[SPRING25] Emerson for Clinicians: Forging the American Psyche

January 13, 2025 - May 12, 2025 | 7-8:30pm (ET) - Fully Online Learning Group

Description:

The “richest ideas” of the nineteenth century, Nietzsche tells us, can be found in the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. A towering figure whose influence can be felt not only on the American intellectual tradition but European philosophy (through Nietzsche), the foundations of psychology (through William James), and even contemporary psychoanalysis (in the writings of Adam Phillips, for instance), Emerson continues to shape our notions of the self.

Participants in this 5-month Psychological Humanities and Ethics workshop, led by Professor Matthew Clemente, will meet from 7:00 to 8:30 PM EST on the second Monday of each month from January to May to examine the insights and ideas of one of history’s most formative psychologists. The workshop will entail reading Emerson not as a philosopher or literary thinker but as a proto-psychotherapist, a precursor to today’s great theorists. Participants will trace the early understandings of such fundamental psychological concepts as consciousness, the self, experience, and subjectivity to the works of Emerson and will explore the concepts of self-reliance, achievement, solitude, ethics, and desire. By the end of this course, participants will have an in-depth knowledge of the major works and ideas of one of modernity’s most prominent and influential thinkers. 

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this learning series, the participant will be able to:

January 13– Nature 

1. Explain the role Emerson believes Nature plays in shaping the human psyche.
2. Identify the connection between what Emerson calls the "Not-Me" of the world with Freud's notions of the development of the self in confrontation with an outer world.
3. Describe how Emerson's understanding of Nature informs his own writing on the underpinnings of the human mind.

February 10 - The American Scholar 

1. Identify “creativity” as the defining characteristic of human life.
2. Explain how Emerson sees the creative impulse as manifesting itself in seemingly uncreative situations.
3. Explain the psychological implications of Emerson’s notion of human creativity.

March 10 – Circles 

1. Explain Emerson's understanding of "selfhood" and how it comes into being.
2. Describe the relation between the self and society how it is manifested in clinical practice.
3. Explain the psychological implications of seeing oneself as "an experimenter" who "unsettles all things."

April 14 – Self Reliance 

1. Identify “self-reliance” as a personal and religious phenomenon.
2. Explain the relation between self-reliance and society.
3. Explain the psychological and moral implications of the singularity that self-reliance forces upon us as individuals.

May 12 – Experience

1. Describe Emerson's notion of the “despair” and its import for his thought.
2. Explain how pain and sorrow reshape Emerson's ideal claims of selfhood.
3. Explain how Emerson's philosophy might be employed to treat those facing intense personal trauma.

Timeline and Requirements:

The course will take place on the second Monday of each month from January 13 - May 12, 2025. This series is presenter-led and is a fully online experience. Sessions will be conducted synchronously online via Zoom from 7:00 pm-8:30 pm (ET) on the third Monday of each month. 

CE Sponsorship: 

This lecture does not offer CEs for other clinicians not listed below, and we only grant CEs for synchronous attendance of events. Participants must attend the workshop in full and complete the post event survey to be eligible to receive CEs.

University Counseling Services of Boston College is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. As a co-sponsor of this program, University Counseling Services of Boston College maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Participants will be eligible to receive 7.5 CE units from University Counseling Services of Boston College.

This program has been approved for 7.5 Social Work Continuing Education hours for relicensure, in accordance with 258 CMR. NASW-MA Chapter CE Approval Program Authorization Number D 92928.

The Lynch School of Education and Human Development is providing sponsorship for CEUs for Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHC). Participants will be eligible to receive 7.5 CE units. These credits are accepted by the Massachusetts Board of Registration for Licensed Mental Health Counselors (Category I contact hours in Content Area I).

Conflict of Interest Notification

A potential conflict of interest, commercial support, and/or commercial interest applies to sponsoring organizations, the presenter, and the content of the presentation. Participants are advised that the presenter's books are listed on the promotional materials and will be referenced in the professional development. Thus, there are potential biases inherent in accepting inducements that might affect the selection of texts, the use of particular tests, and/or sponsorship of CE courses. During this program, Professor Matthew Clemente will discuss the utility/validity of the content/approach offered as well as the limitations of the approach and the most common (and severe) risks, if any exist.

Fees & Policies:

Payment is due by credit card at registration. Refunds will be granted only up until registration closes at 5pm on January 13, 2025.  No refunds will be granted for errors on the participant's part (such as incorrect name/email upon registration, login failure, scheduling conflicts, etc.)

Additional offerings from the Lynch School Professional & Continuing Education Office can be found on our website. 

This workshop is made possible through the support of Grant 62632 from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed by these presenters do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.