Event Description:  

Dr. Matthew Schottland and Sean LeSane, LICSW, will be presenting and discussing a case of a gay African American single father who lost his partner to HIV/AIDS.  In addition to describing some relevant research findings, the presenters will explore transference and countertransference evoked between Dr. Schottland, a gay white male therapist, and the client.  Audience participants will be asked to reflect on their feelings in reaction to the case and discussion.  Various topics such as intersectionality, complicated bereavement, racial and gay identity development, internalized homophobia, and working across racial differences in psychotherapy will be explored.

*1.5 Continuing Education Credits are available**

Learning Objectives:

1) Learn about key research findings on LGBTQIA+ psychology;

2) Deepen clinician's understanding of how intersectional variables such as race, ethnicity, religion and immigration status impact the psychology of LGBTQIA+ clients;

3) Evaluate clinical dilemmas in case studies of LGBTQIA+ clients and how to address them.

Presenter : Dr. Matthew Schottland

Dr. Matthew Schottland is a licensed clinical psychologist in DC who provides individual, group, and couples psychotherapy to adults in Private Practice. He specializes in working with the LGBTQ community, and was the LGBTQ specialist at Georgetown University’s Counseling and Psychiatric Service (CAPS) from 2013-2017.

He is originally from New Jersey and completed his bachelors at the American University. Dr. Schottland received his Psy.D. in clinical psychology from The Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA and completed his Pre-Doctoral Internship at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).

Dr. Schottland was trained as a generalist, and works from an integrative theoretical orientation. He tends to conceptualize clients from a psychodynamic lens, but will often use techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Mindfulness, Existential/Humanistic, and Cognitive-Behavioral therapy. Dr. Schottland particularly enjoys working with couples, and is currently being trained in the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy. He also co-facilitates a group for young adult gay men struggling with emotional expression and communication.

Presenter: Sean LeSane, LICSW

Sean LeSane, LICSW, is a clinical social worker in private practice in Washington DC. Since 2004 he has provided individual, couples, and group psychotherapy as well as supervision to newer therapists. In the office he strives to help clients explore the full range of their emotional experience in their relationships.

Host : Dr. Laurie Paul

Dr Laurie Paul is a licensed psychologist in DC, Virginia and Maryland. Dr. Paul graduated with her doctorate in clinical psychology in 2014 from The New School, an APA-accredited PhD program in New York City. While in graduate school, she spent 6 years as part of a research team studying how clients and therapists negotiate racial, ethnic, and cultural differences in psychotherapy. She also spent 5 years as part of a research team examining the psychological impact of breast cancer on lesbian and bisexual women and on Latina women, with a focus on social support, family support, and doctor-patient relationship. During her clinical training, she worked within a variety of settings, including: community mental health centers; the psychiatric emergency room; inpatient and outpatient hospital settings; a university counseling center; substance abuse clinics; and a drug/alcohol detoxification unit.

Dr. Paul completed a postdoctoral fellowship in psychodynamic psychotherapy at The Karen Horney Clinic in New York City. The training program is accredited by the American Psychoanalytic Association and the International Psychoanalytical Association.

Dr. Paul has specialized training in cognitive behavior therapy and psychodynamic psychotherapy, and mindfulness techniques. She completed the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy Training Level 2. She currently works in her private practice in Chevy Chase, MD, specializing in anxiety, OCD, and couples therapy, and is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at American University.  She has given professional education workshops for the DC Psychological Association, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, The American Academy of Psychotherapists, Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn, and the Society for Psychotherapy Research, on the LGBTQ community and on working with culturally-different clients. She is also a volunteer speaker for Rainbow Families.