Viewpoint - April 2024
IN THIS ISSUE
Presidential Address
The Executive Perspective
Clinically Speaking
Board and Committee News
Save the Dates
Institute Wish List
Presidential Address
From Kyra Peyton, TPI President
Bearing Witness
This Spring brings TPI some great opportunities to come together and celebrate the impact that the insititute continues to make on our clients, colleagues, and community. Even as we feel gratitude for our personal and shared blessings, we are aware that we are living in a violent time. We are watching mass devastation in Gaza, on-going war in Ukraine, and the tragic effects of conflicts across the Middle East and beyond. We have heard from many of you and know that the state of the world has caused our community deep pain, impacting both our personal and professional lives. Over the past months, your TPI Board of Directors has reflected on how we can respond as an institute. I am pleased to share that our upcoming Spring Symposium to be held at the David Brower Center on Saturday, June 22nd, The State of the World: Facing our Brutality and Discovering our Humanity will provide participants examples of how people from different racial and cultural backgrounds can develop the capacity to be in relationship during a time of considerable fragmentation, adversity, and tribalism. Presenters Era A Loewenstein, PhD and Paula Kliger, PhD will each give a paper addressing these issues and then engage the audience in a creative psychoanalytic and personal dialogue about cultural adversity and overcoming. Registration will open later this week.
Toasting our Volunteers
Throughout the year, our volunteers devote their time and energy to keep TPI running. They serve the Institute in so many ways. Our Board members, committee members, group leaders, supervisors, and faculty give of themselves to enable us to fulfill our mission to provide cost-assessable health care to our community, training and networking opportunities for our colleagues. On Friday, April 12, at 6:30pm, we are hosting a Volunteer Appreciation Cocktail Party. We look forward to greeting you then and hope that you can join us to raise a glass to toast our amazing TPI volunteers. If you haven’t had a chance to do so yet, please RSVP here.
Stepping forward to Serve
One of the great privileges of serving as TPI President is the opportunity to serve with so many wonderful volunteer leaders. Over the past months, the Board has come together to support our new Institute staff and carry TPI through this time of transition. While all of our board members have risen to the occasion, I want to particularly acknowledge board members Vicki Melucci and Coecillia Zazove for stepping into new leadership roles. Vicki has taken on the mantle of Membership Chair. Coecillia is our new Board and Leadership Development Chair. As the season for recruiting both members and leaders is approaching, both Coecillia and Vicki will be engaged and may be calling upon you for help and participation.
Best wishes,
Kyra
The Executive Perspective
from James Brandt, Executive Director
Contemplating the Mystical: Jesse Reichek's Paintings at TPI
Over the coming weeks, renovations to the Institute waiting areas will continue in preparation for the upcoming hanging of the exhibit of the paintings of Jesse Reichek. Reichek’s paintings are meditations on spiritual teachings, creation myths, paradise, and eternal life.
The paintings have been offered to TPI on semi-permanent loan by the Creators’ Equity Foundation, a Berkeley-based foundation dedicated to supporting community arts programming and emerging artists. Funding for waiting area renovations, new furnishings, and the hanging of the exhibit have also been donated by the Foundation. This collaboration between TPI and Creators’ Equity Foundation is particularly exciting for me as I studied under Reichek as a student in UC Berkeley’s environmental design program and have a long association with Creators’ Equity Foundation as a board member and officer.
The Contemplating the Mystical exhibit will open with a reception and gallery talk on Saturday, June 1st as part of TPI's Spring Celebration Weekend.
Going Hybrid
For most of its history, TPI’s classes, symposia, and board and committee meetings were held in-person. With the onset of the COVID pandemic, the Institute, along with most of the world, discontinued in-person meetings. The building sat empt and all activities abruptly shifted to live-streamed, virtual meetings. Over the past months, the world has slowly re-opened. The Psychotherapy Training program is back at the Institute and the great majority of Community Clinic clients are being seen in our Carleton Street therapy rooms. This Spring, many of our educational programs will resume in-person sessions.
While there are certainly great advantages to in-person learning – and in-person meeting – the preference by some for virtual attendance is a reality of our post-pandemic culture. Given this, TPI will offer a hybrid model for our CE classes and Symposia. In this model that has quickly become the standard for CE classes, participants will have the choice to attend programs either in-person or virtually via live stream. To provide a quality learning experience for those attending programs via live stream, TPI’s center seminar room is being reconfigured and equipped with a state-of-the-art audio-visual system.
While this upgrade is needed for the Institute’s CE classes to attract both in-person and virtual participation, and we anticipate greater participation over time, these upgrades require substantial initial investment. If you are interested in learning more about this project and associated funding opportunities, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Looking forward to seeing many of you at one of our upcoming Institute programs. As always, if I can be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Every warm wish,
Jim
Clinically Speaking
from Sandra Gaspar, Associate Director
"Weaving Together: Collaberation, Conexiones, y Comunidad"
I am excited to announce that I have been working with Jim and my colleagues at West Coast Children’s Clinic to offer a gathering to celebrate bi-lingual & bi-cultural mental health providers. The program, “Weaving Together: Collaboration, Conexiones, y Comunidad” will be offered here at TPI on Friday, May 17th from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
Together, we will ask: “What would our trabajo look like if we continued to weave a new sueño/dream together? How would that impact our communities? How can we create a reciprocal exchange in healing spaces to sustain us as providers while moving toward a paradigm shift in healing? Our discussion and interactive program will be facilitated by Dulce Lopez, Psy.D. A first generation Mexican American, Dulce is a Licensed Psychologist whose life’s purpose has been to empower individuals to transform through Love. Often referred to as Doctora Corazon (Doctor of the Heart), Dr. Lopez has been a practicing clinician for over 19 years in California. She is an international motivational speaker and facilitator, speaking regularly about love and transformation.
I want to encourage all TPI members to join us to network, break bread, mingle, and learn with colleagues. Space is limited so sign-up today! Hope to see you there! Click here to RSVP.
In community,
Sandra
Board and Committee News
From the Board of Directors
Call for Volunteers
As the beginning of TPI’s fiscal year is quickly approaching we are now actively recruiting TPI members to serve on the Board and on select committees. As TPI is a volunteer-led organization, we are both proud and grateful for ongoing service of our volunteers. If you are ready to give back to TPI and would consider a taking volunteer position, please reach out to Coecillia Zazove, Board and Leadership Development Chair at therapy@coecillia.com.
From the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Introducing: Soulful Sundays
The purpose of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is to serve TPI in the development of policy, program, and practice to address issues relating to race, culture, class, ableism, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. We lead the Institute in its effort to create and maintain a culture of belonging and inclusion.
Toward this effort we are pleased to announce SOULFUL SUNDAYS, a new TPI program offered by the DEI Committee. These Sunday programs will help us to explore how different cultures gather, heal, and build trust and community. The programs will be focused on caring for the self and the collective and designed through the lens of cultural curiosity. Watch for announcements of upcoming Soulful Sunday gatherings. And we are looking for hidden talent. If you are interested in presenting or have a referral for someone who it, please reach out to DEI Co-chair, Eric Bottino at, eric@ericbottino.com.
From the Education Committee
Call for Proposals: Fall Classes
As we are preparing our schedule for Fall classes, the Education Committee is now calling for proposals. If you would like to teach at TPI this Fall or know someone who would, please reach out to Education Chair, Beth Pasqualina with your proposal or class ideas. bethpasqualinamft@gmail.com
From the Development Committee
Call for Raffle Items
As part of TPI’s Spring Celebration weekend, the Development Committee will be presenting a raffle. We already have some great prizes and tickets will soon be available for purchase. For now, we are collecting prizes to offer as part of the raffle. If you have raffle items to donate (Air B&B stays, wine, restaurant or spa gift certificates), if you would like to offer your own services, or would like to help on the Development Committee, please contact Development Chair, Leslie Bell at lesliecbell@gmail.com
Save the Dates
Upcoming Institute Events and Happenings
Follow Links for More Information
Psychotherapy Training Program Applicant Interviews
Saturday, April 6th at 9 am & Saturday, April 13th at 9 am
Group Therapy Training Program Information Meeting
Friday, April 12th at 5 pm
Volunteer Appreciation Cocktail Party
Friday, April 12th at 6:30 pm
Supervising Faculty Brunch
Saturday, April 20th at 10 am
CE Course
Professional Reparations: What Should We Repair with Beverly Burch, PhD
Saturday, April 27th at 10 am
GTTP SYMPOSIUM: From Sensation to Relation: Bringing our Bodies into Process Groups with Dr. Carlos Canales
Saturday, May 4th at 9 am
Weaving Together
with Dulce Lopez PhD
Friday, May 17th at 4 pm
TPI SPRING CELEBRATION
Exhibit Opening Reception and Gallery Talk-
Jesse Reichek: Engaging the Mystical
Sponsored by the Creators’ Equity Foundation
Annual Meeting Garden Party
at the home of TPI Exec Director, Jim Brandt
Saturday, June 1st at 3 pm & Sunday, June 2nd at 2 pm
CE Course
Understanding Neurodivergent Clients - with Teresa Currivan, LMFT
Saturday, June 8th 9 am
Spring Symposium
The State of the World: Facing our Brutality & Discovering Our Humanity - with Era A Loewenstein, PhD and Paula Kliger, PhD
Saturday, June 22nd 9 am
Contribute to Viewpoint
We encourage contributions to Viewpoint from the TPI Community.
To submit or plan submissions, contact Executive Director, Jim Brandt jbrandt@tpi-berkeley.org
