THE Leading the Faithful, on a Journey Toward Mental Health
Reverend Dr. Glenmore Bembry is driven by a mission: To leverage his ACAP training, with the objective of bringing diversity, mental health and religious faith into the same arena. His goal is to encourage exploration and discussions that will shed light on the importance of mental health in diverse faith communities. Currently enrolled in ACAP’s certificate program, he expects to complete the credential by 2028.
A pastor for more than forty years, Bembry’s journey with ACAP began in 2017, when he enrolled in a course on multiculturalism. After finishing the course, he immersed himself in the subject of cultural diversity, and the realization that modern psychoanalysis was initially—but unintentionally—designed more “... for those with white privilege,” he says. He began conversing with faculty members and ACAP leadership, to discover ways to attract an even more diverse student body.
Many faith communities of color are struggling to find ways to bring mental health awareness to their members, Bembry says. Working with his ACAP mentor, Dr. Demetria DeLia, he helped develop and host a virtual program in listening skills for members of Bethany Baptist Church, in Newark, New Jersey. The challenge with providing programming, he says, is getting congregants to attend; however, those who participated in his first program learned to develop listening skills also learned how to become more comfortable with expressing
Rev. Bembry will be a featured speaker at this
Their word of mouth endorsement resulted in a larger audience for a second program, on grief.
Bembry says the members of First Baptist Peddie Memorial Church, where he currently serves as pastor, are curious to learn more about his psychoanalytic training. “Black culture stigmatizes the subject of mental health. There are barriers and trust issues that prevent many folks from seeking help,” he says. He is now organizing a
A MESSAGE FROM Executive Director Vicki G. Semel
Dear ACAP Community,
As the holiday season approaches, I am grateful beyond measure for each of you: Students, alumni, donors and community supporters, whose values align with BGSP-NJ’s mission of teaching, training and treating, in support of mental health. Your generous support helps fuel the programs and initiatives vital to our growth.
I am often asked, by people new to ACAP, “What is BGSP?” The abbreviation stands for the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis, the only accredited independent graduate school in the nation to offer master’s and doctoral programs in psychoanalysis. Its main campus is located outside Boston; BGSP’s New Jersey campus operates in Livingston, NJ.
As modern analytic schools that grew out of a shared history and vision, we are both committed to discovering methods to treat and cure some of the most challenging problems in mental health. BGSP-NJ provides an opportunity for master’s level students in New Jersey and beyond to study psychodynamic counseling, lends legitimacy to our programs, enhances our ability to recruit students, and helps make BGSP-NJ more financially secure. Both BGSP in Boston and BGSP-NJ in Livingston are committed to training and treatment to support community mental health; both offer low-cost therapy for those suffering from a wide range of mental health challenges.
My best wishes to you and yours,
Vicki Semel, PsyD Executive Director
MISSION AND VISION
BGSP-NJ promotes and prioritizes optimal mental health in communities through teaching, training, and treating, as we apply the transformative power of talking and listening.
Through their training in the application of effective interventions and acquired clinical skills, BGSP-NJ students and graduates work toward a future in which issues of mental health will be addressed with the deepest empathy, respect and compassion and resolved in ways that meet unique individual needs.
BGSP-NJ offers a Post Graduate Psychoanalytic Certificate. The Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis offers master’s degrees, in clinical mental health counseling, and in psychoanalysis, as well as a post-master’s certificate in mental health counseling.
BEMBRY (continued from page 1)
counseling ministry at the church, to address wide-ranging mental health issues, from depression to schizophrenia. Additional outreach efforts, in collaboration with Dr. DeLia, are ongoing.
Bembry is dedicated to expanding modern psychoanalysis to include diverse perspectives. “Some clients can bring cultural implications that therapists may not understand. Many of us have implicit biases—that applies to all cultures. What we need to do is find ways to broaden our knowledge and understanding,” he says, adding that some clients bring the topic of racism into their therapy sessions.
As an active member of ACAP’s diversity and inclusion committee, he meets with Dr. DeLia and the rest of that group on a monthly basis, during which they discuss assigned readings, with a focus on the work of Dr. Beverly Stoute,* a renowned expert on the subjects of race, racism, and implicit bias in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. Bembry is deeply concerned about the issue of depression among Black men. He says he finds great satisfaction in ACAP’s growing awareness that its faculty need training around diversity, and open discussions on racial biases. His work with The Returning Citizens Group, in Newark, is with men who have been incarcerated, some for up to 50 years; he assists them with making the transition to the “real world.” He also works to help clergy become aware of mental health issues, noting that, “There are loads of examples in the Bible of people with mental issues: look at David or Elijah,” he says, “Mental health impacts all human beings; faith leaders need to be comfortable and open in addressing this subject.” As he continues to educate others, destigmatize mental health, and promote diversity, he is bringing ACAP’s mission to a wider audience.
Read one of Dr. Stoute’s articles on racism >>>>>
ACAP Welcomes New Board Leader
Rabbi Richard Hammerman, a longtime member of the ACAP community, was elected Chair of the Board of Trustees earlier this year. In 2013, he joined ACAP and has served as an advisor in community outreach, fundraising, and Board recruitment.
“I look forward to working with our dedicated administration, faculty, and trustees to continue to further develop ACAP’s potential. My goal is to sustain ACAP’s future as a leader in providing training for mental health professionals as we continue to provide mental health support to those in need, regardless of the ability to pay for care,” he says.
Hammerman, a graduate of Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, holds a bachelor’s degree in history and master’s degrees in Hebrew literature, Rabbinic Ordination and Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa.
In This Season of Giving …
This year, we are embarking upon a special initiative: To raise support for scholarships, to help attract more students, from diverse and/or underserved backgrounds, who are committed to a career in mental health.
In your plan for giving to ACAP this year, please consider making a blended gift, dividing your gift: a portion for the Annual Fund and a portion designated for funding scholarships. All gifts will be gratefully acknowledged for tax purposes. Did you also know that if you are age 72.5 you can make a gift directly from your IRA and bypass any taxes?
As Rabbi in Toms River, NJ for 31years, he was actively involved in community organizations and was a founder of the Ocean County Jewish Federation, was president of the House of Hope, a social service interfaith organization providing support for homeless, homebound, and frail elderly. He created a group entitled Clergy and Concerned Citizens for Workforce Housing, and helped found “21+,” a program for developmentally disabled adults.
Please contact Dr. Annette Vaccaro at 201-953-0337 for more information.
To give online please visit, https:// form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/ give/next-gen_acap_scholarship or mail your check to: 301 South Livingston Ave., 2nd Floor, Livingston, NJ 07039. Thank you!
ADVICE FROM A NEW STUDENT
“You
Have to Keep Moving.”
When Farah Merzier-Baudin received a recruitment brochure from ACAP three years ago, she was intrigued, but the timing wasn’t right. A mother of three— her children are ages 21, 17, and 8, she works in a challenging job as a school counselor in urban Irvington, New Jersey. Despite raising her children and working full-time, she earned a master in school counseling and guidance services, in 2013, and a doctorate in educational psychology, in 2023.
Now, as a newly-enrolled student at ACAP, she has begun working toward the credential of licensed professional counselor (LPC), and is taking classes virtually in the evenings. She began her fieldwork last summer. Her long term plan is to have her own private practice within the next ten years, specializing in marriage and family counseling. She is fascinated by the work of psychoanalysis, she says, adding, “You have to keep moving and learning to help others.”
Farah Merzier-Baudin
Rabbi Richard Hammerman
The Six Pillars of ACAP
Ask any ACAP student and you’ll learn that the network of support they encounter—from advisement to fieldwork, is even more robust than they had initially imagined. Based on a holistic approach, at the heart of that network is a philosophy that considers the uniqueness of each student, including their respective academic strengths, career aspirations, challenges, and family life. Throughout students’ time at ACAP, a ‘village’ of interdependent relationships surrounds them, providing the unwavering academic and personal support that helps them feel secure as valued members of a community dedicated to a collective mission. Working in concert, the elements of ACAP’s comprehensive program include the following:
Admissions and Advisement
Mentorship
“ In a larger educational institution,
the network of support would be insufficient to help students at every turn; at ACAP, everyone just keeps helping each other. That approach makes a world of difference for students.
”
—DR. ANNETTE VACCARO
Fieldwork Placement
Eva Silver, Director of Admissions, is a prospective student’s first point of contact. Silver extends an invitation to attend an open house and information session that offers interested parties the opportunity to learn more about ACAP and its course offerings, as well as to meet faculty and enrolled students. She guides prospective students, from the initial inquiry to enrollment in their first class.
Each student in the fieldwork portion of their studies is assigned a mentor. Peter Diskin, who holds a master’s degree in social work, was doing his field work during the pandemic and says his mentor was especially helpful during a frustrating time when Diskin could not meet with patients in person.
Dr. Judy Ashworth creates partnerships for student placements, primarily in hospital settings, and nonprofit social service organizations, and makes assignments. She continues to build a network of support through mentoring and helping with documentation and fieldwork advisement to students locally, regionally, and globally.
The Fellows Program
One way to be involved and to remain active at ACAP after graduating from the Certificate Program as a psychoanalyst is to request to become a “Fellow,” says Susan Saunders, an ACAP Fellow. Fellows meet weekly with their “Fellowees”—student candidates who have been accepted into the North Jersey Consultation Center (NJCC) to begin seeing patients. A Fellow’s function is to shepherd the student, or Fellowee, through the balance of the certificate program; the Fellow serves as the interface between the student, faculty, administrative requirements of the program and working with patients. The Fellow is a gatekeeper and advocate for these students, helps them receive patient referrals and complete their documentation of patient contacts in addition to other administrative tasks at this stage of their training.
Dr. Rosemary McGee has served as a fellow for more than two years, working with students who are moving along in the certificate program. “The wonderful thing is seeing students develop modern psychoanalytic techniques as they navigate the program,” she says, adding, “It’s rewarding to see them embracing the program, having success with patients, and finding solutions for problem patients,” she says.
Personal Analysis
Clinical Supervision
Students enrolled in BGSP’s master’s program or ACAP’s certificate program are required to undergo personal psychoanalysis provided by certified psychoanalysts. Faculty member Judy Lapides, in describing her experience in analysis, says, “Personal growth work is woven into psychoanalytic training. The beauty of being in analysis while being in training is that together they foster personal emotional growth as well as a deeper understanding of psychoanalytic concepts. What better way to learn then through personal experience!”
Personal psychoanalysis as the central process of learning about psychoanalysis (along with coursework and clinical supervision) has been a long-standing tradition back to Freud. We learn about others through exploring ourselves.
Clinical supervisors perform three functions:
• They teach: By applying theories students are learning to practice, with case counseling.
• They counsel students: By emphasizing the importance of self-care and exploring countertransference.
• They provide consultative feedback: By engaging in the process of case review and conceptualization.
Nathan Rubin, a psychotherapist based in San Francisco, can speak to ACAP’s emphasis on self-care during clinical supervision: When his analyst of more than twenty years died, he was distraught.
“Losing her was like losing a parent,” he says. He emphasizes that the intellectual and emotional support he received from Dr. Semel and ACAP faculty sustained him during the process of grieving.
“It’s not just supervision, there’s an emotional literacy, and emotional awareness. I don’t think one finds in a run-the-mill training,” he says.
“WHY I GIVE”
Dr. Demetria DeLia was teaching at the New Jersey Center for Psychoanalysis when a twist of fate, a fire in the building, forced the closure of the school. Shortly thereafter she connected with Dr. Vicki Semel, and embarked upon a journey with ACAP that has endured for more than sixteen years. As an ACAP faculty member, she teaches, provides supervision and trains analysts; she also serves on the diversity and inclusion team.
DeLia gives to ACAP, she says, because “Our school is a family; as members, we are devoted to one another. The directors are wonderful models of commitment who inspire us to work as hard as we can.” For those reasons, she gives to the annual scholarship fund.
She believes that therapy is a profound source of sustenance, she says, adding, “People are so isolated, struggling with emotional issues. Supporting mental health creates a ripple effect: marriages are saved, children make progress— and those changes benefit communities.” “It’s important that people who find value in improving mental health support ACAP,” she adds.
DeLia envisions a future in which ACAP’s student body will feature students from a wide range of diverse backgrounds. “We want to train our students to help those in marginalized groups and multi-diverse communities, to make them healthier and stronger,” she says, adding, “That’s why a gift to help fund a scholarship is a wonderful investment.”
Come Join the “Lunch Bunch”!
If it’s time for lunch, have you taken a break yet, for one of ACAP’s Brown Bag Lunch (BBL) programs? Offered on a monthly basis since 2015, the series, coordinated by Susan Saunders, with assistance from Susan Carnes on IT and Dr. Cassio Campello on registration, draws between 75–90 registrants, nationally and globally, with sessions held on the Zoom platform. Programs are held one Wednesday per month from 1:00–2:00 pm. Continuing Education Credit (CEU) is available for those who attend.
The main focus of the BBL series is to connect mental health professionals and community members with information on a wide variety of clinical issues, while offering them an opportunity to become more familiar with ACAP, its mission and its programs. Moreover, each program is a stimulating and instructive workshop that prompts greater interest in modern psychoanalysis and its applications. The BBL series is also a recruitment tool: there are individuals who enroll in ACAP soon after attending a workshop. ACAP’s advanced students and graduates are invited to present workshops, with the goal of deepening their confidence and clinical presentation skills.
Past BBL topics have been designed for couples, young adults on the autism spectrum, resistant teens, non-verbal
children, young adults, parents and families. Most recently, “Trauma Perspective in Clinical Practice,” was offered in observance of Juneteenth; in July, Dr. Vaccaro presented a program entitled “What Do Parents Need?,” highlighting ways in which parents can become allies in the therapeutic process. This new academic year featured “Transgenerational Trauma and How it Haunts” on Wednesday, September 18, followed by “Adolescence Before and After Covid and 10/7/23,” on October 16. Pre-registration is required; to receive notice of upcoming workshops, email a request to be added to the ACAP email list at events@acapnj.org or call 973-629-1002.
To join the next BBL, see the calendar at the bottom of ACAP’s homepage at www.acapnj.org.
Dr. Demetria DeLia
CHILD
Recommended Reading
The Anxious Generation (2024) by Dr. Jonathan Haidt is a must-read for anyone concerned about the impact of social media on children and adolescents. Haidt, a social psychologist, wrote the book as a primer for mental health professionals, parents and educators willing to look at the risks technology poses to mental health. Haidt began his study of the relationship between social media, the decline in adolescent mental health, and the rise of political divisiveness in 2018.
His research shows the disastrous results that can occur when children are tethered to a digital universe—one that can impact them both physiologically and psychologically, from deformities of the brain and heart, to feelings of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Haidt’s goal is to bring to the public eye the urgent need to address
this health crisis, which he says dates back to 2012, and one that continues to cause “...waves of suffering, particularly for young adolescent girls.”
He attributes much of the problem to what he calls a dramatic decline in a “play-based childhood,” which is now supplanted by a “phone-based” childhood, with devices addictive in design and which provide endless distraction from creative, intellectual and other pursuits essential for academic and personal growth, Many parents, he observes, are so focused on controlling their children’s academic and extracurricular school activities, that they have, ironically, left their children unprotected in the face of a dangerous virtual world.
Haidt believes that the harmful effects of technology can be mitigated and offers helpful solutions to help curb the harm children experience in the online world. The book is a helpful tool for parents and practitioners who care for children and seek to improve their mental well-being.
ACAP offers engaging courses, open to all, that focus on the impact of technology on children and adolescents. This new book will be of interest to students, mental health professionals, educators, and parents.
ACAP
and
BGSP graduates are always evolving! Here are a few alumni updates:
“My wife and I live with two cats and an African Grey Parrot; the latter believes he owns us.
I received my master’s degree in counseling and my analytic certificate from BGSP-NJ and ACAP. My journey at ACAP began in 2007; one thing led to another, and I found myself changing careers after teaching for fifteen years, and a previous career as an engineer before that. I love my career as a psychoanalyst.
The advice I might give to a new student: Most of life is just showing up; the rest of life is not giving up. Making incremental gains and moving in the same direction is most critical.The daily process of moving toward your goals will take you there, as it did for me.”
—GEORGE GRANT, MACMHC, LPC, Certified Psychoanalyst, BGSP-ACAP graduate and faculty member
“ACAP provided me with the training to develop and maintain a successful psychoanalytic practice in which I thrive, both intellectually and emotionally. Advice for current students: Take your time, do the readings, and realize that writing papers helps you absorb and apply information while learning critical thinking skills. Psychoanalytic training teaches one to tolerate all feelings, especially the feeling of not knowing everything. Stay curious!”
—SUSAN SAUNDERS, LCSW, NCPsyA
Abigail Miller
David Rosenthal
Vicki Semel
Eva Silver
Lisa Thomas
Annette Vaccaro
FACULTY EMERITUS
Frederick “Maurice” Lovell (dec.)
FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE
Dr. Vicki Semel
Dr. Annette Vaccaro
Morris Freedman
Jeffrey Rosenberg
THE QUEST
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2
ACAP | Academy of Clinical & Applied Psychoanalysis
Christina Hall, Writer/Editor
Lynne DeLade, Graphic Designer
301 South Livingston Ave., 2nd Floor
Livingston, NJ 07039
Phone: 973.629.1001
Fax: 973.629.1003
Email: acapnj@acapnj.org
Website: acapnj.org
Bringing Freud to Life, Onstage
ACAP’s annual Theater Conference was held on Sunday, November 10 from 2:00–6:00 p.m. at the Van Vleck House, 21 Van Vleck Street, Montclair, New Jersey and on Zoom.
The centerpiece of the conference was a performance of the play, Freud’s Last Session, featuring Broadway actors Danny Vaccaro, Eleanor Handley and Michael Satow. The work depicts an ongoing dialogue between Sigmund Freud and an Oxford professor, probing the profound and often contentious discussions between these two formidable intellects in the exploration of themes
such as the life and death drives, the interplay between science and religion, the far-reaching impacts of global conflicts, and the complexities of family relationships.
Discussion led by ACAP faculty members reflected the play’s themes and connected them with contemporary clinical practice and personal experiences.
Faculty member, Dr. Annette Vaccaro, was conference producer; the event was sponsored by ACAP with additional support provided by the Robert and Joan Dircks Foundation.
Poetry, as a Tool for Healing
We regret any errors.
ACAP’s own Dr. Nancy Gerber announces the publication of her latest book, A Language Like Water (Finishing Line Press), a collection of poems based on the theme of a mother-daughter relationship over the span of a lifetime. The work speaks to conflicts, challenges, and connections, expressing longing and struggle as the author-poet seeks to understand her complicated mother, an enigmatic figure struggling with depression. Recognizes her own strengths, Gerber movingly shares moments and memories of sharing and connection she experienced with her mother.
Eleanor Handley
Danny Vaccaro Michael Satow