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Working with Survivor Siblings in Psychoanalysis: Formulating the Lateral Horizon by Johanna Dobrich, M.A., LCSW-R

This virtual event will take place on 10/9/24.

The event was previously listed for 10/2 but has been rescheduled for 10/9.

This event will be held virtually via Zoom. 1.5 CEs available through APA and NASW

This talk examines the unique contribution Dobrich offers psychoanalysis through her qualitative study of “survivor siblings,” siblings who share a developmental landscape with severely disabled and medically complex compatriots. What happens to a person’s sense of self both personally and professionally when they grow up alongside a severely disabled sibling? The main findings of her research from her book will be shared, as well as a broader discussion about the importance of attending to lateral life experiences, in our understanding more generally of human development and identity, with regard to survivorship.

At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:

  1. Define the term survivor sibling and identify the impact of disabled siblings on the psychic development and interpersonal relations of their non-disabled siblings.

  2. Apply a dissociative model of the mind to understand the impact of chronic medical disability on the family system.

  3. Identify two ways survivor siblings attach to their disabled siblings psychically through examples.  

Johanna Dobrich is a licensed clinical social worker and graduate of ICP’s four-year psychoanalytic training program.  She is on the Faculty at the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy, the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Study Center, and the National Institute for the Psychotherapies, where she teaches courses on trauma, dissociation, and contemporary psychoanalytic practice from a Relational perspective, as well as supervises candidates in training. She is the author of the book “Working with Survivor Siblings in Psychoanalysis” for which she received the 2023 Sandor Ferenczi Award from the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, and has authored numerous articles on dissociation, loss and mourning. Johanna is in private practice in New York, NY.

Caplan, R. (2011) Someone Else Can Use This Time More Than Me: Working with College Students with Impaired Siblings, Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 25:2, 120-131.

Dobrich, J. & Saidipour, P. (2023) Forthcoming: Did you drink milk with dinner growing up?: A Lateral Tale of Formulating our Socio-Cultural Identities in Psychoanalytic Supervision.

Dobrich, J.  (2022) The Creative Use of Birth Stories in Psychoanalytic Treatments, Psychoanalytic Social Work, 29:2, 109-122.

Dobrich, J. (2021). Working with Survivor Siblings in Psychoanalysis: Disability and Ability in Clinical Process.  New York: Routledge. 

Dobrich, J. & Quinn,P. (2021). “Psychoanalytic Theory as Used in Art Therapy for Addiction and Trauma” in Art Therapy in the Treatment of Addiction & Trauma. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. 

Dobrich, J. (2020). An Elegy for Motherless Daughters: Dissociation, Multiplicity, and Mourning, Psychoanalytic Perspectives, 17:3, 366-384.

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November 2

Identities in Transit: Psychoanalysis With Marginalized Populations by Patricia Gherovici, Ph.D.