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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260418T090000
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SUMMARY:Annual Conference | STUCKNESS: Developmental\, Therapeutic\,  and Relational Resistances
DESCRIPTION:A Hybrid Conference on Zoom or Onsite in Livingston\, NJ\nSaturday\, April 18\, 2026\, 9:00am – 5:00pm EST \n8 CEs \nCo-sponsored by NAAP & BGSP-NJ \nWhen the mind feels unsafe\, it chooses stability over change. \n\n\nDr. Adrian Perkel\nWhy do symptoms persist even when patients consciously want change?  \nAdrian Perkel is a distinguished clinical psychologist\, psychoanalytic scholar\, and former Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of the Western Cape\, South Africa. With more than 35 years of experience in clinical practice\, writing\, and teaching\, he specializes in individual adult and couples psychotherapy and is widely recognized for his integrative work bridging psychoanalysis and neuroscience. \nDr. Perkel has contributed extensively to psychoanalytic\, neuroscientific\, and editorial communities both in South Africa and internationally\, bringing a depth of clinical insight and theoretical rigor to his work. He is the author of Unlocking the Nature of Human Aggression: A Psychoanalytic and Neuroscientific Approach (2024) and Neuroscience and the Death Drive: The Nature of Symptoms\, from Formulation to Treatment (2026)\, both published by Routledge. His scholarship is particularly noted for its sophisticated exploration of affect regulation\, aggression\, and the neuropsychoanalytic foundations of psychopathology. \nDr. Perkel’s work with couples and neuropsychoanalytic thought can be found on YouTube. \n \nBoth books available at Routledge.com and Amazon.com. \n\nGuest Appearance & Interview: Filmmaker & Director – Yair Qedar\nFilm screening followed by a conversation with the filmmaker \n \nA journey into the life and work of Sigmund Freud in four acts\, combining animation\, dreams\, and insights from leading psychoanalysts. It explores Freud’s experiences of marginalization as a Jew in Vienna during Hitler’s rise and how these shaped his theories and personal life. Through an intimate lens\, the film reveals new dimensions of Freud’s legacy\, focusing on his impact on psychoanalysis\, Judaism\, and the power dynamics of being an outsider. \nYair Qedar is a filmmaker and social activist\, specializing in literary biographies. He produced and directed 19 documentary films on Jewish writers and poets in the last 12 years\, creating a cinematic language that uses archives\, animation and music\, winning over 30 International and Israeli awards. His latest film is “OUTSIDER FREUD” about the life and work of Freud\, supported NY RBB\, ARTE\, ORR\, KAN \nOutsider Freud has received many awards\, including the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis’s prestigious Gradiva Award for the best documentary film of 2025. In his groundbreaking project The Hebrews\, Qedar created cinematic portraits of celebrated literary figures\, blending archival materials\, interviews\, and animation. \nNotable films include: \n\nThe 5 Houses of Leah Goldberg (2011)\, a multi-award-winning film.\nThe Seven Tapes (2012)\, exploring poet Yona Wallach\, which won Best Film at the Israeli Documentary Film Competition.\nBialik\, King of the Jews (2014)\, premiering at Docaviv and international Jewish film festivals.\nThe Awakener (2015)\, chronicling Yosef Haim Brenner\, and Zelda: A Simple Woman (2015)\, which won multiple awards\, including the Lia van Leer Award for Jewish Heritage.\nVogel Lost Vogel (2018)\, documenting poet David Fogel.\nThe Last Chapter of AB Yehoshua (2021)\, a finalist at the Jerusalem Film Festival.\nThe Fourth Window (2021)\, exploring the life of Amos Oz\, which won Best Documentary at the Mumbai International Film Festival.\n\nJournalism and Academic Contributions: Qedar began his career in journalism\, writing for Haaretz\, Davar\, and Masa Acher. He has received numerous accolades\, including the Allied Prize for World Jewish Press and the European Union Award for Journalistic Reporting. \nIn academia\, he has taught film at institutions like the Sam Spiegel School in Jerusalem\, Shenkar School\, and Beit Berl College\, sharing his expertise with the next generation of filmmakers. \nActivism: A pioneer in Israel’s LGBTQ+ movement\, Qedar founded HaZman HaVarod (Pink Times)\, the country’s first LGBTQ+ newspaper\, and co-edited Beyond Sexuality\, a seminal anthology on queer studies. He co-founded the Rainbow Families Organization to support LGBTQ+ families in Israel and launched the Proud Community Heritage Project in 2021\, aimed at preserving LGBTQ+ cultural history. \nYair Qedar at:\nEmail: outsider.freud@gmail.com\nWebsite:\nhttps://ivrim.co.il/en/films/outsider-freud/ \n\nAndy Cohen\nCan Self-Revelation Enhance the Therapeutic Alliance?\nIn contemporary clinical work\, therapists are often trained to guard neutrality and minimize personal disclosure. But what if thoughtful self-revelation could deepen—not disrupt—the therapeutic alliance? \nIn this engaging presentation\, Andy Cohen explores a nuanced and often taboo topic in Applied Psychoanalysis: the therapeutic value of the analyst’s self-revelation.\n\nDrawing from her groundbreaking book Parenting Psychoanalysed: Letters to a Parent\, she examines how authenticity\, relational presence\, and carefully considered disclosure may foster greater emotional connection and psychological movement in treatment. \nAndy Cohen a psychotherapist and psychoanalyst with the South African Psychoanalytical Association (SAPA). Andy is passionate about making psychoanalytic thinking more accessible\, seen in her TEDx Talk\, “A Mom Can’t Always Act Like a Grown-Up – Here’s Why”\, which explores the unconscious forces between parent and child. She holds an MA Fine Art and is also trained as a community art counsellor at Lefika La Phodiso\, an NGO providing art-based psychodynamic mental health services to at risk communities. She currently lives and works in Johannesburg\, South Africa. A clinician\, psychoanalyst\, author\, and artist\, she advocates for the acknowledgement of the versions of our identity stored unconsciously as we navigate throughout life. \nAndy Cohen\nEmail: andy@globalmicro.co.za \nWebsite: \nhttps://www.andycohenpsych.com/ \n\nModerator:\nPatricia Harte Bratt\, PhD\, PsyaD\, NCPsyA\, NJSCPsya\, (NY)LP\nPatricia Bratt\, is a psychoanalyst\, psychotherapist\, and clinical supervisor practicing in Livingston\, NJ and New York City. Her early career focused on psychodiagnostics\, neuropsychology\, and psychoanalysis. She is a director at ACAP\, the Academy of Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis (https://acapnj.org/ )\, and BGSP-NJ (https://bgsp.edu/ )\, the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis. Dr. Bratt is president of NAAP\, the National Association for Advancement of Psychoanalysis and the NJ Certified Psychoanalysts Advisory Committee. As Director of Applied Psychoanalysis at ACAP Dr. Bratt developed its Trauma and Resilience Studies program and Critical Incident Support group\, providing pro bono mental health services to those struggling in war or disaster zones around the world. In 2018 she launched the iStrive Center: a weekend program for young adults on the autism spectrum. \nDr. Bratt is the author of articles such as\, “Working with Memory Impaired Trauma Victims”\, “Fearless: Resistance to Resilience”\, ”Loneliness\, Longing and Love”\, and “Reciprocal Resilience”. She has been a consultant expert on TV and in news media. Her book\, Mutual Growth in the Psychotherapeutic Relationship: Reciprocal Resilience\, is published by Routledge. \nDr. Bratt is twice winner of the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis’s (NAAP) Vision Award for Outstanding contributions to the Field of Psychoanalysis for her work in establishing psychoanalysis as an independent profession. \nPatricia Bratt\nEmail: patbratt@comcast.net \nWebsite:\n www.patriciabratt.com \n  \n\nOpening Remarks\n  \nVicki Semel\, PsyD\, PhD\, NCPsyA\, NJSCPsya\, (NY) LP \nEmail: vwsemel@comcast.net \nVicki Semel\, PsyD\, PhD\, serves as Executive Director of the Academy of Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis (ACAP) and Program Director at the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis–NJ. She oversees the Master’s programs in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Psychoanalysis\, with a focus on integrating rigorous academic training with experiential and emotionally grounded learning. Dr. Semel is committed to helping students move beyond intellectual understanding toward deeper clinical insight and personal transformation. Under her leadership\, the program prepares graduates for careers in psychoanalysis\, mental health counseling\, education\, business\, and the arts. With Claire Brody\, Dr. Semel is author of\, Strategies for Therapy With the Elderly. \nDiscussants\nCassio Campello\, Leah Heins\, Elizabeth Olson\, Imke Oster\, Harlan Tenenbaum\, Adam Wright \nCassio Campello\, MD\, LAC Cassio Campello\, MD\, LPC\, is a psychoanalytic clinician and educator with extensive experience integrating neuroscience\, affect regulation\, and psychotherapy. He is an Advanced Psychoanalytic Candidate at the Academy of Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis (ACAP) and a Licensed Professional Counselor in New Jersey. Dr. Campello practices at the North Jersey Consultation Center (ACAP) and in private practice\, and serves as an Adjunct Instructor of Psychology at Caldwell University. His prior career as a board-certified anesthesiologist informs his neuropsychoanalytic approach to addiction\, trauma\, and emotional regulation.\n \nLeah Heins\, BA\, Psya Candidate Leah Heins is a graduate student in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis–NJ\, where her studies focus on psychoanalysis\, neuropsychoanalysis\, and trauma-informed care. She has trained through the Philadelphia School of Psychoanalysis and the Colorado Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies and co-founded the Neuropsychoanalytic Study Group at BGSP-NJ. Leah holds a B.A.\, cum laude\, in Psychology and Philosophy from SUNY Brockport and previously studied neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder.\n \n \nElizabeth A. Olson – PsyD\, LCSW\, CGP Dr. Elizabeth Olson has been in private practice in Boulder\, Colorado\, for the past 27 years. She is both a practicing psychologist and a licensed clinical social worker\, working with teens\, young adults\, adults\, parents\, families\, and couples. One of her favorite parts of the work week is facilitating long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy groups. \nDr. Olson began studying psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy a year and a half ago and completed an eight-month training program at Naropa University. She will soon be opening her psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy practice\, primarily focusing on psilocybin. \nImke Oster\, MALD\, MBA\,Cert Psya Imke Oster completed her psychoanalytic training at ACAP in Livingston\, NJ. Prior to becoming a clinician\, Imke worked in strategic management consulting and economic development. She co-founded a legal outsourcing firm and later sold it when shifting to the clinical mental health field. Imke also works as an executive coach\, combining her 25-year business experience and psychoanalytic training. She serves on various Boards\, but most relevant to the mental health setting she is Vice Chair of the Board of the Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York City.\n \nHarlan Tenenbaum\, JD\, Psya Candidate Harlan Tenenbaum\, JD\, is a psychoanalyst at the Princeton Center for Psychotherapy and an advanced candidate at the Academy of Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis. A former attorney and adoption policy expert\, he previously served as CEO of Adoption House International and Legal Adviser to the National Council for Adoption. His work on international adoption and family law has been widely published\, and he received the Angel of Adoption Award from the U.S. Congress.\n \nAdam Wright\, PhD\, LAC\, CMPC Adam Wright\, Ph.D.\, is a Licensed Associate Counselor in New Jersey and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Permit Holder in New York. His clinical and conceptual work examines performance disruption and the development of enduring psychological capacity under conditions of pressure\, with particular attention to identity organization\, unconscious process\, affect regulation\, and neuropsychoanalytic perspectives on mind–brain integration. He earned both his M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Sport & Exercise Psychology from Temple University and completed his M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis. Beyond his clinical practice\, he has applied psychoanalytic and performance frameworks within Major League Baseball (MLB) —including prior service as Director of Mental Performance for the Washington Nationals — as well as in law enforcement\, the performing arts\, and executive leadership.\n \n\nBreakout Groups\nAn intimate time for everyone to share ideas and respond to the day. \n\n\n\n\nZOOM & ONSITE SCHEDULE OF THE DAY\nModerator: Patricia Bratt\, PhD \n\n\n\n\n\n\nMorning \n8:40am \nZoom Log On to Waiting Room Opens \n9:05 – 9:20am\nOrientation to Conference topics\nPatricia Bratt – Vicki Semel \n9:30 – 11:40am\nFrom Surprisal to Predictable\nAdrian Perkel \nDiscussants: \nPatricia Bratt\, Cassio Campello\, Elizabeth Olson\, Adam Wright \nLUNCH\nBRIEF BREAK – film clips time to grab a table & lunch\, and be ready for the film \n12:00 – 1:50pm\nOutsider Freud – screening & discussion with…\nYair Qedar  \nDiscussants: \nPatricia Bratt\, Vicki Semel\nHarlan Tenenbaum \n\n\n\n\n\n\nAFTERNOON \n2:00 – 2:10pm\nAfternoon Introductions \n2:10 – 3:45pm\nCan Self-Revelation Enhance the Therapeutic Alliance?\nAndy Cohen \nDiscussants:\nPatricia Bratt\, Imke Oster\, Leah Heins \n3:50 – 4:40pm\nBreakout Groups – ACAP\nAn intimate time for everyone to share ideas and respond to the day. \n4:45 – 5:00pm\nConcluding Remarks \n5:00 – 6:00pm\nReception at ACAP\nin Livingston\, NJ \n\n\n\n  \n  \nConference Fees \nEvent Fee – $150.00 \nStudent Fee – $75.00 \nCE Certificate – $15.00 \n\nCE Provider for: \nPsychoanalysts \nNY Psychoanalysts \nSocial Workers \nNY Social Workers \nMental Health Counselors (NBCC) \nCreative Arts Therapists \nNY Creative Arts Therapists. \nMarriage & Family Therapists \nPsychologists \nFull CE Info Link
URL:https://acapnj.org/event/annual-conference-stuckness-developmental-therapeutic-and-relational-resistances/
LOCATION:Zoom & In-Person
CATEGORIES:Event
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