Wednesday Lecture Series: From Resistance to Attachment: Psychodynamic Therapy with a Septuagenarian

May 20, 2020

Clarence G. Schulz Award Lecturer

This presentation will be broadcast live online on May 20, 2020 from 12:00 noon - 1:00 PM. Go to the Venue tab above to learn how to participate and download the slides.

Sigmund Freud wrote, "Near or about the fifties, the elasticity of the mental processes, on which the treatment depends, is as a rule lacking. Old people are no longer educable…the mass of material to be dealt with would prolong the course of treatment indefinitely.”  In this talk I will present the case of a patient who I’ve been working with in weekly psychotherapy for nearly two years.  This presentation will challenge Freud’s statement and illustrate that it is possible, even as a novice therapist, to work with a septuagenarian in a dynamic way.  I will highlight some key moments in the treatment when interpreting the resistance and working in the transference allowed the patient to move from a place of extreme resistance to one of progressing attachment and intimacy.  I will illustrate that, despite the mass of material to cover when working with a septuagenarian who has never been in treatment before, change can occur during a finite treatment period.

Target Audience

This activity is intended for physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, counselors and other mental health professionals.

Learning Objectives

1. Name defense mechanisms used by the highly resistant elderly patient to unconsciously evade emotional discomfort.

2. Recognize that, despite historic psychoanalytic beliefs, it is possible to do psychodynamic therapy with patients over 50 years old.

3. Identify different ways that geriatric patients could demonstrate their evolving attachment to the therapist.

Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 ACEP NBCC clock hours
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 1.00 Category I credits for Social Workers
  • 1.00 Psychologists
  • 1.00 Participation
Course opens: 
05/11/2020
Course expires: 
06/05/2020
Event starts: 
05/20/2020 - 12:00pm EDT
Event ends: 
05/20/2020 - 1:00pm EDT

Sheppard Pratt is dedicated to improving quality of life through mental health, special education, and addiction services for children, adolescents, adults and older adults.  Our patient-centered treatment approach, combined with our legacy of clinical excellence, sets us apart from other health systems on both a local and national level.  We have been ranked among the nation’s top psychiatric hospitals for 24 consecutive years by U. S. News &  World Report.  Founded in 1853 by philanthropist Moses Sheppard, Sheppard Pratt Health System still abides by its Quaker traditions and values.

Sheppard Pratt regularly hosts renowned speakers from across the country at our headquarters in Towson. We provide educational opportunities on subjects including psychiatric disorders, issues of behavioral health, systems-based change, mental and somatic co-morbidities, psychiatric effects on health and health outcomes, advances in neurobiology, and clinical developments in concepts underlying drug treatment of psychiatric disorders. We are accredited by the Accreditation Council of Continuing Medical Education, the Maryland Nurses’ Association, the Maryland Board of Psychology, the Maryland Board of Social Work, and the National Board of Certified Counselors.

Sheppard Pratt’s Professional Education Program is pleased to provide Wednesdays at Sheppard Pratt free of charge as a public service to the mental health community.  Your tax-deductible donations will help maintain the outstanding quality of this service. 

Please send your contributions to:

Sheppard Pratt Professional Education Program
Wednesdays Lecture Fund
6501 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21204

Professional Education Program: 410.938.4593
Conference Center at Sheppard Pratt: 410.938.3900

This activity will broadcast live on May 20, 2020 from 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm.  Please click on the link above at that time to view this presentation.  Emailing the word code given during the lecture to CME@sheppardpratt.org will serve as a sign in and enroll you in the activity for credit. 

Questions? Email CME@sheppardpratt.org or call 410-926-9024.

There is no commercial support for this activity.

About this speaker:

Emily Haas, MD is from Wausau, Wisconsin.  She completed her bachelor’s degrees in psychology and French at the University of Wisconsin.  She attended medical school at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.  She currently is a fourth-year resident at the University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt Psychiatry Residency.  During her residency, she served as the Sheppard Pratt Chief Resident from July 2019-December 2019.  She is the recipient of the Clarence G. Schulz award for Best Psychotherapy Paper.  After completing residency, she will work as an attending physician on the Trauma Disorders Unit at Sheppard Pratt.

Disclosure Statements:

Sheppard Pratt holds the standard that its continuing medical education programs should be free of commercial bias and conflict of interest. In accord with Sheppard Pratt's Disclosure Policy, as well as standards of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the American Medical Association (AMA), all planners, reviewers, speakers and persons in control of content have been asked to disclose any relationship he /she has with any entity producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, during the past 12 months. All planners, reviewers and speakers have also been asked to disclose any payments accepted for this lecture from any entity besides Sheppard Pratt Health System, and if there will be discussion of any products, services, or off-label uses of product(s) during this presentation.

Emily Haas, MD reports having no financial interest, arrangement or affiliation with any entity producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, during the past 12 months. She will not discuss any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, or off-label uses in this presentation.

Event Planners/Reviewers Disclosures: The following event planners and/or reviewers are reported as having no financial interest, arrangement or affiliation with any entity producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, during the past 12 months: Todd Peters, M.D., Briana Riemer, M.D., Sunil Khushalani, M.D., Faith Dickerson, Ph.D., Carrie Etheridge, LCSW-C, Tom Flis, LCPC, Laura Webb, RN-BC, MSN, Stacey Garnett, RN, MSN, Paul Daugherty, RN, MBA, Heather Billings, RN, and Jennifer Tornabene.

Physician Statement: Sheppard Pratt is accredited by The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.  Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity.  Sheppard Pratt designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurse Statement: Sheppard Pratt is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by Maryland Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.  Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity. This activity is approved for 1.0 contact hours for nurses.

Psychologist Statement: Sheppard Pratt is authorized by the State Board of Examiners of Psychologists as a sponsor of continuing education. Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity.  Sheppard Pratt designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 CEU hours for Psychologists.

Social Worker Statement: Sheppard Pratt is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners of Maryland to offer continuing education for Social Workers.  Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity. This activity is approved for 1.0 CEU contact hours in Category 1 credits for Social Workers.

Counselor Statement:  Sheppard Pratt has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5098.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  Sheppard Pratt is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.  This activity is available for 1.0 NBCC clock hours.

Available Credit

  • 1.00 ACEP NBCC clock hours
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 1.00 Category I credits for Social Workers
  • 1.00 Psychologists
  • 1.00 Participation
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