Facing Our Existential Realities: Group as a Source of
Hope & Connection
This workshop will focus on ethical self-care and the care of our clients as we face the existential threats present in our world today. We face the uncertainty and trauma of global political turmoil, war, catastrophic climate change, mass shootings, radical technological change, and ongoing health threats. How do we face these challenges in our personal and professional lives? To what values do we adhere to inform and guide us? How are we navigating our way through these rough waters? We will use our group to uncover our feelings about our present existence and to discover ways in which we can care for ourselves and for our clients.
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
1) Name several existential threats in everyday life.
2) Identify the values that inform how they conduct their personal and professional lives.
3) Discuss their thoughts, feelings, and perceptions about how the current challenges affect them and their clients.
4) Identify the ways that group and community create hope and resilience in the face of uncertain existential forces.
Presenters:
D. Thomas Stone, Jr., Ph.D.
Clinical, Consulting and Group Psychology
Dr. Stone is a licensed psychologist in private practice providing individual, relationship, and group services. He also works with organizations applying clinical and group psychology principles to their leadership teams. Currently, he is Co-chair of AGPA Connect, an international conference on group psychotherapy organized by the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA). He has presented nationally on a wide variety of topics in psychology and psychotherapy. Since 9/11, Dr. Stone has provided services to professionals affected by their work serving trauma survivors. He is a published author in group psychology. He is a fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, a certified group psychotherapist, and a diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology in group psychology. He is the most recent recipient of the Social Responsibility Award (2023) from the Group Foundation for Advancing Mental Health.
Jake Pickard, Ph.D.
Jake Pickard is a licensed psychologist and certified group psychotherapist in private practice, working with individuals, couples, and groups. He is a graduate of the Center for Group Studies in New York City, which teaches the modern analytic approach to group therapy. He runs an ongoing modern analytic process group in his private practice. In addition to his private practice, he is an assistant professor within the UIW / TIGMER psychiatry residency, where he chief of psychotherapy training. He is the current president-elect of SAGPS.