EVENTS

All events are Eastern Standard Time (EST).

THE SILENT PATIENT AND THE USE OF SILENCE IN PSYCHOANALYTIC THERAPY
 SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2026         
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST
PRESENTER: VERDA TUZER, MD, LP

Although psychoanalytic psychotherapy is grounded in dialogue, careful attention is focused on what unfolds beyond words. Silence is not simply the absence of speech but an integral form of communication that shapes the emotional field between patient and therapist. Tone, rhythm, pauses, bodily presence, and the atmosphere of the session all carry meaning. Silence may emerge as a moment of reflection, follow a therapist’s intervention, signal agreement or disagreement, or accompany tension and distress when experience feels difficult to articulate.

This workshop explores the silent patient and the use of silence in psychoanalytic therapy, examining silence as defense, connection, withdrawal, and communication of absence or unmet need. Drawing on classical and contemporary psychoanalytic perspectives, we will consider how silence can express internal conflict, transference, and preverbal experience, as well as how the therapist’s silence may evoke unconscious fantasies and countertransference. Through clinical illustrations, the presentation highlights how attending thoughtfully to silence can transform impasse into meaning, deepen therapeutic engagement, and allow what cannot yet be spoken to be felt, understood, and eventually symbolized. Attention will also be given to how different forms of silence evolve over the course of treatment and how they inform clinical decision-making.

Learning Objectives:
Participants will:
1) understand different forms and functions of silence in a psychotherapeutic setting.
2)  become more aware of the emergence of silence between patient and therapist, and the role of the therapist in silence.
3) be able to evaluate the role of both the therapist and the patient’s silence in the therapeutic process. 

 PRESENTER: VERDA TUZER, MD, LP Certificate in Adult Psychoanalysis, Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. Advanced Candidate, Child and Adolescent Psychoanalysis, Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. Advanced Candidate at the Anni Bergman Parent-Infant Program. Faculty: Metropolitan Institute for Training in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Adult and Child and Adolescent Programs. Supervisor: Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, Adult Program. Associate Member: Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. Member: International Psychoanalytical Association.

LOCATION: ONLINE THROUGH ZOOM

FEE: $60 or $40 for students (with proof of student status)
NO FEE FOR MCMH STAFF THERAPISTS

Registration deadline: FEBRUARY 27, 2026

 Zoom instructions and meeting link will be emailed to participants prior to the workshop.

The New York State Education Department has approved this online workshop for 2 contact hours (CEUs) for LMSWs, LCSWs, LMHCs, LPs, LMFTs and Licensed Psychologists. A certificate will be emailed to those who sign in at the beginning of the session, stay until the end of the session, complete an emailed evaluation. The evaluation form will be emailed to you within a week of the event and usually much more quickly. Full session must be attended to be eligible for CEUs/Contact hours.

OPEN HOUSE & CLINICAL PRESENTATION

FOR THOSE CONSIDERING POSTGRADUATE TRAINING

THE CASE OF A NARCISSISTIC PATIENT: MORE COMPLICATED THAN AT FIRST GLANCE 
SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2026   
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EST
PRESENTER: FABIOLA HERNANDEZ, LMSW

A rich, 3 year-long treatment of a highly intelligent, charismatic and articulate 45 year old man, who sought services for depressive symptoms, illuminates the interplay of unmet early needs and religious and family dynamics. The patient’s defenses and the transference/countertransference matrix that developed led the therapist to conclude that the patient was narcissistically organized. The therapist will describe some narcissistic personality types and indicate which fits the patient’s narcissistic organization. Clinical vignettes will be offered to illustrate the course of treatment. 

PRESENTER: FABIOLA HERNANDEZ, LMSW Certificate in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Metropolitan Institute for Training in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Adult Program. Member: Metropolitan Society of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists; National Association of Social Workers.

LOCATION:  ONLINE VIA ZOOM - Zoom instructions and meeting link will be emailed to participants prior to the event.

RSVP:  There is no fee but you must reserve in advance.

Training opportunities, including flexible scheduling and financial options to fit individual needs, will be described following the presentation.

MITPP CANDIDATES ARE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE CONTACT HOURS FOR
CONTINUING EDUCATION IN MITPP COURSES.

 Applications are currently being accepted for the Spring 2026 semester.

PAYMENT OPTIONS

•  Zelle – Debit Card or Bank Account
  You may use Zelle through your bank or download the Zelle app and follow the instructions.  Zelle will not accept credit cards. Payment should be made to: info@mitpp.org.
  

• Chase QuickPay with Zelle – Access through the Chase app.
  

• PayPal - Please add $4.00 to your total to cover PayPal fees for payments up to $75. For payments above $75, contact MITPP for fee information. PayPal payments should be made to info@mitpp.org.
  
  If you are unable to pay electronically and would like to send a check, please contact MITPP.

  For questions about payment, please email info@mitpp.org

   

REGISTRATION FORM

PAYMENT OPTIONS

• Zelle – Debit Card or Bank Account
  You may use Zelle through your bank or download the Zelle app and follow the instructions.  Zelle will not accept credit cards. Payment should be made to: info@mitpp.org.

• Chase QuickPay with Zelle – Access through the Chase app.

• PayPal - Please add $5.00 to your total to cover PayPal fees for payments up to $75. For payments above $75, contact MITPP for fee information. PayPal payments should be made to info@mitpp.org.
  
  If you are unable to pay electronically and would like to send a check, please contact MITPP.

  For questions about payment, please email info@mitpp.org

Refund Policy

If you find you are unable to attend an event for any reason, you must notify MITPP by email at least 48 hours prior to the time the course/workshop begins in order to receive a full refund. No refunds will be issued after that time.