August 12, 2018
Group Meeting Schedule on Saturday, August 18, 2018
The Men's Group
10:15 to 11:30 AM

The Relationship Group
11:45 AM to 1:00 PM

The Dynamic Psychotherapy Process Group
1:15 to 2:30 PM 

The Water Garden Business Center
23421 South Pointe Drive, Suite 130
Laguna Hills, CA, 92653


The Relationship Group: Gaslighting and Other Forms of Manipulation in the Workplace * 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM
The workplace environment provides fertile ground for a range of manipulation tactics that are insidious, effective, and emotionally and psychologically damaging. Scientific research indicates that a majority of workplace settings are highly inefficient, in part due to numerous top-down, bottom-up, team, and person-to-person manipulation dynamics which are chronic and resistant to change. Gaslighting, favoritism, ambushing, bullying, narcissistic manipulation, double-standarding, "cloning" and projecting one's family-of-origin dynamics are just some of the ways in which these dynamics get played out at work. In the next meeting of the Relationship Group on Saturday, August 18, 2018 (11:45 AM to 1:00 PM ), we will review these and other common forms of manipulation and then consider the most helpful strategies for responding to them.   
The Men's Group: The Confusing Landscape of Modern Love: Are Men Disoriented, Distressed or Downgraded? * 10:15 to 11:30 AM
Recently I was approached by a boutique match-making service to provide recommendations on how to enhance the success of their matching techniques. As it turns out, the match-making industry overall has been experiencing a gradual decline over the last 5 years in (1) clients' favorable ratings of assigned matches, (2) the quality and duration of relationships once a match had been made, and (3) the effectiveness of rating scales and personality measures traditionally used to match people.  It appears as if what brings two people together in today's world defies logic and conventional notions of attraction and relationship viability. In this perplexing environment, men face numerous complex struggles in dating, marriage, and post-divorce that often leave them feeling uncertain and unfulfilled as to who they are in relationships and what they want from them. In the next meeting of the Men's Group on Saturday, August 18, 2018 (10:15 to 11:30 AM) , we will explore men's challenges and conflicts in contemporary relationships. In particular, we will consider how one author's view of the "societal downgrading" of men has made matters even worse.
The Dynamic Psychotherapy Process Group 1:15 to 2:30 PM
This therapy group utilizes the emerging dynamics among group members, and between the group members and facilitator, as a basis from which to examine one's characteristic ways of thinking, feeling, and relating to others.  Our next group session will be on Saturday, August 18, 2018 (1:15 to 2:30 PM).  A second process group that will be meeting on a weekday evening at my Newport Beach office is starting soon; interested persons may contact me directly at 949-338-4388 or jt@jamestobinphd.com for more information.  
* If you would like to attend the Men's Group and/or the Relationship Group on August 18, 2018, please RSVP to me at 949-338-4388 or  jt@jamestobinphd.com . There is a limit of 14 attendees for each group and registrants will be accommodated on a first-come/first-serve basis. The fee is $25.00. 

Location:
The Water Garden Business Center
23421 South Pointe Drive, Suite 130
Laguna Hills, CA, 92653

Please note that the Men's Group and the Relationship Group are psychoeducational in nature, not therapeutic, and do not constitute psychotherapy or counseling. In contrast, the Dynamic Psychotherapy Process Group is a therapeutic experience and entry occurs only after a pre-group screening interview.
James Tobin, Ph.D., PSY 22074 | 949-338-4388 |   jt@jamestobinphd.com