Fundamentals
A good grounding to start with, especially for newer members
Introduction to Self Psychology Reading Group
Amanda Kottler & Megan Barber
This group is open to members of the Cape Town Psychoanalytic Self Psychology Group (CTPSPG) who wish to deepen their understanding of Self Psychology.
The group typically meets once a month from February through November (subject to availability). While the year offers only a brief introduction to the theoretical ideas that inform clinical practice within a Self Psychology framework, it provides an important foundation for further learning.
Participants are strongly encouraged to also attend the monthly CTPSPG meetings, which deepen engagement with the theory and foster a growing sense of belonging within a community of practitioners working with Contemporary Relational Self Psychology, Intersubjective Systems Theory, and related relational approaches in Cape Town.
Current Reading: Strozier, C. B., Konstantine, P., Kelley, K., & Cher, D. (2022) The New World of the Self: Heinz Kohut’s Transformation of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy.
This text offers an accessible introduction to the origins, central concepts, and clinical applications of classical and contemporary Self Psychology. Group discussions explore how these ideas have evolved into Intersubjective Systems Theory and Contemporary Relational Self Psychology.
Each session (after the first) includes a designated presenter who summarises the chapter in their own words and presents relevant clinical material linked to the reading. Meetings are discussion-based and encourage reflection and shared learning.
Over the course of the year, we explore:
1. The idea of empathy as the defining feature of the field (the methodology for collecting data), as an informer of our therapeutic action (how we respond to the patient), and as a facilitator of empathic resonance (opening mutual pathways of empathy between patient and analyst)
2. The concept of a selfobject experience and its central role in Self Psychology
3. How to identify selfobject experiences
4. an understanding and a capacity to make sense of the mutual and reciprocal influences of two (or more) subjectivities (self states) and how these play out in a clinical setting
5. The role of context (historical and current) in shaping clinical experience
6. Processes that facilitate or impede selfobject experiences
7. How to identify and work with the idea and role of a forward edge.
8. The importance of the reparative dimension of the therapeutic relationship, including the provision of needed selfobject experiences across the lifespan
Our goal is to create a safe enough space for participants to openly share their clinical experiences and engage with the material in ways that support the integration of theory and practice, and deepen their clinical work.
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Introduction to Relational Psychoanalysis Reading Group
Relational Psychoanalysis, a ‘first cousin’ of Self Psychology on the family tree of psychoanalytic theory and praxis. While there has been a broad relational turn in many psychotherapeutic modalities over the past few decades, including Self Psychology, we are specifically interested in the Relational approach, as pioneered by Stephen Mitchell and others. Relational Psychoanalysis emphasizes that the individual psyche is fundamentally built from and shaped by the intersubjective matrix of human relationships. The therapeutic encounter is viewed as co-constructed between two active participants. This framework focusses on the mutual influence of therapist and patient, specifically exploring how enactments and the therapist’s own subjectivity provide vital pathways for understanding the patient’s internal world.
The Introductory Relational Psychoanalysis Reading Group is co-facilitated by two senior members of the CTPSPG. The reading group aims to provide an informal learning space where participants are introduced to key Relational psychoanalytic constructs. It involves a small number of selected readings, with an emphasis on applying the ideas to how we think about our clinical work. Lively discussion is encouraged. The group runs over a ten month cycle (usually February to November, but the start of a new cycle is contingent upon levels of interest) and online sessions take place monthly on a weekday evening from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Participation in the Introductory Relational Psychoanalysis Reading Group is open to any member of the CTPSPG and is registered for CPD points.
For more information please contact Lisa Padfield.