AUTHENTICITY AND CONNECTION IN GROUP THERAPY:

SPRING 2015
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P RE S I D E N T ’S M E S S A GE
GPALA 2014
BOARD MEMBERS
Dear Friends,
PRESIDENT
John Chebultz
PAST PRESIDENT
Ryan Spencer
TREASURER
Eddie Hunt
SECRETARY
Saralyn Masselink
ANNUAL
CONFERENCE CHAIR
Vanessa Pawlowski
CURRICULUM
Bonnie Katz
EVENTS CHAIR
Rena Pollak
HISTORIAN
Marvin Kaphan
MEMBERSHIP
COMMITTEE
Liz Selzer-Lang
NEWSLETTER
William Whitney
OUTREACH
COMMITTEE
Maria Gray
PARLIAMENTARIAN
Michael Frank
PR/MARKETING
Annie Babin
SOCIAL CHAIR
Sheila Traviss
TECHNICAL MEDIA
CHAIR
Jan Marc Stolpe
John Chebultz
Imagine this scenario: There you are, at the end of a session, a
little spent, a little wired and a little anxious. Your group didn’t go
the way you would have liked it to go. Worse, you think it might
have been your fault that there was an injury or a breakdown in
attunement. You look around the room that just a few minutes ago
was full of dynamic energy, and you wonder, “What have I done?
What did I miss? How am I going to get this group back on track?”
What m o s t e x c i t e s m e a b o u t G PA L A’s u p c o m i n g A n n u a l 2 - d a y C o n f e re n c e ,
Connection, Not Perfection: The Power of Authenticity and the Group Therapist,
which will be presented by Haim Weinberg, is that it is not just about group therapy but the
group therapist in particular. It is about recognizing the power that comes in owning our
imperfections and the power that comes in repairs. The balance between being authentic
while also maintaining boundaries is not easy. Nor is it easy to be relational and containing.
And, it is even more difficult to understand one’s own imperfections and be able to stay
connected. However, it is a task that all group therapists must address.
At a GPALA 2-day conference, attendees not only learn from our guest presenter’s lecture
but also by watching him work with a group. Additionally, each attendee gets to participate
in a small group that will meet over two days. If that sounds intimidating, I can only tell you
that it is the part of our conferences that brings attendees back year after year.
I hope to see you all there, old friends and new ones!
Thanks,
John
AUTHENTICITY AND CONNECTION IN GROUP THERAPY:
AN INTERVIEW WITH HAIM WEINBERG
Assistant Editor, Andrew Sears, interviewed Haim Weinberg
about his experience with Group Therapy, his theoretical
orientation, and his interest in Internet Groups. Weinberg will
be our keynote speaker at GPALA’s Annual Conference on
April 24-25. Register today at: www.gpala.org
Andrew Sears (AS): How did you
get involved in group therapy,
and what advice would you
give to group therapists?
Haim Weinberg, Ph.D. CGP, FAGPA
Haim Weinberg (HW): Oh, not an easy question. I got involved in group
therapy after experiencing a process group. It was in 1978 or 1979, and
I was starting on my Masters degree in Israel. I went to an institute
Andrew Sears
group and it was a very powerful experience. I was very enthusiastic
about groups because of that. I thought to myself that one day when
I grow up, I will lead a group like the one that I experienced, so I started studying
group therapy.
In Israel there are specific programs in group therapy and I became more
involved in those. It is such a wonderful feeling when people can connect
(continued on page 2)
Newsletter Editor William Whitney | Assistant Editors Andrew Sears and Stephen Burton | Graphic Designer Margaret Miyuki
AUTHENTICITY AND CONNECTION IN GROUP THERAPY:
AN INTERVIEW WITH HAIM WEINBERG
(continued from page 1)
Think about the most outstanding example that demonstrates
how individual therapy is different from group therapy—
scapegoating. Scapegoating does not exist in individual
therapy. You can hear about scapegoating, but you cannot
experience it because there are two people, and this is a
group phenomenon.
and go through some transformation through group therapy. I read
a lot, participated in conferences and started writing. I also started
leading groups, and became more involved in the conferences myself
and in their associations. One of the important moments for me
was organizing a conference where Yalom, the famous Yalom, was
a keynote speaker. This was a turning point because my identity as
a group therapist was crystallized, and I was identified in Israel as a
group therapy person.
My advice for group therapists is to adopt group therapy as part of
their identity. Many times we say: “I am a psychotherapist,” or “I am a
psychologist,” or “I am a licensed social worker.” But, it’s not easy to
say: “I am a group therapist,” meaning that this is part of my identity. I
advise colleagues who want to become group therapists, to combine
both experiencing groups and learning about groups didactically – do
not neglect the experiential part. As individual therapists, it is usually
recommended that you go to therapy yourself, to learn what it means
to be a patient. We forget that when we become group therapists,
we should go to group therapy, and be a member of a group, or to
at least come to conferences and institutes and experience it. Also, I
think it is important to not neglect the more theoretical part. I noticed
that in the U.S. people are much more practical, and they put a lot of
emphasis on practical issues, and I am concerned that they neglect
the deep understanding of the dynamics of the group, so people do
good groups, but they miss something if they don’t study theory.
AS: Can you give an example of something that someone
might miss?
HW: Think about the most outstanding example that demonstrates
how individual therapy is different from group therapy—scapegoating.
Scapegoating does not exist in individual therapy. You can hear about
scapegoating, but you cannot experience it because there are two
people, and this is a group phenomenon. However, in a group it can
happen. When a scapegoating process begins, the scapegoat earns
his position. They’re doing something, so the group therapist focuses
on them. This is a mistake, practically and theoretically, because if we
understand that scapegoating is a result of projection by the group, a
depositing of something in the scapegoat, then we need to work with
the group as a whole first. So this is an example of a practical mistake
that might occur when you don’t know the phenomenon enough, don’t
read enough, and don’t understand the dynamic.
I also feel that people should know about more than one theory. Many
times it’s easier for the beginner to stick to one theory. But I think
that if you want to enrich your repertoire and your skills, you need to
know more. Some examples: we all need to know about sub-grouping,
stemming from (Yvonne) Agazarian and Systems Centered Therapy
(SCT). She put a lot of focus on what she calls functional sub-grouping.
Or you might be a Yalom-type person doing groups, but still can
use the bridging technique from the Ormont modern group analysis
method. It’s important to know more than one theory.
AS: How has your view of groups developed as you’ve become
more experienced?
HW: I used to hold more to Bion’s version of group, which in Israel
was the main way to lead groups until 2000. This means that the
group therapist is more detached and aloof, and gives “group-as-awhole” interpretations. As I developed, there were two milestones that
I experienced. One was training as a group analyst, which (in the group
arena) is parallel to being a psychoanalyst (in the individual field). The
other was moving to the U.S. and being influenced by the relational,
or intersubjective, approaches. This led me to be more relational, less
detached—creating moments of meeting in the group—between
members, and between members and me. This is not to say that I
have thrown out Bion’s approach, because it’s important to also see
the “group-as-a-whole”. Unfortunately, many therapists in the U.S.
occasionally forget to look at “group-as-a-whole” dynamics.
AS: What do you see as the most important tasks and
characteristics of the group leader?
HW: (laughing) Again, it’s easier to talk about the tasks than about
the characteristics. I think Yalom wrote it very well, but let me add
to Yalom. I think that one task of the group leader is to create a safe
environment – actually a secure base if we’re talking attachment
language – a place where people feel safe enough to talk about
things that usually are difficult to be discussed. This can be a little
bit tricky because sometimes groups can be too safe, and put too
much emphasis on safety, and consequently, they don’t take risks.
The moment that you take risks, you’re not as safe as you would like
to be. The therapist should balance creating safety, especially at the
beginning of the group, with encouraging members to take risks once
they feel safe. Another task is creating a helpful atmosphere in the
group, and to know what will be helpful. For example, to encourage
interaction—I use modeling in order that members can see how they
(continued on page 5)
2
AGPA 2015
This year GPALA had the largest group that has ever attended
the American Group Psychotherapy Association’s Annual Meeting
from our city in San Francisco, February 23-28, 2015.
Here is a list of GPALA members that reported attending the AGPA conference (in no particular order). If you are a GPALA member
and attended but aren’t included on this list, please let us know!
Bonnie Katz
Elaine Leader
Annie Babin
Cara Gardenswartz
John Chebultz
Rena Pollak
Ryan Spencer
Stacy Spencer
Nancy Fawcett
Lisa Powell
Marvin Kaphan
Revel Miller
Elana Clark-Faler
Vanessa Pawlowski
Keith Rand
William Whitney
Andrew Susskind
Annabel Raymond
Blair Smith
Saralyn Masselink
Schuyler Ha
Eddie Hunt
Shoshana Garisek
Carmit Zur
Michael Frank
Joel McLafferty
Alicia Murray
Truett Wright
Karen Shore
Liz Rosenblatt
Maria Gray
Suzanne Ferris
Michal Scharlin
Alyson Dearborn
Coley Williams
Stephen Burton
Shayne Vitemb
3
BOOK REVIEW
van der Kolk, B. (2014).
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma.
New York: Viking Penguin.
Reviewed By: Stephen W. Burton, MD, MA, IMF #80575
I heartily recommend this book for therapists who work with people
affected by trauma, most likely, all of you. The book is a comprehensive
review of ideas concerning the nature of post-traumatic stress
disorder, and, more controversially, childhood developmental trauma.
The author’s long psychiatric and psychotherapy experience is
interwoven with three decades of trauma research. Starting with his
own experience with war veterans in the 1970s, he moves on to work
with rape and incest victims, and the even larger number of people
whose severe childhood adversity has led to chronic symptomatology.
It is the combination of the author’s clinical experience, exemplified in
vignettes, close involvement in research, and occasional transparency
concerning his own personal experience of trauma that made this
book such a compelling read for me. The book triggered memories
of my own childhood trauma, but helped me better understand many
aspects of it.
Dr. van der Kolk explains the complex developments in relevant brain
research very well. To give but one example, trauma can render people
literally speechless and I found it reassuring, somehow, to discover
that the speech area of the brain may be rendered ‘offline’ in some
trauma victims. Other critical brain areas such as the limbic system
and medial prefrontal cortex play crucial roles, and the author provides
a steady hand on the steering wheel on a drive through the developing
neuroscience. He draws attention to the likely mechanisms underlying
hypervigilance, flashbacks and nightmares, but also the adverse
effects of under-activity of the brain in symptoms such as dissociation,
numbing and depersonalization.
Dr. van der Kolk held my attention completely, with many interesting
and relevant clinical vignettes. For example, he decided to adopt one
healing technique after meeting a patient called Lisa. As a child, she
suffered appalling abuse and neglect by her psychotic and isolated
mother. In adolescence, she was often triggered into dissociative
states, becoming self-destructive and aggressive, but later having no
memory of what she had done. By the age of 18, her new therapist,
Sebern Fisher, noted Lisa’s ‘vacant stare,’ that ‘she carried a pumpkin
wherever she went,’ and ‘there just wasn’t a there there’. She could
not even recognize herself in a mirror and could not talk about anything
stressful, without shutting down, or going into a panic. Sebern Fisher,
decided to try neurofeedback, a technique developed in the late 60s,
and adapted to treat the brainwave discoordination seen in people
with severe developmental trauma. During twice weekly sessions,
Lisa was rewarded with pleasing visual feedback whenever more
coordinated EEG patterns emerged in her right temporal lobe, the seat
of her severe fear. Over weeks, Lisa lost ‘the hum of conversations’ she
could hear constantly, and which made her fear she had schizophrenia.
She became less uptight around people, and became able to tolerate
talking about childhood experiences, saying, when she met Dr. van
der Kolk nearly 10 years later, “for the first time I started being able
to do therapy.” She had become an engaging, curious and obviously
intelligent nursing student.
Dr. van der Kolk moves on from the giant trauma of war to the
effects of abuse and neglect on the minds of growing children. To
this reviewer he made an unassailable case for the creation of a new
diagnostic category ‘Developmental Trauma Disorder’ for the DSM-V.
The relevant committees have twice rejected similar proposals, and, it
seems, prefer the status quo, which is a handful of different diagnoses
solely addressing common presentations, rather than addressing
the causative underlying trauma. I hope his view ultimately prevails,
because it will facilitate more research, where the author’s experience
has been highly relevant.
In the final third of the book, Dr. van der Kolk addresses the various
successful treatment approaches to trauma healing. He takes
the reader through many treatment modalities: psychological,
psychopharmacological, EMDR, body-work, mindfulness, yoga
and neurofeedback, even the benefits of performance. This is all
very well done, but despite learning a great deal from the author’s
review of current treatment methods, I was disappointed, as a group
therapist, by the absence of evidence regarding the benefits of group
approaches. The preponderance of the evidence presented involved
one-on-one interventions. I wondered if the author’s early experience
of group therapy in two, rather stuck, groups of war veterans in the
1970s dissuaded him from pursuing this modality. However, group
felt conspicuous by its absence. Surely there is a role for group work
focusing on helping people, coming out of the speechlessness of
trauma, relating to others with similar problems, as well as the wider
community. Nevertheless, and putting my disappointment about
group methods aside, this book remains a must read.
Stephen Burton, MD, MA, IMF # 80575, is in private practice in Larchmont and is currently recruiting members
to join a process group for people facing midlife issues. Stephen is a retired MD, who practiced psychiatry for
30 years in the UK. He also trained and practiced as a group analyst in London. He has recently joined the faculty
at Antioch University Los Angeles, teaching psychopharmacology. Stephen currently serves as an Assistant Editor
for the GPALA newsletter.
Stephen Burton
Tel: (323) 332-6735
Email: [email protected] Web: www.psych2c.com
4
AUTHENTICITY AND CONNECTION IN GROUP THERAPY:
AN INTERVIEW WITH HAIM WEINBERG
(continued from page 2)
can interact relationally and to encourage immediacy, the here and
now. These are just some of the roles of the group leader.
Now the characteristics of a group leader, this is more difficult. Of
course the group leader should be a sensitive person – to the dynamics
happening in the group and to each of the group members. This is
very difficult because you cannot do it perfectly and you will always
miss something. You can expect that you will fail. You cannot attend
to each of the eight group members, because you’re human and your
attention span is limited. While I say that the group leader should be
sensitive, psychologically oriented, and focused more on the process
than the content, I also say that the group leader should be ready to
acknowledge mistakes, and work well with his or her flaws. This is
something that is not so easy, but we cannot be too narcissistic.
I would say that although the position of the group leader puts us
in a very narcissistically satisfying position, we must be able to be
humble, and admit that sometimes we make mistakes. You should be
empathic to what is happening, and when I say “be empathic,” I mean
that when there’s an empathic failure, to be aware of
that, acknowledge and do something with it.
or she really did something to attract the fire) it’s not the right
thing to do at the beginning.
AS: Tell us a little about how conceptualizing group from an
intersubjective approach is unique.
HW: For me it is unique because I started from a very different
perspective. For someone who came from a traditional, classical,
psychodynamic, psychoanalytical approach, it’s a revolution,
because I held in my mind a one-person psychology. If you have
problems, difficulties, symptoms, it comes from your inner world, your
unconscious, and your old patterns. But with the intersubjective, or
relational, approach it’s always about the interaction, and we cannot
see the person as separate from that interaction, the group, community
or society.
With intersubjectivity and individual therapy, it’s never that the person
only projects on me and creates transference. I am always part of the
matrix of transference/countertransference. In the group, we might see
In the group, we might see what is called “the
difficult patient.” But sometimes the difficult patient
is a co-creation of the group and the leader of the
group. We all bring our emotions to the group…
A short example: in the last group meeting, I said
something quite harsh to a group member; I said,
“You’re quite oblivious to what your wife is trying to
tell you.” So he half-jokingly said, “Can you say that
in a stronger way with stronger words?” The group
laughed, and I laughed, and we continued talking and
then I realized he was trying to tell me something. So
I stopped and turned to him and said, “Look, maybe
you wanted to say that I was too harsh, and that you need me to give
you feedback in a different way, so I want to tell you that I heard you.”
The laughter of the group had indicated that there was some tension
that had to be released, but what he said echoed. I couldn’t let it go as
I thought, well, although he’s joking, he’s saying, “I’m hurt” or “It’s not
good for me” and that’s what I had to take into consideration. These
become important mistakes as long as we acknowledge them and
work with them.
AS: What’s the most difficult situation you’ve encountered
in group therapy, how did you handle it, and what would you
do differently?
HW: I think that the most difficult situation was with a man who
insisted on scapegoating himself again and again, and was a
very aggressive person using aggressive words. He always
attacked group members or people attacked him, using words
like “explosions, mines, guns,” and the group actually hated him
and wanted him out. I considered asking him to leave the group
and finally he did leave, but in retrospect, I think it was a mistake.
It was at a time that I didn’t know how to handle scapegoating
well enough. Nowadays, I wouldn’t let him leave the group. I’d
work with the group on their aggression projected onto him, and
only later, on him with his aggression. The temptation of a group
leader is to work with the scapegoat about the patterns that lead
to group rejection, and though it sounds reasonable (because he
what is called “the difficult patient.” But sometimes the difficult patient
is a co-creation of the group and the leader of the group. We all bring
our emotions to the group, and I might say or do something that makes
you feel either criticized or not validated. You might react strongly as
a “difficult patient.” I might forget that my response increases your
response. It’s always about interaction.
The intersubjective approach says that each of us comes with our
subjective world. There is no one truth, and we need to acknowledge
the others’ subjectivity, the other person. This is a task in the group:
to help people really understand that the other person has their own
subjective experience.
A woman in my group always felt that she was on the wrong side, that
whatever she said or did was wrong. In the group, whenever people
told her anything, she immediately felt that she’d done something
wrong, even if it wasn’t a criticism. The main achievement was when
this woman said, “Oh, now I understand that sometimes people
criticize me not because I did something wrong, but because of their
world and their inner reality.” This is understanding the subjectivity of
the other. It was a great revelation for her and the group.
AS: You have written on Internet groups. What were some of the
primary things you learned from writing this book, and how have
you changed because of it?
HW: The Internet Groups book is one of my babies. I’ve led a free
(continued on page 6)
5
AUTHENTICITY AND CONNECTION IN GROUP THERAPY:
AN INTERVIEW WITH HAIM WEINBERG
(continued from page 5)
Internet forum for group therapists since 1995. For 20 years, 400 group
therapists from all over the world interact and exchange ideas, and
connect (see www.group-psychotherapy.com). It’s an amazing thing.
I recommend everyone to subscribe. Learning from that experience, I
grew to understand more about Internet dynamics and Internet groups
and how similar or different they are from our process groups. When I
wrote the book, I suddenly understood there was something beyond
all these dynamics, and this is the kind of the paradox that we have
about connection on the Internet.
On the one hand, it allows us to connect more – more people, people
that we’ve never met, that we never see, from around the world, in
places that we’ve never been. And on the other hand, it leaves us more
alone. The subtitle of the book is Alone in the Presence of the Virtual
Other. Winnicott said something about being alone in the presence
of others, and that in order to develop the ability to be alone, first you
need to be alone in the presence of the other. So I took it for Internet
Groups. The book is mostly about the dynamics that develop in
Internet forums, and the psychology that influences the relationships
that people create, either one-on-one, or in groups on the Internet.
On the Internet, we have a different kind of intimacy, which I termed
E-ntimacy (trademarked). People might feel very connected on the
Internet, but it’s not the same connection that is created when we
meet face-to-face, and we need to know that and to understand it. The
book is not about therapy groups yet, but I plan to do therapy online,
in a group, with video, and write about it. My dream is to do online
therapy with video and to research that process.
AS: After answering these questions, are there any additional
thoughts you’d like to share?
HW: I’m excited to come to LA, and anxious of course. I hope that
people will be ready to volunteer for the demo group, and that we’ll all
learn together from the experience.
Reference:
Weinberg, H. (2014). The Paradox of Internet Groups: Alone in the
Presence of Virtual Others. London, UK: Karnac Books, New International
Library of Group Analysis.
Andrew Sears MA, MFT (MFC53020) practices in Atwater Village and
at the California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts). His focus is on the
creative fields, identity, attachment, and motivation. He also serves as
an Assistant Editor of the GPALA Newsletter.
(213) 545-1675
Email: [email protected] Web: www. atsearstherapy.com
April 24th and 25th
ANNUAL 2-DAY CONFERENCE with Haim Weinberg
May 30th and 31st
GROUP INSTITUTE: Nancy Fawcett
July 11th
GPALA Summer Party
August 2nd
GROUP INSTITUTE: Ryan Spencer and Matt Calkins
September 20th
WORKSHOP: Melissa Johnson: Building Grit: Group work
to foster hardiness, happiness and mindfulness in children and teens
October 17th and 18th
GROUP INSTITUTE: Monica Farassat and John Chebultz
November 8th
ANNUAL 1-DAY CONFERENCE:
Elisha Goldstein: Incorporating Mindfulness in Group Psychotherapy
For more information about times and locations
for all of our GPALA events please visit: www.gpala.org
6
OBITUARY
In Septem ber o f 20 1 4 , ou r
o rg anizatio n lo st an i n s pi r i n g
leader and true adv o c a t e o f
group psychotherap y. M o re
recent members w i l l k n o w
Carla Derhy-Snijders t h ro u g h
the leadership she p ro v i d e d
Carla Derhy-Snijders, Ph.D.
as GPALA’s Preside n t f ro m
(1957-2014)
2011-2013. Howeve r, b e f o re
that, Carla was a d r i v i n g
f o rce in GPALA’s g ro w th an d
v i t a l i t y, serving in many other roles within
G PA L A over the years, and providing valuable
c o u n s el to our board members after her term
as p re sid e n t ha d e nded.
B o r n in the Netherlands on April 23rd 1957,
s h e was known to be a bright student and
a l w a y s an advocate for student groups and
c a u s e s. She was fluent in five languages:
E n g l i s h, Dutch, Hebrew, French, and German.
C a r l a received her BA in Psychology in 1978,
a n d h er MA in Clinical Psychology in 1983
f ro m Utrecht Univ ersity, the Netherlands.
S h e was actively involved in the Jewish
c o m m unity before she came to the USA. In
t h e N etherlands, Carla was the leader of the
H a b o nim group where she took groups of
y o u n g children on trips to Israel. Her husband
t e l l s t he story of how before the Soviet Union d i s s o l v e d ,
J e w s could not leave Russia, and Carla bravely m a d e a
t r i p t o Russia to bring books to the Jewish peo p l e w h o
w e re cra ving a n yt hing that rem inded them o f Isr ael .
C a r l a moved to Los Angeles in 1983. She marri e d B e n j y
De r h y in M a lib u in 1987. In Lo s Ang eles she becam e
a c t i v e ly involved as a counseling and training su p e r v i s o r
a t J e nny Craig. There she taught lifestyle clas s e s , l e d
g ro u p d isc u ssion s a nd develo ped training m ater i al s from
1 9 8 5 to 1991.
C a r l a and Benjy had two children, Natalie and G a b r i e l ,
w h o , in recent years, graduated from college. N o t h i n g
m e a n t more to Carla than her family and children . H a v i n g
re s i g n ed from a promising career at Jenny Cra i g t o b e
a f u l l -time mother when they were very young, s h e w a s
a n a c tive volunteer in her children’s school p ro g r a m s .
S h e was an eager and vital member of the P TA a n d
a s s i s t ed the school board in various ways throug h o u t h e r
c h i l d rens’ years in s chool. She was also a board m e m b e r
an d t our n a me n t d irecto r o f the Am erican Yo uth S occer
O rg a n ization (AYSO) in Beverly Hills.
C a r l a was also very active in Hadassah, the l a rg e s t
w o m e n’s Zionist Organization in America, promotin g h e a l t h
e d u c a tion, social action and advocacy, volun t e e r i s m ,
J e w i s h education, research and connections wit h I s r a e l .
Within Hadassah, Carla was a Board Member and Co-President
in 1996 and held various other positions within the organization.
W h e n h e r c h i l d re n w e re g ro w n , C a r l a re t u r n e d t o s c h o o l
t o e a r n h e r P h . D . i n C l i n i c a l P s y c h o l o g y f ro m C a l i f o r n i a
G r a d u a t e I n s t i t u t e i n 2 0 0 7 . S h e t h e n c o m p l e t e d h e r p re and post-doctoral training hours at the Maple Counseling
C en ter i n B ev er l y H i l l s .
As a licensed psychologist, C a r l a b u i l t a t h r i v i n g p r i v a t e
practice in Los Angeles that specialized in body
d y s m o r p h i c d i s o rd e r, t r a u m a , a n d a n x i e t y d i s o rd e r s . S h e
w o r k e d w i t h c h i l d re n ,
adolescents, families,
couples, individual adults,
and groups. Additionally,
Carla was passionate about
volunteering her time to the
Soldiers Project, a nonprofit
organization
that
provides free psychological
counseling services to
those involved in the
conflicts in Iraq and
A f g h a n i s t an s i n c e 2 0 0 1 .
From
2007
to
2014,
Carla was an esteemed
Clinical Supervisor at the
Maple Center, where she
supervised pre- and post-doctoral interns. She was the
Coordinator of the Group Psychotherapy and Intake and
Assessment Programs. Carla was known to be a strong
supervisor with a soft touch, where she guided, supported
and inspired many interns. Carla’s own training at the Maple
Center provided her with vast amounts of wisdom as she
supervised others, since she knew intimately what it was
like to be an intern there.
B e t w e e n h e r l e a d e r s h i p w i t h i n G PA L A , a n d p e r h a p s
e v e n m o re i m p o r t a n t l y, a s t h e h e a d o f t h e g ro u p
p s y c h o t h e r a p y p ro g r a m a t t h e M a p l e C e n t e r, C a r l a h a s
n u r t u re d h u n d re d s o f g ro u p t h e r a p i s t s . S h e b e l i e v e d i n
t h e v a l u e o f c o n n e c t i n g p e o p l e t o o n e a n o t h e r, a n d i n
t h e p o s i t i v e c h a n g e s t h e s e c o n n e c t i o n s p ro d u c e . M a n y
o f t h o s e i n v o l v e d i n G PA L A a n d A G PA t o d a y c a n a t t e s t t o
th e i n s pi r ati on an d gu i dan ce th at C ar l a prov i d e d . Sh e h a d
t h e e x t r a o rd i n a r y a b i l i t y t o s e e t a l e n t s i n o t h e r s , a n d t o
en cou r age an d n u r tu re th os e gi fts --ev en w he n f o l ks d i d n ’t
n eces s ar i l y recogn i z e th os e gi fts w i th i n th e m s e l v e s . F o r
s o m a n y, C a r l a w a s t h e g a t e w a y t o t h e i r o w n p e r s o n a l
a n d p ro f e s s i o n a l d e v e l o p m e n t . T h e re a re f e w f i g u re s t h a t
stand as tall as Carla Derhy-Snijders when it comes to
h a v i n g h a d a n i m p a c t , n o t j u s t w i t h i n G PA L A , b u t a l s o
w i t h i n g ro u p t h e r a p y a s a d i s c i p l i n e i n L o s A n g e l e s . H e r
warmth, guidance, leadership and love for others will not
b e f o rg o t t e n .
7
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KEN UNMACHT
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Consultation group has openings
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MICHAEL FRANK
New psychodynamic/interpersonal
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This is an ongoing group
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CARA GARDENSWARTZ
Interpersonal Process Groups
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MAPLE CENTER
Effective, low-fee group psychotherapy
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