Couple and Family Psychoanalysis. “Couple, Child and Family Therapy"
July 17, 2015

Jill Scharff, MD, FABP and Caroline Sehon, MD, FABP as published in Couple and Family Psychoanalysis,  2016. 6(1) 132–137

At the summer institute “Couple, Child and Family Therapy: Links from Theory to Clinical Practice” co-organized by the International Psychotherapy Institute (IPI) and the Department of Primary Education at the University of the Aegean, participants gathered from Greece, the United States, Canada, Israel, Australia, and South Africa to study together in Rhodes.


Led by David Scharff and Anastasia Tsamparli, the institute featured presentations by Greek and American child psychotherapists, couple and family therapists, and child analysts. David Scharff gave a theoretical and clinical introduction to object relations couple, child and family therapy to set the base on which the presenters built their talks. Janine Wanlass, Director of IPI, taught assessment of families and couples. Ionas Sapountzis, a Greek-American psychologist returning to his homeland, shared his Winnicottian approach to children with ADHD. Following her interest in field theory, Caroline Sehon gave a talk on decoding the links in families with psychosomatic difficulty. Jim Poulton of IPI-Salt Lake City gave a literature review of the concept of narcissism and illustrated its destructive effects in couple relationships. Greek colleague Dimitri Kyriazis elaborated on the destructive psychotic links in couple and families.


Jill Scharff outlined the history of the development of the concept of projective identification and why she has found it helpful in working with couples and families. Vali Maduro, Chair of the Couple, Child and Family program at IPI, took the concept of projective identification to the arena of the family where couples may project into their children. Norma Caruso addressed issues of sexuality and intimacy in couple therapy. In a related but very different presentation the summer institute host Anastasia Tsamparli spoke of the negotiation of sexual desire and the analytic third in couples. Dimitris Anassopoulos intrigued us with a highly complex paper on the analyst’s contribution to the intersubjective process.

We understood in discussions with our Greek colleagues that the economic situation is extremely uncertain. Many of them had lost patients that week and thought of canceling because of the crisis, but they came. As Americans we were buffered from the squeeze, since our credit cards backed by American banks were welcome whereas our colleagues’ could withdraw only 60 Euros a day or less. We were impressed by the Greeks’ willingness to confront the crisis and set it aside in order to learn.


In her opening speech of welcome, Anastasia said that although the crisis is humiliating, and everyone feels scared, we cannot succumb to feeling awful. We must keep on doing what we do, and keep thinking. Her clarity and strength of character was inspiring and set the tone for acknowledgement of the real crisis in the there-and-now and focus on the here-and-now of the learning process.

 

Participants new to IPI events were especially appreciative of the small group using the Group Affective Model (GAM) as a place to integrate professional cognitive apperception and personal emotional response to the material about couple, families and children. As foreigners, the group leaders worked through group transferences that reflected the apprehension felt by Greece towards privileged nations to create a secure holding environment where these charged affects could be voiced, thought about, and understood as they relate to family dynamics and cultural context.


For example, having heard presented a vignette of a couple in which one partner unconsciously evoked in the other a sadistic response, the small group related these unconscious pulls to similar forces in the troubled marriage of Greece and Europe.


Despite the tremendous uncertainty, anxiety and terror at this crucial moment in history, there was an impressive turnout. The quiet space to think away from turbulent Athens brought relief and pleasure, but also led to guilt and conflict about family members left at home burdened by worries, such as whether they would lose their jobs, or how the political machinations would ultimately be resolved.


Nevertheless, Anastasia and her colleagues managed to give the visitors a wonderful Greek welcome, with informal dinners, a rooftop party courtesy of the University of the Aegean, trips to the sea, and Greek dancing which having watched a performance we were coaxed into getting on the cement floor of the balcony to participate in this Greek expression of emotion.



The IPI contingent returned to America grateful for all our opportunities at home, and impressed by the generous spirit of our Greek colleagues. We hope to see our Greek colleagues again soon, if not in person, then when they connect to IPI’s couple therapy video conference training program.

 


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Introducing My Candidacy for APsA President-Elect

By Caroline Sehon • November 25, 2025
Dear Friends and Colleagues, I thank the Board and Nominating Committee for recommending me for your consideration as APsA's President-Elect. I aim to lead with humility, curiosity, and openness, committed to fostering an APsA united by rigorous analytic thinking and respectful dialogue. I enter this election with a listening stance-eager to hear your priorities, concerns, and hopes for our collective future. My commitment is to foster a more integrated APsA-one that deepens analytic dialogue and builds a durable foundation for generations to come. We stand at a pivotal moment. We grow stronger and transcend division when we engage around differences with generosity, openness, and a commitment to listening. I look forward to engaging with Past President and President-Elect nominee Bill Glover, PhD, as we each bring forward our experiences, priorities, and visions for APsA's future. ANALYTIC WORK AND EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE My conviction that psychoanalytic work is developmental and culturally situated guided my formation as a child and adult analyst and community medicine specialist. My background in community medicine helped connect my analytic work to community engagement and to the broader social determinants of health. This foundational training informs all my work-my analytic practice, the leadership of an international institute, humanitarian initiatives during wartime, and my responsibilities as APsA Secretary and Chair of APsA's Psychoanalysis in the Community Committee. During my six years as Executive Director of the International Psychotherapy Institute (IPI), we strengthened the Institute as a leader in high-quality, distance-mediated psychoanalytic education and training. Over this time: Annual revenues grew by over 200%. We built a reserve equal to one year of operating expenses. Our faculty community expanded by more than 40%, including significant growth across full Faculty and Adjunct Faculty. To secure our future through mentorship and recruitment, I developed a new Associate Faculty category-an initiative grounded in scaffolding and intergenerational renewal. Today, this group represents approximately one-quarter of our full faculty community and strengthens a robust pathway for emerging leaders. Some not-for-profit organizations make the mistake of focusing solely on mission and neglecting the "business" element. I believe the two must work together to secure long-term institutional strength and impact. At IPI, I guided program leadership, faculty development, accreditation, administrative systems, institutional culture, and admission as an APsA Approved Training Center. Before becoming Executive Director, I chaired IPI's psychoanalytic training program. Leading the integration of analysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists at IPI taught me that institutions grow best when roles are respected, differences are acknowledged, and cohesion is strengthened while preserving the distinct contributions each role brings. Our world is moving quickly. Organizations like ours must be nimble and be able to pivot rapidly when needed. In the early months of Covid, I developed emergency courses and presented widely on teleanalysis, teletherapy, and the effective delivery of psychoanalytic training online. IPI faculty supported many APsA members and institutes-illustrating how psychoanalytic organizations thrive when we share knowledge generously and collaborate during moments of crisis. PRESSING CHALLENGES APsA MUST MEET An Integrated Vision: Strengthening the cross-fertilizing relationship between child and adult analytic work. Succession and Governance: Cultivating new leadership and addressing the polarization and attrition of recent years. Technology and Values: Integrating emerging technologies and digital innovation while preserving our core psychoanalytic values. A Culture of Respect: Welcoming all analytic minds-therapists and analysts alike-across differences of language, culture, race, gender, and identity. PILLARS OF ACTION FOR APsA Drive Innovation & Intergenerational Renewal APsA's future depends on bridging the wisdom of senior colleagues with the vision and energy of early-career analysts, therapists, and trainees. Innovation thrives when we create structures that support generational reciprocity, enabling new ideas to take root while honoring long standing expertise. We must expand opportunities for mentorship and leadership to foster renewal across the Association. Preserve & Grow Membership As Chair of APsA's Psychoanalysis in the Community Committee, I support projects applying analytic principles to societal challenges. I co-lead a community-based pilot project supporting frontline responders in Ukraine, and I lead a weekly International Town Hall Project at IPI that brings colleagues together to reflect on war, polarization, and global crisis through a psychoanalytic lens. These initiatives strengthen APsA's connection to broader communities, deepen engagement, and help sustain a vibrant and growing membership. Foster Constructive Dialogue APsA must move beyond polarization. Having led more than 180 international town halls-on Covid, racial injustice, war, and political upheaval-I bring the group expertise needed to help us hold conflict and deepen dialogue. Integrate Technology with Core Psychoanalytic Values My experience with teletherapy, teleanalysis, hybrid training, and online teaching and supervision, positions me to support APsA's ongoing dialogue with the IPA about the place for online training. Bridge Psychoanalysis and Social Context Psychoanalysis must remain engaged with the world around us. My work as a child analyst, my edited book Echoes of Childhood, and my humanitarian projects reflect a developmental and socially attuned vision. ACTIONABLE APsA INITIATIVES Below are two recent examples that demonstrate my commitment to practical, collaborative, and forward-moving initiatives: Expanding Membership I spearheaded an IPI–APsA Open House celebrating APsA's 2023 bylaw change welcoming psychotherapists as equal voting members. This initiative was developed in collaboration with Cynthia Lucas, LCSW; Kathryn Fleming-Ives, MD; and Deana Schuplin, LMHC, FABP. The event drew 240 registrants and 74 participants. We will be recording the presentation so that it can be repurposed and offered periodically to reach and engage psychotherapists nationwide. Enhancing Access I recommended to PEP's leadership the development of curated thematic collections (e.g., diversity, child analysis) to make specialized readings more easily accessible to APsA members and institutes. This initiative was developed in partnership with Jeff Tuttle, MD, and members of APsA's Executive Committee. OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIALOGUE AND ENGAGEMENT Virtual Campaign Forums Wednesdays (8:00 p.m. EST) & Saturdays (12:00 p.m. EST) (Nov. 19, 2025 – Jan. 24, 2026) Direct Communication The APsA Elections Discussion List is the best venue for general questions about my views. For all requests for one-on-one discussions, please contact me directly at Candidate@VoteSehon.org . I am glad to find a time to meet with you. Presidential Town Hall Sunday, Dec. 14 (4–5 p.m. EST) Additional information about my analytic practice can be found at www.CarolineSehonMD.org , and additional details about my candidacy are available at www.VoteSehon.org . Your voices-your hopes, concerns, and visions-are essential to the future we build together. Thank you for your time and consideration. Warm regards, Caroline M. Sehon, MD, FABP APsA Candidate for President-Elect New Leadership - Your Voice - Our Future

IPI Lecture Series featuring ECHOES OF CHILDHOOD: The Foundational Role of Child Analysis in Adult Analytic Work

By Caroline Sehon • November 18, 2025
IPI 9 Session Book Lecture Series We are delighted to invite you to an nine-session virtual series drawn from the forthcoming volume Echoes of Childhood: The Foundational Role of Child Analysis in Adult Analytic Work (Karnac, Dec 2025, ed. Caroline Sehon). The series opens Friday, October 24, 4:45–6:00 pm (ET) with a presentation by Caroline Sehon, MD, FABP , What Child Patients Teach Us About Analytic Technique.  The program is open to psychoanalysts, psychoanalytic psychotherapists, and clinicians-in-training.
Book cover: silhouette of a head with a child silhouette inside. Title:

ECHOES OF CHILDHOOD: The Foundational Role of Child Analysis in Adult Analytic Work

By Caroline Sehon • November 18, 2025
Caroline Sehon, MD, FABP, is the editor of this forthcoming book
A stack of blue and white books on a white background.

Caroline Sehon Reviews or Editorials in Refereed Journals

May 15, 2025
Caroline Sehon, MD, FABP Reviews or Editorials in Refereed Journals
A group of children are standing in a circle and smiling

Books or Chapters In Books & Other Publications

February 1, 2025
Caroline Sehon, MD, FABP, is a contributing writer and commentator for numerous books and publications
Making sense of the senseless photo

Making Sense of the Senseless: Psychoanalytic Intervention for Wartime Trauma

December 31, 2024
Caroline Sehon, MD, FABP, As Published in the American Psychoanalytic Association (APsA)
A group of people standing next to each other on a sidewalk.

Transformative Moments in an Online China Child Therapy Teaching Journey

August 29, 2022
Caroline M. Sehon , MD, FABP , Chiung-Hsuan Huang , LMSW & Xiaoyi Zhou , M.Phil, As published in The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child Volume 76, 2023 - Issue 1
A group of people are sitting around a table with laptops and tablets.

The Use of a Simple Writing Task to Enhance Psychoanalytic Education

March 13, 2020
Jill Scharff, M.D., F.A.B.P. & Caroline Sehon, M.D., FABP , As Published in International Forum of Psychoanalysis Volume 29, 2020 - Issue 4: Voices of psychoanalytic education
A pile of old shoes sitting on top of each other.

Couple and Family Psychoanalysis, “Contemporary approaches to the encapsulation and dispersion of trauma: Holocaust trauma as a barrier to couple intimacy”

March 19, 2019
Hanni Mann-Shalvi, PhD, Caroline Sehon MD, FABP, Timothy Keogh PhD As published in Couple and Family Psychoanalysis, 2019. 9 (1) 24-35
An aerial view of a city with a bridge over a river and a castle in the background.

IPA Prague Congress Panel Report

December 31, 2017
Caroline Sehon, MD, FABP IPA Prague Congress Panel Report. The Analyst’s Pain as published in the International Journal of Psychoanalysis ; 94(6):1177-1180. doi.org/10.1111/1745 8315.12153
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