Our personalities affect the way we interact socially with others and how we manage the boundary of the interpersonal space. Developments in attachment theory have also demonstrated how a secure base in childhood can affect the development of what might be a ‘social mind’. In this talk, I will explore how attachment security influences the development of personality in childhood and adolescences; and the evidence that attachment insecurity can lead to disorganisation of the personality, and those conditions we call ‘personality disorder’. I will discuss what this work means for therapists and the evidence base about interventions for different kinds of personality disorder.

Join us at Victoria Arms in Old Marston for a discussion of issues and questions arising from Gwen Adshead talk on attachment and also from our own clinical experience. Come at 7pm and order a meal to eat with your OPS colleagues or join us before 8pm for the discussion over a drink.

This is the second of our Zoom discussions exploring the rich talk heritage of the OPS stored in our archives. To take part in this discussion, you will need to have listened to the talk on erotic transference described below. Go into the Archive section of the website, search for Maria Luca and it should come up instantly. Please register your interest in attending to admin@oxfordpsychotherapysociety.org.uk, ideally by Monday 27th March. You will then be sent a Zoom link for the discussion, with some questions to think about in advance.

A workshop on: working with the erotic and sexual attraction in therapy‚ issues and professional considerations with Dr Maria Luca

In this workshop, recorded on Oct 15th 2016, Dr. Luca encouraged the participants to abandon the traditional analytic view of the erotic transference as only being located in the client for defensive purposes, and explored the idea of the erotic as providing the capacity to heal. Despite the boundaries about entering a sexual relationship with a client being quite clear, it was important to reflect on the therapist’s own feelings about a client, and whether (s)he might unconsciously be eliciting sexual attraction. Reflecting on her own experience and on a wealth of research, Dr Luca shared a ‘recipe’ she has developed for working with erotic and sexual attraction.

Come to hear more about the work of the Society during the past year, to encourage the current committee and to vote for new committee members. If you would be willing to stand for the committee, please contact admin@oxfordpsychotherapysociety.org.uk

The Spiritual and Transpersonal modes: Plato, Freud, Jung etc I shall look at the Transpersonal and the Spiritual under four headings: Archetypal Aspects; the Problem of Belief; The Numinous and the Mystical; the Uncanny. We shall explore by way of looking at personal illustrations and respecting individual caution and boundaries and difference. John Heron: Feeling and […]

I will be discussing how couples therapy is different from individual therapy and some some of the common presentations.   I will offer a number of models and tools I use with couples and two or three case studies to illustrate examples of successes and challenges (and how success might be defined in couple work).  The case study material will not be recorded and will be an opportunity to share and learn with others in the room. 

The role of unconscious phantasy in everyday life and its origins
Drawing upon the work of Melanie Klein, research from infant observation and the neuroscience literature on early child development, this presentation will examine the role that unconscious phantasy plays in shaping our everyday lives and interactions. Drawing upon clinical material and works of art from the consulting room and beyond, the origins of unconscious phantasy will be examined, considering both the individual and wider social structures that shape the development of our personal subjectivities and identities. Through this consideration of the development of unconscious phantasy, the implications for contemporary clinical practice will also be examined.