Today I'd like to bring to your attention the upcoming annual meeting of the American Group Psychotherapy Association. The meeting will be held in New York at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, February 17-22, 1997. There are a tremendous variety of offerings. Continuing education credits are of course available, but I recommend the meeting because no other conference I have ever attended even begins to match it. The quality of the presenters, and their professional diversity and collegiality are major attractions. I also like the dynamic that the group form of the workshops can help highlight the very issue being presented.

The theme this year is "Crisis and Opportunity for Group Psychotherapy." The meeting begins with a choice of two special institutes. Faith Gabelnick, Ph.D., will present on *The Collaborative Leader: Fostering Organizational Success and Growth*. Howard Kibel, M.D.., C.G.P., F.A.G.P.A, will present *Object Relations as Applied to Group Psychotherapy*. The next day will see the start of the various two-day institute section. These include a variety of experiential process groups, but there are a large number (24!) of specific interest sections on different topics.

Wednesday evening, the conference portion of the annual meeting will open with *Group and Community: Rights, Responsibilities and Altruism* presented by Amitai Etzioni, Ph.D. The opening plenary the next morning will feature Kenneth Hardy, Ph.D., presenting *Dilemmas of Silence, Dilemmas of Speaking: Minorities and Psychotherapy*. On Friday, Virginia Goldner, Ph.D. will present the S.R. Slavson Memorial Lecture. Her talk is titled *When Love Hurts: Attachment and Repudiation in Abusive Relationships, A Multi-Modal Treatment Model*. The various workshops being presented are too vast to mention individually.

The subject index alone is quite large, and of amazing range (it covers both the Institute and Conference), so I will edit it slightly: Addictive behaviors; AIDS/HIV; beginning group; child/adolescents; chronic mentally ill; co-therapy; countertransference/transference; couples; cultural, political and social issues; ethical issues; family therapy; gender issues; geriatric population; gestalt therapy; group consultation; hospital/institutional/agency settings; integrative; interpersonal theory; managed care; medically ill and/or dying; object relations; organizational consultation/settings; psychoanalysis; psychodrama; psychodynamic groups; redecision therapy; research; resistance; self psychology; sexual abuse; supervision/training; support groups; termination; time-limited/short-term therapy. Of special note is the Certificate Program course, *Principles of Group Psychotherapy*, taught by as stellar a group psychotherapy faculty to be assembled for a single course anywhere, all of them Fellows of the AGPA.

There are a few workshops that I would like to specially recommend, based on my experience with them in years past, or on my familiarity with the presenters. Thursday morning you might want to try Marsha Vannicelli's workshop, *The Leader's Plight: Countertransference Dilemmas with Substance Abusers*. In the afternoon there is a very distinguished panel presenting an update of two classic articles (unfortunately, the preliminary brochure doesn't say what the articles are). On Friday Alan Elfant, Ph.D. has a workshop entitled *Who Becomes a Group Therapist? A Life Odyssey Exploration*. Jerrold Post. M.D. will present on *Conflict and Cooperation in Mental Health Organizations*.

I also recommend *A Conversation with Saul Scheidlinger on Outpatient Child-Adolescent Group Therapy Training*. Friday afternoon Leonard Horwitz, Ph.D. will present *Narcissistic Patients: Difficulties and Opportunities*. On Saturday you might want to try Paul Kaye, Ph.D., on *An Integrative Approach to Group Process*. But there is also *The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Magical Moments in Group Therapy,* presented by Anne Alonso, Ph.D., and Hillel Swiller, M.D. This is just a small smattering of the wonderful offerings available at this years annual meeting. For more information, contact the AGPA office, phone: 212-477-2677; fax: 212-979-6627. Or write them at 25 East 21st Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY, 10010. And however you contact them, please tell them to get on-line already!

I should probably also mention that I will be presenting a workshop on therapist transparency and self-disclosure (Thursday afternoon). I don't automatically recommend it because of some of the outstanding programs and presenters available at the same time. If you sign up with me anyway, I'll be happy to have you. Either way, look me up when you're there!

4/17/98

Marc G. Schramm, Psy.D., is a Founding Certificant of the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists, a clinical member of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, and President of the Tri-State Group Psychotherapy Society. He is currently Cincinnati-Dayton Regional Director for Counseling Consultants, Inc. Call Dr. Schramm at 513-984-9222