ASGPP St. Louis Conference Reflections

[Karen Carnabucci]

I enjoyed the conference. It is wonderful to connect with colleagues - some
for a meal and a good talk and even just for a moment for a good hug - as
well as meet new contacts and make new friends. It was great to see three of
my trainees present, including one trainee new to psychodrama who was
enjoying every inspiring and energetic minute!

Although I did not participate with the color-coded small groups this year,
I hope this wonderful feature will be offered again. As a psychodramatist
now smitten with Systemic Constellation Work, I was pleased to note that was
such an interest in that workshop that I presented with Ron Anderson - and
also notice that more and more psychodramatists are pioneering and
integrating some kind of energy work with their presentations and
specialties - including Kate Cook, John Olesen, Jack Shupe, Georgia Rigg,
Susan Aaron and of course, Donna Little who saw its possibilities long
before me.

I really like Ed Schreiber's idea of turning the awards ceremony into a
plenary session rather than an evening dinner - thanks, Ed - not only
because the dinner is so expensive that it removes all but the elite with
money but also because many people, including me, have specific diets and
food plans that the traditional hotel meal does not accommodate.  It is good
for all of us to observe and experience these honorees, allowing us to both
celebrate their accomplishments and aspire to contribute our special gifts
to the organization.

I did not attend the awards dinner. However, it was wonderful to know that
my friends Kathy Amsden, who is doing some amazingly creative work with
music in her corner of the world in Maine, and Kate Hudgins, who has been
adding to her model after years of working in China, were among the honored
professionals of our organization. I had the opportunity to talk with each
of them later and congratulate them.

Although the Ritz Carlton in St. Louis is a lovely, lovely hotel, I don't
attend for the fancy chandeliers, the marble floors and the restrooms that
are big enough to house a family of four (as one of my acerbic friends
noted!) I go to the conference to connect with colleagues and find out what
people are doing and let them know what I am doing. I hope that next year's
planners will continue to seriously explore how to make the conference more
affordable and accessible to all ages, kinds of practitioners, geographic
localities and income groups. 

I have a number of ideas regarding ways to create more interest in attending
and updating the conference, and I would like to make these ideas available
to whoever wishes to hear them. A number of these ideas have to do with
marketing the organization, using the internet more creatively and
languaging.


Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP
 
Lake House Health & Learning Center
932 Lake Ave.
Racine, WI 53403
 
(262) 633-2645
karenc at wi.rr.com
 
www.lakehousecenter.com
http://midwestpsychodrama.blogspot.com
http://lakehouseracine.blogspot.com