Trans*-formations: One analyst’s reflections on transgender

Presented by Mardy S. Ireland, PhD

The transgender person and North Carolina’s HB-2 illustrate how psychological struggle is present in every search for a coherent identity—whether that be within the individual or group (i.e. state). Psychoanalysis offers fertile ideas exploring each domain. Freud was revolutionary his 1905 Three Essays on Sexuality in bringing a complex understanding to the variegation of human sexuality: it took American society 100 years to catch up to his thinking (2015 Marriage Equality). However, by framing female sexuality and gender identity solely in terms of the masculine there was much to improve upon, and multiple female analysts (Klein, Irigaray, Benjamin, Elise, etc.) have indeed challenged and supplemented Freud’s viewpoint.

Today, the rise of transgender individuals calling for social and legal recognition also calls psychoanalysts to think again about the knotting of sexual difference, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

What does a woman want? This presentation places one of Freud’s last questions in relationship to twenty-first century questions evoked by trans* phenomena-- What is a woman anyway? Is a binary gender identity the sole path to a coherent sense of self? HB-2 highlights the close relationship between the individual and one’s cultural group in affirming gender. What does trans* indicate, not only for the transgender person seeking psychoanalytic consultation, but also, in what it may portend for the future of today’s fractious society? 

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When: Saturday, December 9, 2017 
Where:  VENUE CHANGE! The Friday Center, Chapel Hill, NC  (click here for map and directions)
Time: 10 am - 12 noon, registration and refreshments being at 9:30 am
CME credits:2 / CE Credits: 2 Category A / NBCC: 2 clock hours / All others: Letter of Attendance
Fee: $45 ($50 at the door, if there are seats available) No Charge for PCC members,  LDC staff & board, full-time students with ID and trainees in the departments of social work, psychology and psychiatry.  Needs based scholarships are available upon request. Contact the Programs Manager for details.

About the Presenter Mardy S. Ireland, PhD:  Dr. Ireland is a practicing psychoanalyst and psychologist in Raleigh. She is the author of two psychoanalytic books as well as a several book chapters and articles.She taught at the graduate, post-graduate, and psychoanalytic institute level for over 20 years.  Since returning home to North Carolina after living years in Hawaii, Washington, DC, and California, her interest now extends beyond clinical work to applying psychoanalytic ideas to community issues and concerns—i.e., questions of gender definitions, problems, and societal possibilities.

Educational Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to define transgender and describe typical presenting problems among individuals seeking treatment.;
2. Participants will be able to describe one psychoanalytic framework for understanding trans* formations of identity.

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Target Audience: This program is intended for psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, and other clinicians at an intermediate to advanced level.

CE & CME 
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of American Psychoanalytic Association and Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this Live Activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATION FOR ALL LEARNERS: None of the planners and presenters of this CME program have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.

The Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

The Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6518. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.