Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society

WG4RE October Discussion Group: New Worlds Rising: Focusing on the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas
2025-10-21 20:30 - 21:45 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Work Group for Racial Equity October Discussion Group:
New Worlds Rising: Focusing on the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas

Host: Virginia Seewaldt, PhD

In honor of Indigenous People’s Day, the Work Group for Racial Equity is celebrating the Indigenous People of the Americas. We invite you to prepare for the discussion group by watching the “New Worlds Rising” episode of the PBS documentary Series: Native America. You can watch it here, New Worlds Rising (you may have to create an account, but it is free to view on the website or through the PBS app). This episode documents the preservation of Native American life, history, and culture through acts of resistance, small and large. An interview with Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, Amy Goodman Interview with Leonard Peltier.

Although the aim of white supremacy is to engage in the erasure of Indigenous people using tactics such as referring to them in the past tense in history books and ignoring their contributions, in the very existence in the present, we can refuse to participate in the erasure of Indigenous people by actively staying informed and engaged with Indigenous history and what is occurring in present-day Indigenous communities.

Additional Resources

This is an article about the attempt to erase indigenous history: Erasing Indigenous History Then and Now
What Native Land Am I On?
Beyond Land Acknowledgements

No fee to attend. All are welcome.

Proposals Due: Expanding the Social Justice Frame in Group Work and Group Psychotherapy GROUP Journal Special Issue
2025-10-15
Expanding the Social Justice Frame in Group Work and Group Psychotherapy: This special issue of GROUP invites group psychotherapists, psychoanalysts, group work activists, and scholars from around the world to contribute literature that centers social justice within therapeutic groups and organizations. “Therapeutic” refers to group work that addresses interpersonal and systemic harm with the intention of fostering a healing experience.
See the Call for Proposals by selecting the “Click here” button. Prospective authors may submit abstracts of up to 500 words to Christine Schmidt, Guest Editor, by October 15, 2025.

WG4RE September Discussion Group: Impact of ACEs and Racial Trauma on the People We Serve and Our Practice
2025-09-16 20:30 - 21:45 | Zoom
Work Group for Racial Equity September Discussion Group: Impact of ACEs and Racial Trauma on the People We Serve and Our Practice
We will discuss the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Racial Trauma on our practice, our clients, and on ourselves as practitioners, and explore ways to enhance our approaches and interventions in alignment with anti-racist principles.
Hosts: April Harvin and Chris Dolin
Resources
Video

How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime | Nadine Burke Harris | TED

Articles

Intersection of Racism and PTSD. Monica Williams
Racial Trauma
Stress and the Mental Health of Populations of Color: Advancing Our Understanding of Race-related Stressors

No fee to attend. All are welcome.

Deadline Extended - EGPS Training Program in Group Psychotherapy Applications due August 31
2025-08-31
GROUP THERAPY IS HEALING IN COMMUNITY!
At a time of increasing need for relationships and community, Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society offers a Training Program in Group Psychotherapy that is designed to accommodate therapists and group leaders in clinics, agencies, and private practice. The program consists of three weekly components: Group Consultation, Didactic Instruction, and Experiential Group. The Training Program addresses racial and social justice issues in group work of all kinds.

Just some of the areas covered:

Early Group Development
Phases of Group Development
Othering in Groups
Systems of Power and Inequaliity
Racial Dynamics in Groups
Racial Affinity Groups
Non-Verbal Communication in Group Work
Embodied Ethics
Leader Interventions with Patients Experienced as Difficult
Transference and Countertransference

Trainees receive didactic instruction as well as guidance and consultation in how to begin and facilitate their own groups. For those who are already running groups, participating in this program will help you understand the processes and dynamics occurring among your group members and address challenges with clarity. Trainees will also participate in an “Experiential” process group to have the in-vivo experience of being a group member.

The program meets weekly from September through June on Zoom. The Didactic and Experiential Group Components meet on Wednesdays from 7:15 – 10:00 PM ET. The dates and times for the Consultation Group component of the program will be determined.

The Training Program Faculty is composed of senior members of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society and the American Group Psychotherapy Association.
A certificate is awarded upon completion of the program. The Training Program, with an option for additional consultation, is designed so that qualified applicants can use the educational and supervisory components toward inclusion in the International Board of Certification for Group Psychotherapy.
Faculty members consult with our Dean of Curriculum as they prepare their courses; meet annually with an expert in intersectionality, and are encouraged to engage in ongoing racial literacy and anti-oppression training.
Each trainee will be paired with a mentor who has group experience to help you get your very own group up and running!

Trainees will learn to:

Facilitate intimate connections & difficult discussions
Recognize the impact of systemic oppression on group dynamics
Experience and study one’s own social location and how the aspects of identity, power and privilege play out in groups

Experience the Power of Group Work:

Increasing feelings of connection and decreases feelings of isolation
Fostering relationships and noticing obstacles to intimacy
Being part of a larger whole & recognize one’s impact
Supporting and helping & being supported and helped.

Rolling Admissions until August 31st, 2025: Submit your application immediately to be considered for the upcoming September, 2025 – June, 2026 class!
Tuition $5,900
Need based partial scholarships are available through the J. Dustin Nichols Scholarship Fund.
A Reparations rate is available to cover partial tuition for Indigenous applicants and applicants of the African diaspora to enhance educational opportunities that have been historically denied.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Co-Deans of Admissions
Claire Julian, ClaireMJulian@gmail.com
Ashley Leeds, LCSW, ashley@leedspsychotherapy.com, 917-900-2083

From a former trainee: “The EGPS Training Program approaches group therapy from a whole range of theoretical perspectives. There’s not ‘just one way’ to run groups”

The EGPS Training Program in Group Psychotherapy was the recipient of an “Award for Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” presented by the International Board for Certification of Group Psychotherapists.

Mission: The EGPS Training Program is committed to providing training in group theory and processes that recognizes significant aspects of personal identity. The program seeks to facilitate understanding of the impact of systemic and institutional oppression on individuals and groups; and to counteract racism and white supremacy through teaching of anti-oppressive approaches to group work, and through the process of administering the program. The program promotes racial literacy through anti-racism training, and the incorporation of diverse racial and cultural perspectives through our faculty and curriculum. We are committed to racial justice through the provision of reparations funding for Black and Indigenous trainees.

Vision: Recognizing that traditional group psychotherapy has been defined by western white dominant patriarchal culture, we envision group healing that draws on a greater variety of cultural practices and approaches to healing that seeks to not only to address the needs of individuals but of the greater society.

EGPS WG4RE - "White Racial Identity Development and How Whiteness Harms White People"
2025-06-17 20:30 | Zoom
EGPS Work Group for Racial Equity

The EGPS Work Group for Racial Equity meets monthly to discuss relevant books, films, podcasts, and articles. Further information can be found on the EGPS website at www.egps.org.
Join us! We are a “drop in group.” You are invited to participate whenever you can. Connect via a Zoom link on the third Tuesday evening of the month. To receive the link to join the monthly meeting, each month you will need to click on the “registration link” listed below. Once you have “registered” the Zoom link will automatically be sent to you. (There is NO fee for attending these monthly Discussion Groups.)

EGPS Work Group for Racial Equity
Discussion GroupTUESDAY, June 17, 2025
8:30 – 9:45 PM
(eastern time)
On Zoom
(information to join the meeting is below)
White Racial Identity Development and How Whiteness Harms White People
Facilitated by Dr. Virginia Seewaldt

Since 2020, we have seen both a surge in anti-racism efforts and an intense backlash against them. As institutions retreat under political and cultural pressure, we’re called to reflect more deeply on whiteness, white racial identity, and the less visible ways white supremacy harms white people too.
This collection of readings and podcasts for this month’s discussion group explores how white identity develops, how white supremacy distorts white people’s sense of self and community, and how anti-racism work can lead to personal (and ultimately collective) liberation. While white people benefit materially from systemic racism, they also pay hidden emotional, relational, and moral costs. White supremacy isolates, numbs, and constrains. In contrast, anti-racism opens the door to empathy, clarity, connection, and integrity. Most white people don’t even know what they are missing in this regard, and how much more capacity for humanity is available to them.
Join us as we come together in community to discuss this topic with openness, humility, and a shared commitment to learning and growth.
10 ways white supremacy wounds white people: A tale of mutuality (article)
Teaching While White Podcast Interview with Dr. Janet Helms ( podcast: 31 minutes)
White Racial Identity and Anti-Racist Education: A Catalyst for Change (article)
Why talking about race is especially hard for White people (article)
Francesca Maxime Interview with Dr. Janet Helms (podcast: 1 hour 6 minutes)

To attend this free discussion you must register with the link below to receive access.
Click Here to Sign-Up to receive the link for this Discussion
To attend this FREE discussion, you much click the above link and complete the ‘registration form.’ After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the discussion.

EGPS Work Group for Racial Equity (WG4RE) Mission Statement
The Work Group for Racial Equity of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society aims to initiate opportunities for members to examine how racism is embedded in individuals’ unconscious, in groups, and in our organization. Utilizing a collaborative process, the work group supports EGPS efforts to integrate awareness about race and racism in professional events and presentations.
The Work Group also seeks to enhance members’ understanding of the impact of institutional racism on their work, encourages members’ examination of internalized racial oppression, and works with the Board of Directors to strengthen our racial equity lens.
Healing from racial injustice is a result of learning and struggling together. We hope all members will join EGPS in this work.

Upcoming Discussion:
All upcoming discussions will be held on Zoom on
Tuesday evenings from 8:30 – 9:45 PM

Healing from racial injustice is a result of learning and struggling together. We hope you will join EGPS in this important work.
For more information, please contact the Co-Chairs of the Work Group For Racial Equity:
Chris Dolin, LCSW, chrisdolin21@gmail.com
or
April Harvin, LCSW, aprilharvin.lcsw@gmail.com

If you would like to join our email list click here

EGPS GROUP Journal Fireside Chat with Author Christine Schmidt
2025-06-06 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
Join us for the next Fireside Chat, featuring recent EGPS President, Christine Schmidt, LCSW, CGP, as we celebrate her latest article in the spring issue of GROUP! On Friday, June 6, 2025, 12:00 Noon – 1:30 PM, we will discuss Christine’s upcoming article: “Confronting whiteness in short-term learning groups: How co-constructed group agreements encourage anti-racist emotional and intellectual learning.” The article is a thought-provoking piece that encourages group leaders to utilize a foundational element of group work, the group agreement, as an educational tool for anti-oppressive work. Additionally, we will discuss Christine’s current group work, writing process, and any future projects that she may have on the horizon. Abstract: Whiteness is ubiquitous in groups that convene in a culture permeated by white supremacy. Whiteness thwarts learning in short-term psychoeducational learning groups and is bound to be enacted repeatedly. Whiteness will reconstitute itself until it is identified, interrupted, and the group is restored to collaborative learning. Co-constructed, living group agreements, rather than traditional group contracts, offer facilitators of short-term learning groups a tool to address racial enactments and transform the white space to an anti-oppressive learning space. This article explains the benefits and provides a framework, examples, and suggestions for facilitators who seek to co-construct group agreements as an alternative to traditional group contracts. The article focuses on short-term psychoeducational learning groups but may also be applicable to other group constructs.
This is a free event open to all EGPS members and non-members. We ask that you kindly register by Thursday, June 5th to receive the Zoom link.

Register here to receive the Zoom link.
