The Necessity of Astonishment Leslye Russell, M.A., MFT

Saturday, March 20, 2010

The Necessity of Astonishment
Leslye Russell, M.A., MFT

The clinical method of close listening is similar to the art historian's method of close looking. In this workshop we will explore the application of the art historian’s methods to the clinical situation based on the work of T. J. Clark, art historian and poet. In his book, The Sight of Death: An Experiment in Art Writing (2006), he writes that his experiment in art writing yields astonishment.
  Using the methods of close looking and close listening, we will use paintings and poetry to explore those moments of astonishment that signal an encounter with the unconscious. Through readings and discussion, we will also consider clinically relevant theoretical concepts, such as repetition, truthfulness, the problem of interpretation, and the principle of economy.
  Leslye Russell, M.A., MFT, is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist in Berkeley. She is a supervisor and faculty member at TPI where she has taught advanced trainees, supervisors, and the general membership for over 25 years. She has also taught at Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology and is a Fellow of the International Institute for Psychotherapy in Washington, D.C. Recent papers include: "The Verities of Astonishment: Close Looking and Close Listening"; "The Flâneur and the Analysand," which appeared in Fort D; and "Group Mindedness" (for the 2008 SSP Symposium).

Saturday, March 20, 2010
Time: 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Location: The Psychotherapy Institute
CE: 6 Units (MFT, LCSW approved; submitted to MCEPAA for approval)

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