June 15, 2020
I. From My Desk: The Web Series "Group"
Amy Wallace's recent review in The Atlantic centers on the new YouTube series "Group," the latest installment in an emerging genre of psychotherapy. The clip of "Group" included in Wallace's article may draw you to watch more.
II. Practice Announcements: Seminar Series
Now available for download:

III. Blog Articles
IV. Virtual Seminars on Saturday, June 20, 2020*
The Men's Group Seminar: John Gottman's Science of Love and Relationships

John Gottman has researched the dynamics of couples for decades, distinguishing himself as a world-renowned psychologist whose clinical work is informed by a vast array of scientific findings. Among his many accomplishments, Gottman is able to evaluate how a couple interacts on several key relational factors that predict with a high degree of accuracy the longevity and ultimate success of their relationship. His " Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" is among Gottman's most well-known metaphors for the relational factors whose presence often spells the end of a relationship . In the next virtual meeting of the Men's Group Seminar on Saturday, June 20, 2020, 10:15 to 11:30 AM, we will survey Gottman's work and focus on his pragmatic suggestions for how couples can resolve conflict more effectively and deepen their level of intimacy. 

To register for the upcoming seminar, please see the directions below.

In the last meeting of the Men's Group Seminar, we discussed the ways in which men express their love. 
The Relationship Group Seminar: The "Traumatic Bond"

Originally conceptualized by Patrick Carnes, Ph.D., the "traumatic bond" refers to a relationship that is based on unhealthy, and often emotionally abusive, dynamics.  Despite the presence of these toxic dynamics, the bond is usually difficult to break because in the relationship one or both partners are replicating prior experiences of love. The partners are emotionally predisposed and neurologically "wired" to relate to each other in manipulative, exploitative, and defensive patterns. Vulnerability and authentic intimacy are profoundly compromised as the traumatic bond persists with familiar cycles of conflict, rejection, fear, hope and the compulsion to make the relationship work at all costs.  In the next virtual meeting of the Relationship Group Seminar on Saturday, June 20, 2020 (11:45 AM to 1:00 PM), we will consider Carnes' notion of the traumatic bond and explore how his ideas compare to other theories of emotional and psychological abuse in relationships, including views of repetition compulsion, the self-fulfilling prophecy, and projection.

To register for this upcoming seminar, please see the directions below.

V. Psychotherapy Group
The Dynamic Psychotherapy Process Group

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 virtual group session will be held on Saturday, June 20, 2020 (1:15 to 2:30 PM). T he Dynamic Psychotherapy Process Group is a therapeutic experience and entry occurs only after a pre-group screening interview.

* Registration Directions : If you would like to attend the virtual meeting of the Men's Group Seminar and/or the Relationship Group Seminar on June 20, 2020, please RSVP to me at 949-338-4388 or  jt@jamestobinphd.com  at your earliest convenience. The fee is $25.00 (payable before entering the virtual meeting) and informed consent for participation in this telehealth event must be completed prior to the seminars. Please note that the Men's Group Seminar and the Relationship Group Seminar are psychoeducational in nature, not therapeutic, and do not constitute psychotherapy or counseling.

James Tobin, Ph.D., PSY 22074 | 949-338-4388 |   jt@jamestobinphd.com