Therapists from Atlanta, Boston, New York, Oslo, Philadelphia, San Francisco,
Saratoga Springs, Toronto and Washington D.C. gather for training weekend.
Education at the Institute is
for people who are interested in change: changing how we relate to one
another; how we teach and heal; how we live with families and friends
-- in other words, changing our world. Our work is dedicated to supporting
the creation of a new psychology -- one that in its practice focuses on
social growth and collective creativity, not on individualized pathology
or particularized problem solving, and that relates to all people (in
therapy and out) as active and responsible creators and re-creators of
social-emotional life.
Social therapy, the Institute's special focus, is such a psychology. As
a psychotherapy, it has been practiced since the mid-1970s in social therapy
centers and other clinics, and in schools, hospitals and social service
organizations. As a method for social-emotional growth and learning, it
has impacted on education, including outside-of-school (supplemental)
education, training and practice in medicine and healthcare, and organizational
development, community development and executive leadership. And at the
theoretical level, social therapy engages the key issues of debate for
postmodernists, activity theorists and critical psychologists.
The Institute's programs attract people with a broad range of educational
and life experiences who work together to create environments in which
they can challenge assumptions and participate in creating a new psychology.
While many are psychotherapists, others are looking to enhance their practice
in other professions.
One of the Institute's oldest projects is its therapist training
program, provisionally chartered by the New York State Board of Regents
since 1985. The two-year postgraduate training includes the study of social
therapeutic method, group therapy, short-term therapy, and practice-building,
clinical placements, supervision, training workshops and personal psychotherapy.
In addition, trainees do their clinical placements at The Social Therapy
Group, the large and diverse social therapy practices in the metropolitan
New York area. The program draws psychologists, psychotherapists, educators,
physicians, nurses, social workers and corporate executives. Contact Christine
LaCerva: clacerva@eastsideinstitute.org
For complete information, click
here for bulletin (Adobe PDF).
GroupWorks is a four-month program in the Institute's approach to working with groups. Open to non-licensed and licensed professionals: life coaches, organizational consultants, counselors, therapists, youth workers, teachers, managers, facilitators and others who work in groups. Click here for application.
The International
Class is a nine-month course of study enrolling students from
all over the US and internationally. Learning activities include periodic
residencies in New York, mentoring at a distance and online study and
discussion. Contact Lois Holzman: Lholzman@eastsideinstitute.org
The Developing
Teachers Fellowship Program is a local initiative
designed to enhance the group
building skills of New York
City teachers. This innovative program will develop teachers' capacity
to create more collaborative, playful, and creative learning environments.
Click
here for application.
The Centre
for Youth and Community Development in Johannesburg, South Africa
will train young people, community educators and health workers in South
Africa in a performance-based human development approach to HIV/AIDS and
constitutional education.
Study online with us from any corner of the world! Each year the Institute offers a series of online
seminars on topics in social therapeutics and other cultural and performatory approaches to
psychology, therapy, education and community building. The seminars run for four or five weeks each. There is no set time for logging on; participants post and receive messages at their convenience, so you
can join no matter what time zone you live in. The online dialogue is based on assigned readings.
This is an opportunity to interact with Institute faculty and others from across the globe (including the Institute's International Class students) in a dynamic and rigorous group learning environment.
The Institute offers flexible learning options for professionals from a variety of fields to study the social therapeutic method outside of a formalized training program.
Individualized courses of study are designed to meet the needs and concerns of students interested in social therapy from different perspectives, among them
• clinical practice
• postmodern methodology
• creative community building
• leadership development
• a new learning model (for all ages)
Our approach to research has "family resemblances" to
action, qualitative and participatory research. Drawing upon Vygotsky's
insight that a new unit of study (human activity) requires a new method
of study, we radically reject the implicit objective/subjective duality
and distance of standard research techniques. We host visiting scholars,
including undergraduate interns, graduate students, visiting professors
and practitioners, for training and collaboration ranging from a few weeks
to a year. Contact Lois Holzman: lholzman@eastsideinstitute.org.
Institute faculty serve as consultants to social service agencies,
hospitals, schools and other organizations. The focus of our work is to
help staff members exercise their creativity, learn to work collaboratively,
and shift their focus to activity, improvisation, and development. Staff
trainings are conducted both on-site at schools and organizations and
at the Institute's offices. Contact Barbara Silverman: Clacerva@eastsideinstitute.org.
See a representative
list of organizations where the Institute has conducted trainings.
Social Therapy is a group psychotherapy in which clients work together with therapists to create a therapeutically helpful environmnent - meaning an environment for social-emotioal growth. It is a collaborative, philosophically oriented, non-medical model approach that is at the leading edge of the post modern movement in psychology. Interns will be introduced to Social Therapy theory and practice, and to the programs and activites of the Institute. Each intern will meet regularly with a social therapist who will serve as a mentor and advisor, and help conceptualize a final project that expresses the intern's learning and contributes to the Institute. Contact Matt Lundquist: mlundquist@socialtherapygroup.com
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