June 2025

 
Welcome to the monthly e-newsletter of the Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas, informing our community on upcoming training, events, and happenings of the organization.
 

Fund for Psychoanalytic Education

As we honor our rich history, we’re looking ahead with purpose. We’re excited to launch the Fund for Psychoanalytic Education, a $1 million campaign to strengthen and sustain our training programs for future generations.


This fund will support scholarships, visiting lecturers, curriculum updates, new training in child psychotherapy, faculty development, and expanded outreach and diversity efforts.

We’re grateful to Heather and Burton Craige for their generous $100,000 lead gift—and we invite you to join them! To share your thoughts or discuss ways to support this initiative, please contact Vann Pearsall, Executive Director.

PCC Awards Five Byck Scholarships for 2025-2026

Please join us in congratulating these outstanding recipients of the Judy Byck Scholarship!

Modupe Edogun, LCSWA, LCAS, spent ten years working as a biomedical engineer and then decided to pursue a long-held interest in mental health services. She completed her MSW at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and trained at Duke University's Counseling Center and the Durham VA where she completed a Post-Master's fellowship. She is dually licensed in social work and substance use. She currently sees clients through her private practice, Adawn Healing, PLLC. She believes that healing happens in relationship—with self, others, and the natural world. Her approach combines warmth and expertise, creating a space where clients feel both supported and empowered to grow. When Modupe is not in session, you will find her being restored by spending time at church or in nature, enjoying West African dance classes, crafting, or sharing laughter with her family. These activities not only bring her joy but also inform her holistic approach to wellness and healing.

Sarah Blair Jenkins, LCSW, CST is a clinical social worker and certified sex therapist living and working in Asheville, NC. She is passionate about the intersection of psychoanalytic theory and systems thinking, as well as cultivating a praxis that attends to the intrapsychic, interpersonal, and sociopolitical. In the tradition of Freud and his dog Jofi, she has registered therapy pitbull named Moe who comes to sessions with her. 

Beth Ross, LCSW, lives in Durham, NC and graduated with a MSW from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2020. She is currently a therapist specializing in grief, trauma, and management of chronic illness; and she is looking forward to deepening her education with the Judy Byck scholarship!

Erin Smith, MSW, LCSW, is a recent graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill's Master of Social Work Program with a concentration in Direct Practice. She has since obtained her LCSWA and will begin accepting individual clients at Oak City Psychology in Raleigh, a group practice focused on eating disorder recovery. She practiced psychodynamic therapy during her final practicum year and has professional interest in psychodynamic theory, child-centered play therapy, and eating disorder recovery.

Emma Weichmann, LCSWA, currently works at a non-profit to provide no-cost therapy to survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence, and also works in a group practice setting. She has previously worked in a Batterer’s Intervention Treatment program, with incarcerated youth, and as a graduate assistant increasing mental health access to students at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

 

PCC Annual Meeting of Members

Thank you to all who joined us for our Annual Meeting of Members on Saturday, June 21st.

The Board Nominating Committee’s full slate of candidates was voted in and approved. Tyler Beach, LCSW, and Josie Sawyer, LCSW, were re-elected to serve another two-year term on the Board of Directors, from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027.

The following members were elected to their first two-year term on the Board: Pete Buonaccorsi, MD; Renu Goel, MD; Michelle Kwintner, PhD, LCSW; Jeff Napolitano, PhD; Janelle Railey, LCMHC; and Christy Tronnier, PhD, LICSW.

In addition, the slate of officers for the 2025–2026 term was confirmed. Jill Dunn, MSW, LCSW, will serve as President; Pete Buonaccorsi, MD, as President-Elect; Kendra Surmitis, PhD, as Secretary; Scott Warren, PhD, LCMHC, as Treasurer; and Christy Tronnier, PhD, LICSW, as TEC Chair. We extend our appreciation to all of these individuals for their dedication and leadership within the PCC community.

PCC Calendar

July 4: Independence Day - PCC Office Closed


August 4: PCC Board Meeting

Save the Date: The Body Keeps the Score

Join renowned trauma expert and bestselling author Dr. Bessel van der Kolk on November 15, 2025, for an impactful program exploring trauma, attachment, and neuroscience.

Sponsorships available. Contact Vann Pearsall for more information.

Be the first to receive event and registration details!

Scholarships for Circle of Security® Facilitator Training


Now available in a flexible online format, both Circle of Security Parenting (COSP) and Circle of Security Classroom (COSC) Facilitator trainings offer practical, research-based tools rooted in attachment theory. These programs are designed to help professionals strengthen the reflective capacity of parents, caregivers, and educators—supporting young children both at home and in the classroom.


PCC is offering partial scholarships for both COSP and COSC Facilitator training to professionals across North and South Carolina who are committed to nurturing healthy emotional development in early childhood. Whether leading parenting groups, offering one-on-one guidance, or working in early education settings, trained facilitators gain the skills needed to convey the heart of attachment theory in accessible, meaningful ways. Full details re: scholarship eligibility are on the PCC website.

 

Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas | CarolinaPsychoanalytic.org

 
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