The use of therapeutic and emotional support animals is under-theorized in our literature. Donna Haraway wrote that the human has never been only human, and Harold Searles claimed we ignore the nonhuman at our peril. This case presentation will focus on the use of a kitten in the clinical space. The patient had a profound history of violence and neglect and had been forcefully urged into treatment due to her explosive temper. This case situates this kitten at the center of a racist enactment between the white therapist and a Latina-identified patient. Integrating Searles’ conflicted ideas with current work on the nonhuman within new materialisms, this presentation will explore the ambivalent dependence of the human on the nonhuman, the co-emergence of these categories and subjectivities, and ways to consciously link these areas of experiencing in our clinical and theoretical work in ways that can open up space for response-able forms of witnessing and recognition.
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The Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California (PINC) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. PINC maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This course meets the qualifications for Continuing Education Credit(s) for PhDs, MFTs and/or LCSWs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
Admission | |
General Admission | $ 20.00 |
Members (free) | $ 0.00 |
CE Credits (2) | $ 20.00 |
Streaming fee | $ 10.00 |