Psyche, Science, and Society

Chicago Conference: The APA, and Coercive Interrogations

October 11th, 2007

For those in the Windy City area, there is an upcoming conference : The APA, and Coercive Interrogations, Saturday, October 20, 12:30-4:00 at 325 N. Wells St., Room 407. Sponsored by The Social Justice Group and Student Association of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. More info at: socialjustice@thechicagoschool.edu.

Proposed Schedule and Speaker Topics

12:30
Introductory Remarks & Welcome

12:45
Frank Summers, Ph.D., ABPP—History & Current Efforts
As a member of Psychoanalysts for Social Responsibility and the author of several articles concerning the role of Psychologists in Guantanamo Bay in interrogations, Dr. Summers will provide a brief history of psychologist involvement in coercive interrogations and will discuss current efforts aimed at changing the APA’s position.

1:05
Brad Olson, Ph.D.—The Position of the American Psychological Association: Summation and Reaction to the Mini Convention
As chair of APAs Divisions for Social Justice, Dr. Olson was on the planning group for the Mini Convention addressing ethics and interrogations at the recent APA convention. He will discuss the current policies of the APA related to interrogation and report on the political climate and reaction of members at the convention.

1:25
John Neafsey, Ph.D.—The War on Terror and the Uneasy Conscience
Dr. Neafsey will discuss the unsettling sense of grief, shame, guilt, and moral anguish that so many (in the APA and in society-at-large) are experiencing in response to things like the Iraq War and the mounting scandals about torture in U.S. military prisons. He will address the affective or heart dimensions of conscience in response to the erosion of respect for human rights and international law in our country in the years since 9/11, and will speak to his own reactions to the controversy in the APA, how these have been heightened by his work as a clinical volunteer the last several years at the Marjorie Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture, and his own efforts to engage in principled opposition and dissent against the current APA policy over the past couple years.

1:45
Jeremy J. Karpen, M.A.—History of Psychological Torture and the Role Students Can Take to Address Such Abuses
As a leading and active member of The Chicago School Social Justice Group and recent alumni of The Chicago School, Jeremy will provide a brief history of the use of psychological torture and the role and responsibility students can tale in addressing such abuses in their profession.

2:05
Break

2:25-3:25
Discussion/Q&A

3:25-4:00
Concluding Remarks/Final Comments**

Bio’s

Frank Summers, Ph.D., ABPP, a psychoanalyst and clinical psychologist, is a supervising and training analyst at The Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, an associate professor of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Medical School, and a faculty member of The Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis, and numerous other associations. He is author of three books, as well as numerous papers in professional journals, including on the American Psychological Association and Guantanamo.

Bradley D. Olson, Ph.D., is a community, social, and personality psychologist.
He is assistant research faculty at Northwestern University in the Foley Center for the Study of Lives and the School of Education and Social Policy. His research areas include community action, public policy, addiction, and the narrative study of lives. He is the current chair of the Divisions for Social Justice (DSJ), a collaborative of 12 divisions within the American Psychological Association, working on social justice issues within psychology.

John Neafsey, Ph.D, In addition to his private clinical practice in Chicago, John teaches interdisciplinary courses in the Theology Department at Loyola University Chicago. His book, “A Sacred Voice is Calling: Personal Vocation and Social Conscience,” explores the psychology, spirituality, and ethics of vocational discernment and social responsibility. A member of Psychoanalysts for Social Responsibility, he is also a clinical volunteer at the Marjorie Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture.

Jeremy Karpen, M.A., Bio not yet provided

Entry Filed under: Guantanamo, Interrogation, Psychological Torture, SERE, Torture, War Crimes