Featured Faculty
/ashbach.jpg)
Charles Ashbach, Ph.D.
(Based on an interview with Dr. Ashbach by Monique Spina, MSW, LCSW)
Charles Ashbach has been involved with IPI since joining the Object Relations program at the Washington School of Psychiatry in 1992, run by Jill and David Scharff. In 1995 Charles was invited to be a member of the faculty of the new institute (IPI) that Jill and David were starting. With his insight and sense of humor, Charles is a quiet treasure at IPI.
He attended St. Joseph's University, completing a B.S. degree with a major in business and minor in philosophy. Before his accounting and finance tests he could often be found in the library “reading something by Freud”.
After a short stint in business, Charles went back to graduate school at Temple University in Philadelphia and obtained a Master's and Ph.D. in psychology, with an emphasis on groups. His interest in groups culminated in co-authoring a book, in 1986 on object relations: Object Relations, the Self and the Group: a conceptual paradigm. “It's still in print selling over 4 copies a year.”
Currently, Charles has curtailed his involvement with IPI to one or two conferences a year. He continues to make presentations in the IPI Summer Institutes, and runs on-going groups focusing on Klein and Bion. He is active with supervision and training, and hopes to start a study group focusing on new approaches to understanding narcissism in the next few months.
“The focus of my thinking and practice is the place, and role of narcissism as a core dynamic. The study of narcissism, as a 2nd basic force in the personality along side of instinctual-libido, is very exciting and challenging.” Charles has begun to cut back his practice to allow more time to write, but often finds it difficult to divide himself between practice and writing.
Charles' study of group and social dynamics has “led me to ponder the phenomenon of war, and the way it is an expression of the psychotic aspect of the individual self”. He led an IPI Advanced Seminar on The Fog of War after the start of the Iraq War in 2003.
Regarding The IPI Weekend conference, this February 8-10, “My writing efforts brought me to the point where I wanted to share some thoughts with the IPI community and the upcoming conference, Therapy: Terminable and Interminable is a manifestation of those efforts”.
IPI’s multidisciplinary faculty offers a broad range of experience and expertise. Faculty members are located in fourteen cities nationwide and in Panama City, Panama. They facilitate IPI’s many training programs (in Washington DC, Panama City, and Salt Lake City UT), as well as local programs in their own cities. In addition, IPI faculty in Salt Lake City and Panama offer local courses that are often cosponsored by national IPI. Click on the cities below for information about offerings near you. Click on the individual faculty members for their bios.
IPI Affiliated Programs
Click on a link to see the faculty member's biographical information.
Chevy Chase MD & Washington, DC
Bonnie Eisenberg, Ph.D.
Sheila Hill, M.S.W., Cochair
Michael Kaurman, M.A., L.P.C.
Jane Prelinger, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
Judith Rovner, M.S.W.
Robert Rovner, Ph.D.
David Scharff, M.D.
Jill Savege Scharff, M.D.
Katherine Scharff, M.S.W., Cochair
Michael Stadter, Ph.D.
Panama City, Panama (in Spanish)
Marianela Altamirano, Ph.D.
Betty Benaim, M.A., Ph.D. (c)
Anabella Brostella, Ph.D. (c)
Monica Valencia de Castro, Ph.D.
Vali Maduro, Ph.D., Chair IPI Panama
Lea Setton, Ph.D.
Yolanda de Varela, Ph.D.
Salt Lake City, UT
James Poulton, Ph.D., Cochair
Colleen Sandor, Ph.D., Cochair
Paula Swaner, Ph.D., Emeritus
Janine Wanlass, Ph.D.
Local Programs
IPI faculty members independently offer seminars, study groups, conferences and supervision:
Burlington, VT
Sharon Dennett, M.S.W.
Douglas Dennett, M.D.
Charlottesville, VA
Michael Kaufman, M.A., L.P.C.
Denver, CO
Nancy Bakalar, M.D.
Indianapolis, IN
Pat Hedegard, M.A., L.M.H.C.
Kalamazoo, MI
Christine Hill-Melton, Ed.D.
Long Island, NY
Carl Bagnini, C.S.W., Chair
David Scharff, M.D.
Manhattan, NY
David Scharff, M.D.
New Orleans, LA
Walton Ehrhardt, Ed.D.
Omaha, NE
Geoffrey Anderson, Ph.D.
Philadelphia, PA
Charles Ashbach, Ph.D.
Karen Fraley, M.S.W.
Paul Koehler, M.S.W.
Pittsburgh, PA
Mary Jo Pisano, Ph.D.
Richmond, VA
Norma Caruso, Psy.D.
Tampa/Sarasota, FL
Stanley Tsigounis, Ph.D.
Hilary Hall, M.A.
Williamsburg, VA
Hope Cooper, M.S.W.
Faculty Biographical Information
Bonnie Eisenberg, Ph.D.
I’m a clinical psychologist in private practice in Chevy Chase, MD. I offer individual and couple therapy and supervision in psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy.
I am past president of the Washington Society of Psychoanalytic Psychology, and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Psychology of the University of Maryland.
I am an IPI faculty member, and I represent IPI on the board of the Consortium for Psychoanalytic Research. I am chair of the Contemporary Dynamic Psychotherapy Program of IPI Metro.
Jane Prelinger, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
Jane Prelinger MSW, is the Director of the Eugene Meyer Treatment Center at the Washington School of Psychiatry. She is a Chair of the Clinical Program on Psychotherapy Practice at WSP, a fellow and faculty member of IPI Metro, guest faculty at the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, and adjunct clinical faculty at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington DC. She has a private practice of therapy and supervision in Northwest DC.
Judith Rovner, M.S.W.
Founding faculty member of the International Psychotherapy Institute. Clinical Appointments: Assistant Professor, Georgetown University Department of Psychiatry; Adjunct Faculty, Counseling and Psychiatry Services, Georgetown University; Consultant Faculty, Clinical Social Work Institute. Private practice in Chevy Chase, Maryland specializing in intensive individual, couples and family therapy as well as supervision.
Robert Rovner, Ph.D.
Robert Rovner, Ph.D.- Psychologist and Psychoanalyst in private practice in College Park, Maryland. Individual, Couples and Family Psychotherapy, Sex Therapy, Psychoanalysis, and Supervision. Teaching and Supervising Analyst, International Institute for Psychoanalytic Training. Assistant Professor and Clinical Supervisor, Psy.D. Program, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (Office telephone: 301-345-1919)
David E. Scharff, M.D.
Codirector of The International Psychotherapy Institute; Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; teaching analyst at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute; and former president, American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists. Author/editor of 15 books, including Object Relations Couple Therapy, Object Relations Family Therapy, The Sexual Relationship, The Freud Century, and Refunding The Object And Reclaiming The Self.
Jill Scharff, M.D.
Codirector of The International Psychotherapy Institute; Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Georgetown University; Teaching analyst, Washington Psychoanalytic Institute. Private practice in couple and family therapy and psychoanalysis with children and adults, in Chevy Chase Maryland. Author and editor of books written with David Scharff, International Psychotherapy Institute faculty and students, including Object Relations Family Therapy (1987), Object Relations Couple Therapy (1981), A Primer of Object Relations Therapy (1992), Object Relations Therapy of Physical and Sexual Trauma (1994), Object Relations Individual Therapy (1998), Tuning the Therapeutic Instrument (2000), and Self-Hatred in Psychoanalysis; Detoxifying the Persecutory Object (2002).
Michael Stadter, Ph.D.
Dr. Stadter is a clinical psychologist and a member of the faculty and Board of Directors of the IPI. He is also Clinical Psychologist-in-Residence in the Department of Psychology at American University in Washington, DC and is on the faculty of the Washington School of Psychiatry. He has been recognized by the Washingtonian magazine as one of the top psychotherapists in the Washington, DC area.
Dr. Stadter is the author of a number of publications including his book, Object Relations Brief Therapy: The Relationship in Short-term Work (1996) published by Jason Aronson (which has been translated into Spanish and Korean). He is the coeditor (with David Scharff) of the book, Dimensions of Psychotherapy/Dimensions of Experience (2005) published by Brunner-Routledge. He has also authored book chapters and journal publications.
He teaches internationally and throughout the United States. Dr. Stadter maintains a private practice in Bethesda, MD that includes long-term and brief psychotherapy as well as clinical supervision and organizational consultation. He has a particular interest in the therapist’s use of self in psychotherapy and in work with schizoid, narcissistic, and borderline personality disorders.
Marianela Altamirano, Ph.D.
Ph. D. in Clinical Psychology. Private practice with children, adolescents, adults, couples and families. President of "Fundación para el Desarrollo de las Relaciones Sanas" a non-lucrative, fund-raising organization which aims at the development of community programs that strengthens mental health in the community.
Anabella Brostella, Ph.D. (c)
Works in Panama with children, adolescents and Adults in individual psychotherapy, is a faculty member of the IPI Panama Chapter and leads a Program to Facilitate the Mother-Infant attachment in young and adolescent pregnant mothers, sponsored by the Foundation for the Development of Healthy Relationships. Is conducting a study for her doctoral thesis at Southern California University (SCUPS) titled: The Processes of Separation-Individuation and Attachment and their relationship with adolescent pregnancy. Dr. Brostella likes to write children's storybooks that support their emotional development.
Lea Setton, Ph.D.
Member of the faculty of Universidad Santa María La Antigua and Universidad Nacional, teaches in the Master and Doctoral Programs in Psychology.
Member of the faculty of the International Institute Psychotherapy Institute (IPI) Washington D.C. Member of the Executive Committee of the IPI (2004). Chair of the IPI in Panama (2004). Dedicated to private practice. (Individual ,Couple and Family Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy). Candidate of the International Institute for Psychoanalytic Training (2nd year).
Yolanda de Varela, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist in Private Practice with Couples and Adults. Founder of IPI Panama. Former President of the Panamanian Psychological Association, Member and country representative for the International Association for Family and Couple Psychoanalysis.
James Poulton, Ph.D.
Dr. Poulton has been a practicing psychologist in Salt Lake City for the past eighteen years, and is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Psychology and Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry at the University of Utah. He is the President of the Utah Institute for Psychotherapy and Training, and has served as Chair of the Utah Psychology Licensing Board, and as President of the Utah Psychological Association. He is a member of IPI’s national faculty, serves on its Executive Committee, and is codirector of its Salt Lake City Chapter. He has taught both graduate and post-graduate courses in the theory and practice of psychotherapy, and has consulted in forensic, governmental and industrial settings. He is the coauthor of the book Internalization: The origin and construction of internal reality, published in 2001, and has authored numerous articles and presentations on psychological treatment and theory.
Douglas Dennett, M.D.
Doug Dennett obtained his medical degree from the University of Vermont; Psychiatric training from the National Naval Medical Center; Child Psychiatry fellowship from the University of North Carolina and Psychoanalytic Training from the Canadian Psychoanalytic Institute. He is a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists and the Canadian Psychoanalytic Society. He currently serves as the President of the Vermont Association for Psychoanalytic Studies. He has a private practice of psychiatry, child psychiatry, and psychoanalysis in Essex Junction, Vermont. He is a member of the analytic faculty at the International Institute for Psychoanalytic Training.
Christine Hill-Melton, Ed.D.
Graduated from the IPI Two Year Program in 1997; Faculty of IPI since 2003; Licensed psychologist in private practice in Coldwater, MI; treating adults and adolescents in individual and couple therapy.
Carl Bagnini, C.S.W.
Carl Bagnini received his MSW from New York University, and holds certificates in Family Therapy from the Long Island Institute for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, and the Ackerman Institute for the Family. He was Assistant Director of the Family Therapy Training Program at LIIPP. He is chair of The National Program on Child, Couple and Family Therapy of the International Institute of Object Relations Therapy, in Washington, DC, and is chair of the Long Island Satellite Teaching Program in Port Washington, NY. where he teaches and supervises candidates in two certificate programs. Carl is visiting faculty at the Suffolk Institute for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, and is clinical faculty at St. John’s University Postdoctoral Program in Family Therapy. Carl has presented in monthly video-link teaching seminars with invited faculty, including David Scharff, MD, Otto Kernberg, MD, and Glen Gabbard, MD, in London, Panama, Salt Lake City, Utah, Washington, DC, and Port Washington, NY. He has presented in London, England, The Republic of Panama, Edinburgh, Scotland, and regularly teaches in Washington, DC. He is in private practice in Port Washington, NY.
Walton Ehrhardt, Ed.D.
Dr. Walton Ehrhardt is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Louisiana, maintaining a private practice in metro New Orleans area since 1980. In 1996 he joined the faculty of IPI, and has been chair of its outreach in the New Orleans area. Walt is a Member and Approved Supervisor of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, a Fellow in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, Certified Group Psychotherapist in the American Group Psychotherapy Association, and Member of the New Orleans Psychoanalytic Center. An ordained Lutheran clergy person, he serves as Specialized Ministry Consultant to the Bishop of the TX / LA Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (2005) has developed trauma response processes for residents of the devastated areas.
Charles Ashbach, Ph.D.
Charles Ashbach, Ph.D., received his Ph.D. degree from Temple University. He is a licensed clinical psychologist, and is the chair of the Philadelphia satellite of IPI. He is the coauthor, with Vic Schermer, of Object Relations, the Self and the Group. His interests include the study of narcissism; the integration of psychoanalytic theory with the study of war, and the application of the work of Wilfred Bion to the clinical encounter. He is available for individual and group supervision in the study of object relations theory.
Karen Fraley, M.S.W.
Karen Fraley, LSCW, BCD, received her degree from Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. A board certified diplomate in clinical social work, she in the practice of psychotherapy in Exton, Pa. She is a graduate of the IPI Two Year Program and the IPI Clinical Application Program. She is available for individual or paired clinical supervision and is particularly interested in working with clinicians seeking to deepen and expand their clinical acumen through awareness of transference and countertransference experiences.
Paul Koehler, M.S.W.
Paul Koehler is a graduate of the Institute for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapies and also of the Washington School of Psychiatry's Object Relations Training Program. He is certified as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist by the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis, Inc. (NAAP). He is chair of IPI's two-year Object Relations Theory and Practice training program.
Mary Jo Pisano, Ph.D.
Dr. Mary Jo Pisano is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Private practice for 25 years in Pittsburgh, Pa. She is founder and director of Eastside Center for Psychology where is she specializes in Individual, Couple and Family Therapy and provides clinical supervision to psychotherapist. In local educational institutes and community agencies, she has conducted workshops and staff training, as well as offering beginning and advanced continuing education courses in Object Relations Therapy. Dr. Pisano is a graduate of IPI and is on IPI faculty where she serves on the Mentoring and Scholarship Committees. She is a member of Friendship Bridge, an organization that raises money to provide micro-credits for Guatemalan women and is the director of the annual benefit.
Hope Cooper, M.S.W.
Hope Cooper, LCSW, is a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist in private practice in Williamsburg, Virginia. She has participated in the IPI Infant Observation Seminars for five years and has a particular interest in how the study of infancy can be applied to clinical work with children. In addition, her research interests focus on how sibling relationships effect the development of the personality and come to shape the internal world.
6612 Kennedy Drive
Chevy Chase MD 20815-6504
Tel: 301-215-7377
E-mail:info@theipi.org