Using AEDP to Overcome Shame and Heal Attachment Trauma with Gay and Straight Men
with Benjamin Lipton, LCSW and Ben Medley, LCSW-R
Perhaps with the exception of anger, emotions are feminized and shamed in our society. For men, this has created a pernicious demand for defensive strategies of denial and dissociation that conceal underlying shame and unbearable feelings of aloneness. As a result, men have been thwarted from reaping the psychological and social rewards of feeling one’s emotions. The cost of this phenomenon, not only in terms of personal well-being, but also societal development, has been great.
For gay men, growing up in a world that favors and expects heterosexuality can be a doubly alienating and traumatic experience. From a very early age, boys become aware of homophobia and heterosexism and begin to receive clear messages that being gay is not okay. Often these boys, adolescents and, eventually, grown men are left carrying their struggles, and the pathogenic feelings attached to being gay in a homophobic world, alone.
With its specific focus on accessing and processing emotion from a therapeutic stance of affirmation and authenticity, AEDP offers the clinician theoretical knowledge and a set of operational tools particularly well suited to address the psychological needs of men, both gay and straight. By dyadically co-creating new, positive experiences and deeply processing adaptive emotions in the context of a supportive, authentic, emotionally engaged relationship, men can recover and discover themselves. For straight men, this experience opens the door to possibilities of relating to themselves and others with authenticity and compassion. For gay men, this experience goes one step further by undoing the shame of internalized homophobia and allowing their True Selves to be seen, affirmed, and integrated.
Using extensive videotape from their clinical work, the presenters will illustrate specific ways that AEDP can be used to address the therapeutic needs of men that so often center on shame and aloneness. Through the lens of AEDP theory and technique, we will first examine the ways that AEDP’s focus on healing attachment trauma provides a framework for work with gay men. Then, we will explore the paradoxical ways in which gay male therapists, grounded in the AEDP therapeutic stance, seem to offer unique opportunities for healing the psychological wounds of their straight male clients.
You’ll Learn:
- Men are shamed out of feeling their wired-in, adaptive emotions
- Feminization of emotions leads to a psychological crisis for boys
- Homophobia and heterosexism create feelings of otherness in gay children
- Attachment trauma can occur as a result of overwhelming experiences suffered alone
- Many gay children and adolescents are left alone with feelings of shame
- Shame and fear of being ostracized lead boys and men to create a false self to maintain attachment bonds while suffering alone with intense feelings.
- This dynamic is often intensified and compounded for gay boys and men.
- AEDP helps heal attachment trauma through its specific stance, a focus on processing emotions to completion, making the implicit explicit, privileging healthy emotional risk-taking, undoing aloneness, and meta-processing of new experiences
- AEDP provides a therapeutic opportunity for the client’s True Self to emerge
Objectives:
At the end of this program, participants will learn:
- How homophobia and heterosexism impact our both gay and straight men
- How to recognize and undo shame with male clients
- How to use the AEDP stance, self-disclosure and dyadic regulation of affect to undo aloneness and foster secure connection with male clients
- How to use the AEDP technique of metaprocessing to expand and anchor new emotional and relational experiences to help heal trauma and potentiate resilience
Meet the Presenters
Benjamin Lipton, LCSW
Benjamin Lipton, LCSW, is a founding faculty member of AEDP™ Institute. He is based in New York City and has travelled nationally and internationally to teach and present AEDP to a broad range of professional audiences. Mr. Lipton pioneered the first AEDP Advanced Core Training programs (Bay Area and Seattle); and he teaches seminars as well as the certification courses Essential Skills and Advanced Skills. His open and engaging teaching style and skill in translating complex ideas into clear and accessible learning points receives consistent praise from his audiences. Mr. Lipton is the editor of From Crisis to Crossroads: Gay Men Living with Chronic Illnesses and Disabilities (Haworth Press) and has published many clinical articles and book chapters in psychology and social service journals over the past two decades. (Read More…)
Ben Medley, LCSW
Ben Medley, LCSW earned his degree in Clinical Social Work with the NYU Silver School of Social Work and has a private practice in NYC. Ben is a member of the AEDP Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and teaches nationally and internationally in the AEDP Immersion and Essential Skills courses. Ben created and presented “Clinically Oppressed: Addressing the Trauma of Marginalization Using AEDP” and co-created and co-presented with AEDP faculty member Ben Lipton the workshop “Feeling Like a Man: Using AEDP to Overcome Shame and Heal Attachment Trauma with Gay and Straight Men” (also available on-demand). Before private practice, Ben began a mental health program for study abroad students with the Scuola Lorenzo di Medici in Florence, Italy; worked in the Jewish Board of Family Services LGBTQ Unit; and worked in Greenwich House’s HIV Mental Health and Chemical Dependency programs. (Read More…)
Requirements, Fees, Registration and Credits
On Demand Trainings are to be viewed on your private computer or smart device. They are intentionally not downloadable; we “stream” them. So, having a high speed Internet connection is important to having a good learning experience.
This training is intended to be viewed only by mental health professionals and students in mental health or related fields. You will be asked to provide evidence of your professional credentials before completing registration and payment.
Fees and Registration (does not include continuing education credits) :
- $149
- $129 AEDP Institute Members only, you must be logged in to receive the discounted price.
Continuing Education Credits
Only paid seminar registrants will be eligible to purchase CE credits through R. Cassidy Seminars.
This is a pre-recorded on-demand Distance Learning Video, which is considered a home study course. If you would like to earn 6 CEs for the course a test must be taken after watching the video.
There is a $25 fee associated with taking the test to earn your certificate. Upon completing the video there will be a link to take the test for CE.
Listed below are the continuing education credit(s) currently available* for this recorded On Demand Training. Each local and National professional board has its own specific Rules and Regulations for Continuing Education Credit Approval and Acceptance. Check with your State Regulatory board if you have questions or concerns not clarified by the information provided below. If your profession is not listed, please contact your licensing board to determine your continuing education requirements and check for reciprocal approval. For other credit inquiries not specified below, please contact our CE and Registration Partner, R. Cassidy Seminars Karen Newell, karen@rcassidy.com, 866-992-9399 x 105 before the event.
*Individual Board Rules are subject to change
The NYSED has asked its providers to remind New York Licensees that only 12 Home Study contact hours are allowed per license renewal period. The remainder of your required contact hours must be live courses.
Satisfactory Completion
Participants must have paid course fee, submitted signed verification statement, completed evaluation, and completed post-test with passing grade of 75% in order to receive a certificate. Failure to complete and submit these materials will result in forfeiture of credit for the entire course. No exceptions will be made. Partial credit is not available.
Psychoanalysts
NY: R. Cassidy Seminars is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychoanalysts. #P-0005. (4.75) clock hours.
Social Workers
NY: R. Cassidy Seminars is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider (#0006) of continuing education for licensed social workers. This program is approved for 4.75 contact hours self-study.
OH: Provider approved by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board for (4.75) clock hours, #RCST110701
Counselors/Marriage and Family Therapists
CA: The Board of Behavioral Sciences has deferred CE course approvals to APA for its licensees. See those approvals under Psychologists and Social Workers.
Other States: If your state is not specifically listed, nearly all state Counselor and MFT boards are reciprocal with other state licensing board approvals, such as those listed below. Check with your board to be sure. The Ohio Board includes Counselors and MFTs.
IL: Illinois Dept of Professional Regulation, Approved Continuing Education Sponsor, #168-000141. (4.75) hours.
NY-LMHCs: R. Cassidy Seminars is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board of Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0015. (4.75) contact hours.
NY-LMFTs: R. Cassidy Seminars is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board of Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists. #MFT-0011. (4.75) contact hours.
OH: Provider approved by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board for (4.75) clock hours, #RCST110701
TX: Approved CE Sponsor through the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists. (4.75) CE Hours. Provider #151
Creative Arts Therapists
NY: R. Cassidy Seminars is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board of Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists. #CAT-0005. (4.75) contact hours
Chemical Dependency Counselors
CA Provider approved by CCAPP; CCAPP Provider #4N-00-434-0220 for (4.75) CEHs. CCAPP is an IC&RC member which has reciprocity with most ICRC member states.
TX: Provider approved by the TCBAP Standards Committee, Provider No. 1749-06, (4.75) hours general and/or (4.75) hours (specific specialization), Expires 3/31/2019. Complaints about provider or workshop content may be directed to the TCBAP Standards Committee, 1005 Congress Avenue, Ste. 460, Austin, Texas 78701, Fax Number (512) 476-7297..
Dentists
CA: R. Cassidy Seminars is a provider approved by the Dental Board of California as a registered provider of continuing education. RP# 4874. (4.75) CE Hours. Some state dental boards are reciprocal. Check with your licensing board to be sure.
Nurses
CA: Provider approved by the CA Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #CeP12224, for (4.75) contact hours. Many state nursing boards are reciprocal with other states. Check with your licensing board to be sure.
Educators
TX: R. Cassidy Seminars is an approved provider with the Texas Education Agency CPE# 501456. This course is (4.75) CE Hours.
This course is co-sponsored by R. Cassidy Seminars, P.O. Box 14473, Santa Rosa, CA 95402
Disability Access – If you require ADA accommodations please contact our office 30 days or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification.
Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.