ASWB ACE approval application pending — see note below
CE Workshop (In-Person, Live): Sunday, November 15, 2026 · 10:00 am – 1:00 pm ET
Location: 655 Pomander Walk, Teaneck, NJ 07666
Optional Theatre Night (does not carry CE credit): “Other Desert Cities” at the Hudson Theatre, 141 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036, Saturday, November 14, 2026 · 8:00 pm
Important: Which Portion Offers CE Credit
This is a non-concurrent, single-session workshop. Only the Sunday, November 15 workshop (10:00 am – 1:00 pm) is an NBCC-approved continuing education activity and carries the 3 CE clock hours (ASWB ACE approval pending; see note below). Attending the Saturday evening performance of Other Desert Cities is an optional, non-CE social activity offered alongside the workshop. Attendees may instead prepare independently by reading the published script or listening to a recorded performance (see below). Full attendance at the entire Sunday workshop is required to receive CE credit; partial attendance is not eligible.
Session Description
Jon Robin Baitz's Pulitzer-nominated play Other Desert Cities offers a richly layered portrait of a family fractured by loss, ideology, and an unspoken tragedy. In this CE workshop, clinicians will use the play as a lens to explore family systems dynamics, disenfranchised grief, intergenerational trauma, and the defense mechanisms families build to survive what they cannot say out loud. Participants will examine concepts including triangulation and family homeostasis, narrative vs. historical truth, splitting in sibling relationships, and the therapeutic power of memoir and storytelling; all grounded in a compelling, clinically resonant story.
Target Audience
Licensed clinical social workers (LCSW/LSW), licensed professional counselors, and other licensed mental health professionals.
Learning Objectives
1.Identify family systems dynamics (triangulation, scapegoating, family myths) as dramatized in the play.
2.Describe the concept of disenfranchised grief and intergenerational trauma transmission using the Wyeth family as a case illustration.
3.Recognize common defense mechanisms (denial, repression, intellectualization, projection) in clinical presentations, using character examples as reference points.
Workshop Agenda (3 CE Hours — Sunday, November 15)
•10:00 – 10:10 am — Welcome and overview
•10:10 – 11:00 am — Family systems dynamics: triangulation, scapegoating, family myths
•11:00 – 11:10 am — Break
•11:10 am – 12:00 pm — Disenfranchised grief and intergenerational trauma
•12:00 – 12:50 pm — Defense mechanisms in clinical presentation
•12:50 – 1:00 pm — Q&A, session evaluation, and closing
How to Participate
Attend the play as a group the evening before, then join us the next day for the workshop — or prepare on your own by reading the published script or listening to a recorded performance available on YouTube.
Fees & What's Included
Fee Options:
Theatre Night + Workshop (includes theatre ticket, CE workshop, and CE certificate) discounted group rate: $200
Workshop Only, non-IPS members (includes CE workshop and CE certificate; independent reading/listening in place of the play): $60
Workshop Only, IPS members (includes CE workshop and CE certificate; independent reading/listening in place of the play): $30
A portion of the proceeds will go to support The Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies, Inc..
All fees include the CE certificate of completion. Payable via Zelle or PayPal to ipsinfo@ipsnewjersey.org
Preparation Materials
The published script is available on Amazon, and a recorded performance is available on YouTube.
Registration & Deadlines
RSVP is required. Please register by clicking the registration link/button provided by IPS.
Workshop registration must be received by November 10, 2026
If you wish to attend the play, your RSVP must be received no later than November 1, 2026, since theatre tickets are reserved as a group at the discounted rate.
Cancellation & Refund Policy
Cancellations for the Workshop received in writing at least 7 days before the event are eligible for a full refund minus a $10 processing fee. No refunds for cancellations received after this date.
Cancellations for the Theatre portion of the event received in writing at least 7 days before the event are eligible for a full refund minus a $10 processing fee
If you require special accommodations to participate in this event (including ADA accommodations), please contact us using the information above at least two weeks prior to the event so we can make appropriate arrangements.
Course Completion Requirements
To earn CE credit, attendees must fully attend the entire Sunday workshop session and complete a session evaluation. Partial attendance does not qualify for CE credit.
Nicole E. Grace is a licensed clinical social worker and psychoanalyst with over 25 years of experience providing individual and couples psychotherapy, and she currently serves as Director of The Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies (IPS) in Fair Lawn, NJ. She maintains a private practice in Fair Lawn, NJ, where her clinical work focuses on long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy, couples’ treatment, and the psychological impact of infertility on individuals and couples. Ms. Grace has taught and supervised at IPS since 2005, including courses “Resistance in Psychoanalytic Technique” and “Borderline and Narcissistic Personality Disorders”, and she has presented publicly on topics ranging from “Infertility and the Fantasy of Parenthood" to "AI vs. AI: Analytic Intelligence vs. Artificial Intelligence". She holds an MSW from Columbia University School of Social Work and completed her psychoanalytic certification at the New Jersey Institute for Training in Psychoanalysis. She is a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis, National Association of Social Workers, the New Jersey Society of Clinical Social Work, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, and Resolve: The National Infertility Association.
Note: IPS is an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP #6334).
IPS has applied for ASWB Approved Continuing Education (ACE) approval for this workshop; that approval is pending and not yet confirmed. Until ASWB ACE approval is granted, this workshop cannot be advertised or counted as ASWB-approved CE credit. If approval is granted before the event, we will update registrants and the certificate accordingly. Many state social work boards also accept NBCC-approved hours toward license renewal, but acceptance varies by state — social workers should confirm with their own state licensing board which credit type (NBCC and/or ASWB, once approved) will be accepted before registering.
Certificate of Completion
Certificates will be emailed within 10 business days to attendees who meet completion requirements.
NBCC Approval Statement
The Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies (IPS) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6334. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. IPS is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. This workshop qualifies for 3 NBCC continuing education clock hours.
ASWB ACE Approval Status
IPS has submitted an application for ASWB Approved Continuing Education (ACE) approval of this workshop. This approval is currently pending and has not yet been granted. ASWB ACE credit cannot be confirmed or advertised until an approval number is issued. This flyer will be updated with the ACE approval statement (course title, approval #, and approval period, per ASWB standard 6.2) if and when approval is received. Registrants relying on ASWB ACE credit specifically should wait for confirmation before registering, or contact us to confirm status.
The Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies, Inc. | 14-25 Plaza Road, 14-Suite N 2-4, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 | Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 US
