27+September,+2008

Preliminary Wire Diagram

About Sex and Dreams Organized by the American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA)**
 * Developing a Website for High School Students

Summary of First Planning Meeting

Convened at Francis W. Parker School (FWP) 330 West Webster Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60614

9 AM to 3:00 PM, September 27, 2008

In Attendance: Stephen Sonnenberg, psychoanalyst and project director Dan Frank, Principal of FWP and project co-director Janet Landay, project manager for APsaA Bert Cohler, psychoanalyst Robert Galatzer-Levy, psychoanalyst Cynthia Carlson, psychoanalyst Jim Hansell, psychoanalyst Prudence Gourguechon, psychoanalyst and president of APsaA Shira Saville, psychologist, FWP parent Evelina Pereira-Weber, psychotherapist, FWP parent Colin Pereira-Weber, psychoanalyst, FWP parent Gary Childrey, psychologist and school counselor Duane Freeman, school counselor Mike Mahany, English teacher Theresa Collins, English teacher Marty Moran, history teacher Ray Llanes, web page technology design teacher Kate Tabor, English teacher Julie Schumacher, history teacher Paul Erb (by telephone), Information Services Institute

Absent: Karen Gilmore, psychoanalyst

Dan Frank chaired the meeting.

9:00 AM to 12 noon: The morning session was devoted to introductions, a history of APsaA's interest in creating this website, and a general discussion of goals, content and methods.

Prudy Gourguechon, president of APsaA, provided the background to the project. APsaA has been researching how and when psychoanalytic theory is taught in America's schools and universities. APsaA's research project, entitled Ten Thousand Minds, revealed that at the college level, psychoanalytic theory is taught more in the context of other disciplines—for example, psychoanalysis and literature, or psychoanalytic theories of history—than in psychology courses per se. It is not widely taught in American high schools. Among other conclusions, APsaA decided to make psychoanalytic theory more widely available before college, when high school students are going through challenging developmental changes that psychoanalytic theory can help explain. Because this age group relies on the internet for most of its information, APsaA determined to create a website as an effective resource for teens that shows how psychoanalytic theory is uniquely effective in explaining how and why people behave the way they do. To set limits for a project of otherwise enormous scope, APsaA decided that the website would focus on sex and dreams, two subjects of particular interest to this age group.

Dan added that his—and FWP's—goal is to connect the world of schools to psychoanalytic ideas. If the website can help students develop a self-reflective ability, it will help them become responsible citizens: this is vital to the future of our society and civilization. By participating in creating this website, FWP can help connect personality and character development to student's learning. Furthermore, teachers are the vital pathways to the students. We, the website organizers, need to know what questions are on teachers' minds to help their students cultivate what's at the edge of their awareness: what questions must students address to become vital adults?

Discussion followed about how interactive the site should be. Generally, participants believe the site will be more effective in reaching teens if it is interactive; the nature and extent of interactivity, however, will be determined by the budget and practical considerations. Interactivity was appealing, too, because of the way its exchange of information imitates the process of psychoanalysis. Collaborative interactions between FWP and APsaA therapists also parallel the nature of psychoanalysis.

Teachers at FWP excited about project. Ray Llanes, who teaches web design, thinks it will make an excellent semester (or year) long project. Several other teachers plan to involve their students in developing the content of the site, including, Kate Tabor, Mike Mahany, and Theresa Collins, English teachers; and Marty Moran, and Julie Schumacher, history teachers. The teachers pointed out that to be an effective resource for students, it first needs to be an effective resource for teachers. Teachers need to be familiar with psychoanalytic approaches to sex & dreams so that they can recommend the site comfortably to their students.

Discussion followed about the exclusive focus on sex and dreams. These subjects were pre-selected by APsaA to limit the size of the project, but especially because of their compelling interest to teens. Participants agreed that the two subjects should be broadly addressed, so that the topic of sex, for example, include sexual orientation, gender roles, identity, and essential psychoanalytic concepts such as the unconscious, transference, love-hate, wish fulfillment, etc.

Is this project more about service or awareness? While the answer is both, we, the organizers, need to be upfront about the purpose of the website. Overall, the goal is to show that psychoanalysis is a way of understanding the human mind. We must use common, live, experiences. Kids want to know who they are, who do they want to be, and whether or not they are normal. This website should help them answer those questions.

Just before lunch, Kate Tabor showed us examples of how she uses the Internet with her students. We discussed creating a wiki that could be accessed by everyone participating in developing the website, and indeed, Kate created one for us to use. The web address is: [|http://apsaaworkshop.wikispaces.com/] (Information about signing up was sent by email on 10/5/08.)

1:00 to 3:00 p.m. After lunch, the afternoon discussion went into greater detail about the nature of the website and identified next steps. At Paul Erb’s suggestion, we made long lists of initial requirements for what the website is and is not. These lists are a great beginning to describing the character of the website. Now that they are organized into groupings (below), they also reveal gaps in our planning. (For example, we haven’t described the audience in any great detail.)

Please review these lists and revise them any way you see fit. Please post your comments on the wiki, making sure to include your name. This is an important next step as we begin developing the content for the site.

WHAT THE WEBSITE IS AND IS NOT

The following lists identify the essential requirements for what APsaA’s website is and is not. Do these requirements allow us to get at what is most urgent to an adolescent’s experience of dreams and sex? If not, what else do we need to add to these lists?

I. What the website is:

In terms of goals, APsaA’s website for high school students on sex and dreams is…
 * a means to promote self-awareness.
 * a tool for understanding the unconscious.
 * a place to learn what makes psychoanalysis valuable and essential.
 * a site that explains the value of psychoanalytic approaches to living today.
 * a form of inquiry, not therapy.
 * a site that engages people in the value of psychoanalytic thinking and worldview.
 * a site that distinguishes psychoanalysis from other types of psychology.
 * a means of increasing exposure of psychoanalytic theories to teens.
 * a site that integrates psychoanalytic thinking with contemporary research.
 * a resource for students’ questions, especially about their most urgent ethical issues.

In terms of content, APsaA’s website for high school students on sex and dreams is…
 * specific and personal.
 * exciting, inspiring, insightful, engaging and useful to students and teachers.
 * pro-psychoanalytic: presented in psychoanalytic terms.
 * not clichéd about psychoanalytic concepts.
 * interdisciplinary, relating psychoanalytic theory to other topics, including:
 * 1) videogames
 * 2) fantasy play
 * 3) literature
 * 4) film
 * 5) music
 * 6) art
 * 7) politics
 * 8) history
 * TV
 * 1) comics


 * presented with concrete examples about:
 * 1) ambivalence
 * 2) attachment-loss
 * 3) conflict
 * 4) development
 * 5) empathy
 * 6) free association
 * 7) identity
 * 8) love-hate
 * 9) morality
 * 10) play
 * 11) power-aggression
 * 12) sexual orientation and diversity (both gender and cultural)
 * 13) the unconscious
 * 14) transference
 * 15) wish fulfillment


 * respectful of adolescents’ developmental challenges.
 * culturally diverse.
 * 1) in keeping with FWP’s mission.
 * 2) in keeping with APsaA’s mission.

In terms of web design, APsaA’s website for high school students on sex and dreams is… interactive.
 * easily found on search engines.
 * visually appealing.
 * written in easy-to-read language.
 * linked to professional resources.
 * linked to further reading.

In practical terms, APsaA’s website for high school students on sex and dreams is…
 * created by all stakeholders (students, teachers, analysts, other mental health professionals, and other school specialists).
 * governed by a named and publicly identified group with clear policies and standards.
 * overseen by a content manager.
 * arbitrated as needed by an ombudsman.
 * inexpensive to maintain.
 * demonstrably useful.
 * a site that maintains confidentiality.
 * capable of being integrated into a school curriculum.
 * a useful reference for research papers.
 * publishable worldwide.

II. What the website is not:

In terms of goals, APsaA’s website for high school students on sex and dreams is not… a form of psychotherapy or self-help.
 * “psychoanalysis for dummies.”
 * just a resource for people in trouble.

In terms of content, APsaA’s website for high school students on sex and dreams is not… salacious.
 * anti-psychoanalytic.
 * a discussion forum.
 * redundant.
 * strictly Freudian.
 * static or stale.
 * sexist.
 * clichéd.
 * pathologized.
 * flippant.
 * condescending.
 * violating confidences.

In practical terms, APsaA’s website for high school students on sex and dreams is not…
 * delivered by FWP.
 * expensive.
 * labor-intensive to maintain.

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Next Steps:

1. Meeting participants post comments about the above lists and this summary of the day’s conversations. Please include any and all of your thoughts about the project, now that a week has passed and you’ve had time to reflect on our discussions. 2. We will then finalize lists of key requirements for the website. 3. Begin the exchange of ideas between FWP students and teachers and participating analysts/therapists. a. Analysts post psychoanalytic concepts they want to address. b. FWP posts questions they want answered, about personal behavior and/or sample texts from English or history classes. 4. Steve and Janet will field the comments and enlist analysts to respond to specific questions from FWP. 5. Ray’s class (and others?) will begin developing the architecture of the website. What will be included on the home page, and how will it link to other sections.

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Submitted by Janet Landay Project Manager October 5, 2008