presented by the Psychoanalytic Society of the William Alanson White Institute
LEARNING FROM MEMOIR
ELLIOT JURIST, Professor of Psychology and Philosophy, CUNY Graduate Center and City College of New York
with Hosts & Moderators, Roger Frie, PhD, PsyD, and Nancy Freeman-Carroll, PsyD, Co-Presidents of the Psychoanalytic Society
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14th, 2025, 7:30-9:00pm/Eastern
Held in person at the Institute, 20 West 74th Street, New York City and via live stream online
1.5 CEs are available for attending. In order to receive your credit for attending, follow the instructions that are sent prior to the event.
ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION
Memoirs are an unexplored and fruitful way to understand how patients experience therapy, and in particular, psychoanalysis. Drawing from diverse sources, Dr. Jurist argues that some memoirists see therapy as transformative; others regard it equivocally or even negatively. He also reflects on how beliefs about therapy have changed from the post-war era to the present. The memoirists whom he addresses are Lucy Freeman, Rachel Reiland, Alison Bechdel, Melissa Febos, Hua Hsu, Stephanie Foo, and Joan Peters.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Elliot Jurist, PhD, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Philosophy at the Graduate Center and The City College of New York, CUNY. From 2004-2013, he served as the Director of the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at CUNY. From 2008-2018, he was the Editor of Psychoanalytic Psychology, the journal of Division 39 of the APA. He is also the editor of a book series, Psychoanalysis and Psychological Science, from Guilford Publications, and author of a book in the series, Minding Emotions: Cultivating Mentalization in Psychotherapy, from the same publisher (the book has been translated into Italian, Chinese and Spanish, and was named best theoretical book in 2019 by the American Board and Academy of Psychoanalysis). He is the author of Beyond Hegel and Nietzsche: Philosophy, Culture and Agency (MIT Press, 2000) and co-author with Peter Fonagy, George Gergely and Mary Target of Affect Regulation, Mentalization and the Development of the Self (Other Press, 2002), the latter of which has been translated into five languages and won two book prizes. He is also the co-editor of Mind to Mind: Infant Research, Neuroscience, and Psychoanalysis (Other Press, 2008). His research interests concern mentalization and the role of emotions and emotion regulation in psychotherapy. In 2014, he received the Scholarship Award from Division 39 of the APA, and in 2024, he was given the Leadership award from the same organization. Recently, he is co-author with Norka Malberg, Jordan Bate and Mark Dangerfield of Working with Parents Across the Lifespan: A Mentalization-Informed Approach (APA Publications, 2023). Along with his wife and two children, he lives with two ancient, insubordinate dachshunds, one of whom smiles.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
From its very beginnings, psychoanalysis has existed at the intersection of science and the humanities. In the face of increasing pressures from evidence-based practice and medicalization, what can psychoanalysis learn from the humanities? Collectively, our speakers represent the leading edge in humanities and the arts and bring a diverse array of perspectives to bear. These talks promise to illustrate the manifest and often overlooked links between psychoanalysis and the humanities and provide a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary learning and dialogue.
All speakers will present their talks in person. We encourage everyone who can, to attend in person and continue the tradition of meeting together at the Institute. For those who are unable to join in person, we offer a real-time stream, to reach beyond New York to a broader audience.
This series is presented at no charge to its audience. Please consider making a donation to The Psychoanalytic Society when registering.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Overall objectives of this colloquium series:
Describe the many interactions between the humanities and psychoanalysis.
Explain how psychoanalytic practice can benefit from the insights of the humanities.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES THIS PRESENTATION:
Describe the role of memoir for understanding human experience.
Explain how memoir relates to self-reflection and psychoanalytic learning.