Learning From Patients:  The Life and Work of

Frieda Fromm-Reichmann

By

Gail Hornstein, PhD and Joanne Greenberg, BA

SATURDAY, MAY 15, 2004             The John Marshall College of Law, Room 1200

12:45 – 4:30 P.M.                                315 S. Plymouth Ct. (Btwn. State & Dearborn), Chicago, Illinois

This slide-illustrated talk will introduce participants to the work of Frieda Fromm-Reichmann (1889-1957), the maverick clinician who dedicated her life to treating psychotic patients with intensive psychotherapy.  Known to millions as the therapist in I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, Joanne Greenberg’s best-selling chronicle of madness and recovery, Fromm-Reichmann was one of the founders of the Interpersonal School of Psychoanalysis.  Professor Hornstein will analyze how Fromm-Reichmann’s work at Kurt Goldstein’s hospital for brain-injured soldiers during World War I crucially shaped her conceptualization and treatment of psychosis, and how her later collaborations with Georg Groddeck and Harry Stack Sullivan solidified her belief that no patient was ever beyond hope.  A central theme of the talk will be Fromm-Reichmann’s deep commitment to learning from patients, and her conviction that even people in seriously disturbed states can help guide their treatment toward eventual recovery.

Gail Hornstein, PhD, is Professor of Psychology, Mount Holyoke College, and author of To Redeem One Person Is to Redeem the World:  The Life of Frieda Fromm-Reichmann. Professor Hornstein received her PhD in Psychology from Clark University, served a post-doctoral fellowship at U. of California, Berkeley, and has been a visiting fellow at Harvard, Cambridge, and Oxford universities.

Joanne Greenberg, BA, was treated by Dr. Fromm-Reichmann from 1948 to 1955.  At the time of Dr. Fromm-Reichmann’s death, they were planning to collaborate on a book describing the experience.  I Never Promised You a Rose Garden is the fictionalized story of Joanne’s journey from psychosis to normal life.  Ms. Greenberg is the author of 16 books, the mother of two grown children, and a part time faculty member at the Colorado School of Mines. 

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

                        12:00 – 12:45 PM        Registration

                        12:45 – 1:00 PM          Welcome, Alice Bernstein, PhD, President of CAPP

                        1:00 – 2:30 PM            Gail Hornstein, PhD

                        2:30 – 3:00 PM            Break

                        3:00 – 3:30 PM            Joanne Greenberg, BA

                        3:30 – 4:30 PM            Reactions and Discussion

                        4:30 – 5:15 PM            Refreshments and Conversation

Educational Objectives:  Participants will learn:

1.  How Kurt Goldstein’s holistic neurological approach can inform the conceptualization and treatment        of psychosis

2.  How Frieda Fromm-Reichmann’s approach to treating schizophrenia offers a useful alternative to contemporary methods

3.  How shaping treatment approaches to patients’ stated needs can make therapy with psychotic patients more effective.

Individuals in attendance at this presentation will receive 3.0 continuing education credits.      

CAPP is a local chapter of Division 39.  Division 39 is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists.  Division 39 maintains responsibility for the program.

Division 39 is committed to accessibility and non-discrimination in its continuing education activities.  Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program.  If the program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during the discussion periods.  If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them.  Please address questions, concerns and any complaints to Jeffrey A. Seiden, PsyD at (312) 372-6376 or at drseiden@comcast.net.

If you require an accommodation to attend this event, please contact the CAPP office at least two weeks in advance.