More on the Seminars

Overview of the Seminars 

Rather than offer an abstract survey of central Kleinian concepts, models, clinical findings, and technical recommendations as taught in many institutes, this series of 11 seminars presents the participant with an understanding and experience of the Kleinian core worldview that underlies and guides these innovations. It focuses on the essence of human nature and of analytic work as conceived of by Klein and her followers in a way that makes her contribution clear, meaningful and accessible. It also illuminates essential ties between Kleinian thinking and practice and allows the participant to experience them and their relevance within their own clinical work. 

Structure of each Seminar 

The first part of each 2-hour meeting will focus on discussion of Kleinian thinking based on the study of a central text and the second on the presentation of clinical material by one of the participants. The first meeting will be more of an overview, with time for group introductions. 

Learning objectives: 

(1) Understanding the Kleinian worldview in regard to the person and analytic practice 

(2) Recognizing what is unique to the Kleinian perspective and how it differs from other analytic approaches 

(3) Appreciating the implications of the Kleinian perspective for analytic practice

(4) Developing a capacity to apply Kleinian thinking within the analytic situation. 

Who is this for: This will appeal to therapists, psychiatrists, counsellors or clinical psychologists who are relative beginners to psychoanalytic thinking, as well as those with significantly more experience who want to go deeper into Kleinian theory with the lens of better understanding in order to improve technique. You can be based anywhere in the world, as long as you can work with the NZ time-zone. 

Group size: There will be 10 people in the group. Registration will be on a first-in basis. 

Date and time: Wednesday mornings weekly at 7.15am NZT, beginning November 2, 2022 with a six-week summer break. Intro seminar: November 2.  Following five: November 9, 16, 23, 30; December 7. Remaining five: January 25; February 1, 8, 15, 22.

Fee: $1400 total (about $127 per 2-hour seminar). Participants must commit to the full course. 

Preliminary Outline

Meeting 1 -2. Introduction to the Kleinian worldview: Theory and practice 

Steiner, J. (ed) (2017). Lectures on Technique by Melanie Klein. London: Routledge, pages 25-44. 

Meetings 3-5. Love, hate and guilt: The dynamic of the divided heart 

Klein, M. (1937). Love, guilt and reparation. In Love Guilt and Reparation and Other Works, 1975, London: Karnac, pp. 306-343 (especially pages pp. 311-313; 335-343.) 

Riviere, J. (1937). Hate, greed and aggression. In (A. Hughes, ed.) The Inner World and Joan Riviere. 1991, London: Karnac Books, pp. 168-205. (especially pages 169-174, 199-205). 

Meetings 6-8. Phantasy: the building blocks of the mind

Isaacs, S. (1948). The nature and function of phantasy. Int. J. Psychoanal. 29 : 73-97. 

Klein, M. (1946). Notes on some schizoid mechanisms. In Envy and Gratitude and Other Works 1946–1963. London: Hogarth Press, pp. 1-24. (especially pages 6-13). 

Meetings 9-11. The analytic attitude and interpretation 

Blass, R. B. (2017). Reflections on Klein’s radical notion of phantasy and its implications for analytic practice. Int. J. Psychoanal. 98: 841-859. 

Segal, H. (1997). The uses and abuses of counter-transference Psychoanalysis, Literature and War. London: Routledge, 1997, pp.111-119. 

N.B. Copies of the reading material will be sent to all participants in advance.