The PCC's Infant Observation and Continuing Education Committees

are pleased to present

INFANT OBSERVATION CONFERENCE 2025

Finding Our Place:

Observing Otherness from Within and Without

featuring

Dr. Suzanne Maiello

Rome, Italy; Italian Association of Psychoanalytic Child



with Discussants

Heike Zagermann

Psychoanalytic Center of California

Leigh Tobias, PhD

Psychoanalytic Center of California

Moderator

Persila Coversano, PsyD

Psychoanalytic Center of California

Saturday, March 15, 2025

9:00 am to 12:00 pm (PDT)



CEUs: 2.75

Location

Virtual via Zoom (The Zoom Link will be emailed to participants one-week before the event).

Program Description

Dr. Maiello will present two papers: “On the function and meaning of infant observation in psychoanalytic training” and “Transcultural infant observation: Exploring the cultural dimension of a mother-infant relationship”.

The first lecture re-enforces the fundamental importance of infant observation in psychoanalytic training. Dr. Maiello formulates the learning experience of the candidates in terms not only of the encounter with their own internal infant, but also in terms of the widening of their emotional containing capacity (maternal function) as well as the stabilization of their capacity to be in the position of the third (paternal function). The second lecture focuses on transcultural infant observation, one of the many applications of infant observation. Transcultural infant observation implies some considerations around the relativity of our own Western cultural identities. Dr. Maiello will describe her personal infant observation experience of an African mother-infant dyad in a township in South Africa.

Program Schedule

Target Audience

MD's, Psychologists, LCSW's, MFT's, Registered Nurses, candidates and members of psychoanalytic institutes, and student clinicians who are interested in psychoanalytic training programs.

Course Objectives

At the end of this activity, participants should be better able to:

1. Describe the value of infant observation in psychoanalytic training.
2. Differentiate the maternal function from the paternal function in infant observation.
3. List three elements involved in transcultural infant observation for those observers with a Western cultural identity.

Program Faculty

Suzanne Maiello, Rome (Italy) Founder member and Past President AIPPI (Italian Association of Psychoanalytic Child Psychotherapy), member ACP (UK Association of Child Psychotherapists and Tavistock), IAAP (International Association of Analytical Psychology). Faculty MA program in Psychoanalytic Observational Studies, University of Essex (UK). Lecturer and supervisor in Psychoanalytic Associations in Europe, Turkey, Israel, US, South America, South Africa, Australia. Recipient of the Frances Tustin Memorial Prize 1997 (PCC). Board Member of the FTMT (Frances Tustin Memorial Trust). Main areas of interest: prenatal proto-mental development, primitive mental states, early trauma, breakdown of psychic development, autistic states, psychoanalytic infant observation. Author of over 100 publications in national and international psychoanalytic journals.

Heike Zagerman, Heike Zagermann is a psychoanalyst and supervisor for infants and their parents, children, adolescents, and young adults in private practice in Munich, Germany. She teaches and supervises Infant Observation following Esther Bick’s method. She is a candidate at the PCC within the core training program.

Leigh Tobias, PhD, FIPA, BCPsa is a Training and Supervising Analyst of the PCC, a Co-Chair of the Continuing Education Committee, and a Member of the Infant Observation Faculty. She is a Past President of both the NAPsaC and CIPS Boards, North American organizations providing programs and education for Psychoanalysts and Candidates. She maintains a private practice in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy with adults and couples in Beverly Hills.

Persila Conversano, PsyD, FIPA, BCPsa is a psychoanalyst and a clinical psychologist. She is a member of the Psychoanalytic Center of California, Chair and Senior Faculty of the Infant Observation Committee, and Senior faculty in the core program. She serves as a member of the Continuing Education Committee and the Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Program (ICAPP). Dr. Conversano is endorsed as Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist by the California Center for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health. She has taught at the Alliant University (formerly CSPP - Los Angeles Campus), Chicago School of Professional Psychology (formerly CGI), and Reiss-Davis Child Study Center. Dr. Conversano has supervised at the Wright Institute and Valley Community Clinic. At the Children's Hospital Los Angeles-Early Childhood Program, she served as clinical faculty and pediatric staff psychologist where she conducted developmental assessment of infants with psychotherapeutic interventions for infants and caregivers, conducted psycho-diagnostic testing, assessment and treatment of children on the autism spectrum disorders, children with behavioral and emotional difficulties, and children with chronic and severe medical conditions. At Didi Hirsch CMHC, she served as Clinical Director for emergency services and centralized intake. She worked as a clinician at Casa Pacifica, a residential treatment center-cottage for boys with severe emotional disturbance age 6-17. She is in private practice in Beverly Hills where she works with adults, couples, children and parents. 

Continuing Education Credit

The Psychoanalytic Center of California designates this live activity for a maximum of 2.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in this activity.



This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the California Medical Association (CMA)  through the Psychoanalytic Center of California. The Psychoanalytic Center of California  is accredited by the California Medical Association (CMA)   to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

As per the California Board of Psychology, psychologists may apply AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ earned by attendance at this CME accredited live activity toward their continuing education requirement for licensing. 

The Psychoanalytic Center of California is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) to sponsor continuing education for LMFT's and LCSW's (CAMFT Approved Provider # 135374). The Psychoanalytic Center of California maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content. This course meets the qualifications for 2.75 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. These learners must attend the entire course to claim credit; no partial credit is offered according to CAMFT requirements.

*Important note: Participants who plan to use the credits in another state should check with their licensing jurisdiction to see if the credits from an ACCME or CAMFT provider will be accepted.

Claiming Credit: Participants will receive a certificate of attendance at the event, which can be used toward licensing requirements. Credit is offered for actual instruction time and does not include breaks.

Refunds/Cancellations: Refunds, less a $10 administrative fee, will be made if cancellation notification is phoned or postmarked three (3) business days in advance of this program. There will be no refunds on requests received after the refund deadline. Full refunds are made in the event that PCC must cancel this program.

Returned Checks: A $25.00 service charge will be assessed for checks returned by the bank.

Grievances: While PCC goes to great lengths to assure fair treatment for all participants and attempts to anticipate problems, there will be occasional issues that come to the attention of the PCC staff which will require intervention and/or action on the part of the staff. Visit  www.p-c-c.org/ethics for PCC's procedural guidelines for handling such grievances.

Special Needs: Facilities are accessible to persons with disabilities. If you have a special need and plan to attend the conference, please contact the PCC Office by phone at (310) 478-4347 or via email at 0ffice@p-c-c.org. Special needs requests will be fulfilled if received one week prior to the event, which will ensure we have ample opportunity to meet your needs.

Commercial Support Disclaimer: The planners and presenters for this event have not received commercial support for this event nor are there any relevant financial relationships between the sponsors, presenters, program content, research, grants, or other funding that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest.

Financial Support Disclaimer: The planners and presenters for this event have no financial relationships to disclose.

Continuing Education Membership: Any person who attends a PCC Continuing Education conference shall become a Continuing Education Member for one year. The registration fee for the conference covers the cost of membership. A Continuing Education Member will be provided with a PCC newsletter as available, and the option to participate in periodic forums to discuss continuing education offerings. Continuing Education Members will also be eligible to attend Continuing Education planning meetings. 

Confidentiality:  By registering for this educational event, attendees agree to strictly maintain confidentiality of any clinical material shared and will not distribute or convey such confidential material outside of the conference. 

Program Planners

Infant Observation Committee: Persila Conversano, PsyD (chair); Lisa Hilger, PsyD, Diane Garcia, PhD, Shirley Gooch, RN, PhD, Shari Saperstein, PsyD (members); Jason Snyder, LMFT (candidate member)

Continuing Education Committee: Philip Lance, PhD (co-chair); Leigh Tobias, PhD (co-chair); Jennifer Kunst, PhD (member and CME coordinator); Chris Minnick, MD (member and CME chair); Persila Conversano, PsyD, Stacey Nicklas, PsyD (members); Jason Snyder, LMFT and Yelena Kashtuyeva, LMFT (candidate representatives)

Registration for Virtual Attendance

General Admission: $120

Current Candidate/PPP Admission: $40

PCC Candidates-in-Seminars admission: Free