do it. And then the program was put together and the day came and I had to DO IT! Aaaaaaaaah!
It was bad enough that members of my group came in with an impression of me already: “so-and-so said you’re the best, so I’m looking forward to observing your style and learning from you.” *THEY SAID WHAT?!??!? That person’s obviously wrong.*
I already felt very anxious about not living up to the minimum expectation, and then THIS!
*Be prepared to be disappointed.*
Despite that I kept telling myself, “No pressure, but PRESSURE!...” I facilitated the group anyway. I just kind of forgot about who was in the “room” and what they might expect and what they might know, and I applied my knowledge and experience, and I facilitated a process group.
In reflecting back, I realize that to the greatest extent possible, my initial hesitation had to do with imposter syndrome: I already doubt myself a lot when it comes to my work with patients/clients. *And you want me to demonstrate my clinical approach to people who might already know what it’s
supposed to look like? You want me to intentionally expose myself to people who probably have models of how it’s done right???*
In the quintessential way, I was worried that I would be exposed as a fraud.
But that didn’t happen. As a matter of fact, I had moments, myself, of internal dialogue, like that endemic in the Black call-and-response culture: “YES SHEMIKA!;” “preach!;” “that’s good;” and so on and so forth. And because of that, I *believed* the participants of my group when they said they had an amazing experience; and it was hard but very rewarding; and they learned a lot; and they felt privileged to have had the opportunity to be a part of the program.
Logistically, I would not have done it without having my people in my corner: my advisory board, my consultants, my facilitation team that I had full confidence in.
Realistically, I could not have done it without the training programs and participants signing up.
Holistically, I could not have done it without just doing it.
I look forward to the opportunity to just do it again. And maybe even again and again.
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GOOD-BYE MAGPS
George Saiger, MD, CGP, FAGPA
I joined MAGPS sometime in the mid 1970s, about 10 years after our founding. I was told that I got here a decade too late—group had been king in the 1960s with all sorts of innovations being tried out, even nude marathons (not actually at MAGPS, I don’t think). Attendance at the spring and fall conferences always numbered more than 100. But that moment had passed. The trend downward continued into the early 1980s. It looked like the end. Conference registration was abysmally low, and no one wanted to be president. Beryce MacLennon, who had been president in the 1960s, came out of retirement to fill the leadership vacuum. Still, I was enthused, maybe enthralled, by the seemingly endless possibilities that the group modality presented.
By the time I got involved in governance (as member at large of the board) it became increasingly obvious that we were an almost lily-white organization. A plan was floated to fast track BIPOC people into leadership, whether or not they had anything to do with us before. I panicked; as the newest board member, it seemed obvious that it would be I who would have to give up my board seat to this hypothetical person of color. Last hired/first fired, and all that. “Don’t worry,” President Mel Stern told me. “We’ll just increase the board membership by one.” Nothing came of it, anyway, at least not then. I later learned from Carolyn Payton, the first woman and the first person of color to head the Peace Corps, and who held various important positions at Howard University, that MAGPS (and AGPA) were known within minority communities to be especially unfriendly to black people. I get the sense that things are now finally improving.
In 1994 the MAGPS board allocated $1000 for me to make a video of the first 30 years of our history. I got to work with the (then thriving) A-V department at Howard. It was exciting—I learned about film editing late at night at Howard. I also learned about MAGPS history. We were the first or second regional affiliate of the American Group Psychotherapy Association. I learned that Leon Lurie disputed the AGPA’s record that Morris Parloff had been our first president. “It was me!” said Leon loudly. I never did figure out whose claim was the stronger.
I eventually served on the board for a whole decade—member at large, membership chair, vice president and program chair, president, past president. I never missed a MAGPS conference all that time. When I finally stepped down, I vowed to play hooky for the very next meeting. Guess what? I got terribly sick and spent my first weekend of freedom in bed, feeling miserable.
My involvement tapered gradually after that. Part of it was a sense of “been there, done that.” More important, I think, was that MAGPS stopped offering continuing education credits to psychiatrists**. I know that it can be expensive to maintain accreditation through The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®)–hardly worth it since fewer psychiatrists today practice psychotherapy. It has become a vicious circle: they don’t want us; we don’t want them.
Now I am moving out of the area. I’ve closed my office and bought an apartment in Manhattan. Those brave souls who have led groups for seniors (HI, Sally!) know that older adults can too easily opt to live on memory lane. It is hard to convince my cohort to embark on paths into unknown territory. I am going to chance it. Goodbye DC, hello New York. Goodbye MAGPS—hello Eastern GPS.
Hey! And thanks for the memories.
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**Editor's note: We do currently offer continuing education for psychiatrists at our conferences. |
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The Torch Has Passed. The Not So “Silent” Generation Didn’t Notice.
Sally Brandel, PhD, CGP
In the interest of continuing our learning from the Spring Conference, I want to describe what I, as an attendee, noticed about some of the ways my Silent Gen cohort (born before 1945) and Boomers showed up at the conference. I acknowledge that these are simply my observations.
Dr. Jackie Darby and Dr. Shemika Brooks led MAGPS 2022 Spring conference attendees in an exploration of the theme “Passing the Torch: Viewing Intergenerational Dynamics in Group.” Dr. Darby and Dr. Brooks identified as Millennials and African-American women. MAGPS President and President Elect served as Conference Co-Chairs. They are white members of Gen X and Millennials. The Small Group leaders (SGLs) belonged to Gen X, Millennial and Gen Z cohorts. The Silent and Boomer generations made up roughly 40 percent of the membership of the conference—all were white. Because of continuing COVID concerns the conference was virtual. For the first time, attendees and SGLs were to read and agree to new MAGPS Safe Environment Conduct Policy for creating affirming group experiences. The new guidelines, based on AGPA guidelines, were developed by MAGPS to advance equity, diversity and inclusion.
“Groups spanning three (or more) generations are likely to be trouble…”
Research presented by Dr. Darby and Dr. Brooks found that groups composed of people from two adjoining generations tend to function smoothly and powerfully. If the group includes members from three or more generations it almost certainly will be difficult. Those research findings seemed to play out at the 2022 Spring Conference. The conference included people from five generations.
Very clearly Gen Xers and Millennials hold the formal leadership in MAGPS. They have been elected to MAGPS Executive Committee offices. For two or more years, they have been leading the organization’s efforts to become more anti-racist. They established the Anti-Racism Task Force, started White and BIPOC affinity group discussions, and wrote the new conference Guidelines to make participation in MAGPS activities more welcoming to all. They selected the presenters for the 2022 Spring conference.
Dr. Darby and Dr. Brooks included several references to music, movies and other media to enrich their didactic presentations. For instance, they referenced songs related to generational dynamics curated by the Conference Co-Chairs and played during the conference breaks. Gen Xers and Millennials listened. They said they loved relaxing to the music. The presenters answered a few questions from other Millennials about how the lyrics related to the conference theme. They seemed to connect with one another through the music--bridging gender and racial differences.
The fact of generational divides around historical and cultural references is common knowledge outside the profession. The Silent Gen and Boomers, as far as I noticed, showed little familiarity or curiosity about the Millennials' playlist. They asked no questions about it. They might not have been listening or they were perhaps they simply tuned out. No Silent Gen member mentioned they “got” the musical references. We were generally lost when it came to other cultural references. No one knew the storyline of the Disney movie Encanto or whose tribal lands we occupied—references the Millennials and Gen Zers seemed to know or ask about.
More difficulty followed when the Boomers and Silent Gen said they had not read or even heard about MAGPS' new guidelines on diversity, inclusion and equity. This disregard or disinterest in the recent work of MAGPS leadership contributed to a racial microaggression in one small group that reverberated through the conference weekend. Some members of the older generations again—despite all of the efforts of the Millennials and Gen Xers-- just didn’t “get it.” In fact, they had checked the box but ignored the content.
The Not so Silent Generation
Despite being absent from the leadership ranks and unaware of the younger generations’ worlds of music, movies and DEI work, the Silent Gen and Boomers were anything but “silent.” People spoke early and often about what life was like for them. Some talked about falling to pieces, of needing caretaking as they care for family members, of health problems, loss of energy for working clinically and running groups. Others fondly remembered the “good old days.” Seeing familiar faces, remembering conferences past, and privileging our experience with group psychotherapy seemed entirely natural to us—even though it could be labeled “nostalgia.” Nostalgia for our own activist days (civil rights and feminism) perhaps blinds us to the ways in which we continue to carry our white privilege.
It came as a bit of a shock in the plenaries when younger generations took exception to the Silent Gen’s reveries, the remembering how good it used to feel in the old MAGPS. Millennials and Gen Z’ers pointed out that when we drifted into these reveries we excluded their experiences—even disrupted their efforts to connect in the here and now. As I recall, just one Millennial spoke empathically about this longing for the good old days. We older generations wobbled in our white fragility when confronted by younger participants who rejected our various “concerns” as both racially biased and patronizing along gender lines.
Who Listens to Who?
As therapists, we all know about the longing to be heard, to be “seen.” When a person in therapy doesn’t feel heard no change or healing is possible. There is no moving forward until reparative work happens. This is true for individual, couples and group therapy.
All the talk by Boomers and Silent Gen folks about loss and caretaking seemed to be a plea for younger generations to listen to our changing needs and, by implications, to be seen. Maybe the ask was of fellow members of our age cohort. I imagine we were dancing on the generational divide—we wanted younger generations to care—a need that, when named, some Silent Gen folks were quick to deny. Our preoccupation and curiosity about our experience of aging was met primarily with silence on the part of younger members—at least in the plenaries. They pressed “mute” when hearing the stories of aging just as the older generations failed to listen to the playlist and Guidelines developed by the younger generations. Listening across three generations in this conference group proved to be extremely difficult indeed.
Perhaps another way to look at the dynamic is how the generations took up parenting. The older generations sometimes behaved as if they had one last chance to share their wisdom and thereby mold the younger generations in the ways of the profession and the organization. There was a lot of “Whitesplaining” from the older members of the conference. Lots of certainty on their part about what was important. Meanwhile, the younger generations demonstrated their competence, offered new theories about group therapy, and introduced new cultural context to our conferences. They were asking older people to notice how well they can teach, lead, nurture and manage. If only we could better see and listen to one another.
What is MAGPS to do with the Silent Gen and Boomers?
More than once Dr. Darby and Dr. Brooks reminded us that change is coming, that we can opt out or join the process. What does “opting out” look like? The Silent Generation is losing members to death—the ultimate “opt out.” Many in the Silent and Boomer generations have “been there and done that” when it comes to leading and participating in group psychotherapy organizations and social justice movements. The cohort includes many who spoke of retiring from their practices. Some shared that they think “opting out” means “making room” for younger generations.
What does “joining the process” of change look like for the Boomers and Silent Gen? A few conference attendees said they still want to lead. Others said they are figuring out how to remain in professional organizations but not lead movements for change--something about ceding authority, recognizing that they might hold tradition but that new traditions will displace the old. Perhaps the Boomers and Silent Generation need an “alumni” or affinity group at conferences—a small group of people of a certain age range—namely just Silent Gen and Boomers. AGPA does offer Institute groups for people of various years in the profession—mostly a stand in for age.
So many options, so little time.
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Group Therapy for Therapists: Openings Available!
If you’re interested in meeting weekly in process oriented therapy groups I currently have several openings. The groups consistently offer deep emotional support and direct engagement (similar to what you may have experienced in process groups at MAGPS, WSP, AAP, AGPA institutes, Tavistock, etc.) with other relationally oriented therapists who value authentic interpersonal connections. The emphasis is on full awareness and expression of our lived experience as we encounter each other in the present moment. We work to build interpersonal safety by respectfully speaking our truth and by tending to boundaries, damaged feelings and misuse of power, resulting in greater vulnerability, intimacy, healing and growth - the alchemy of group therapy. Participants increase their capacity for empathy, compassion and love, and are better able to voice difficult emotions and let go of shame. Through this experiential process a greater wisdom and comfort with group dynamics will evolve, and you’ll notice more gratifying and loving relationships with your spouses/partners, children, friends, and clients.
DETAILS:
Groups are coed and ONLY FOR THERAPISTS, novice through seasoned. In-person groups meet in Dupont Circle. Limit 8 per group.
Costs. $140/session with a sliding scale available for grad students, new practitioners, and agency employees. Diversity is promoted.
Available groups:
Monday 1:30-2:45pm (In-person and hybrid options)
Thurs 9-10:15am (In-person and virtual mix)
Fri 12-1:15pm (Virtual)
Any questions or to discuss further please call/email:
Nicholas Kirsch, Ph.D.
301.442.7618
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Mid-Atlantic Group Psychotherapy Society
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