Mid-Atlantic Chapter, American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama (MAC-ASGPP)

Mid-Atlantic Chapter, American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama (MAC-ASGPP)

Meeting of the MAC-ASGPPP Board – December 18, 2010

Board Roles:

The officers and other Board members were elected by the membership at the Annual Membership Meeting, held October 2, 2010. It was decided,at the election, that the Board members would determine their roles during the first Board meeting (held on December 18, 2010). Using group discussion and a quasi-sociometric technique, the Board members reviewed the responsibilities of each role as outlined in the MAC By-Laws, and identified their strengths and interests. Using this process,individuals emerged to fill the needed Board roles. The Board members and their designated roles are as follows:

President – Steve Kopp

Vice-President – Connie Newton

Co-Secretaries – Cathy Nugent & Miya Whitaker

Treasurer – Merry Macke

Members-at-Large - Steve Gordon & Stan Smith

The Mid-Atlantic Chapter would like to extend its gratitude to the 2010-2011 Board for offering their time, skillsand support.

Upcoming Workshops:

To provide a consistent meeting time, MAC workshops are held on the first Saturday of October, February, and May. The October event includes a workshop, lunch, and membership meeting, whichgenerally runs from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The February event is an afternoon workshop; and the May workshop is a morning event. The workshop(s) schedule is as follows:

Morning event:

9:30 to 10:00 -- Registration & networking (30 minutes)

10:00 to 12:30 -- Workshop – includes warm-up, action, sharing (2.5 hours)

12:30 to 1:00 -- Processing (30 minutes)

Afternoon event:

12:30 to 1:00 -- Registration & networking (30 minutes)

1:00 to 3:30 -- Workshop – includes warm-up, action, sharing (2.5 hours)

3:30 to 4:00 -- Processing (30 minutes)

During the Board meeting, upcoming workshop topics as well as ideas for presenters were discussed. It was decided that the conserve of having local CPs, PATS, TEPs present at the Chapter meetings would continue. The Board was of the opinion that Chapter events could provide both a means for local psychodramatists to gain visibility andserve as an outreach strategy to engage new members. To that end, it was also decided that the Board would continue to reach out to local colleges and universities as a recruitment strategyfor the Chapter workshops. The Board also discussed extending invitations to community-based organizations to events with relevant topics (e.g., aging, adolescents, addictions)as a way of introducing new people to psychodrama and engendering interest in the local organization and the field.

Idea for New Event: Student Director’s Day:

The Board also discussed offering a day-long event during the summer (possibly July) that would provide directing opportunity for Chapter psychodrama trainees and others in the context of a short workshop. This would enable a relatively low-stress environment for newer directors to gain experience through directing a contained action structure. A TEP or TEPs would participate as consultant(s) and provide psychodrama training hours. Such events would not be widely publicized to keep the directing days more contained. Instead, they would be announced on the MAC listserv and to members only.

MAC Scholarship Fund:

The Board discussed the Doug Warner Memorial Scholarship Fund and its distribution which provided support for three local area psychodrama trainees to attend the 2010 ASGPP Annual Conference in Philadelphia. It was decided that the scholarship fund would continue with the possibility of inviting members to make contributions in the name of someone they would like to remember or honor. Donations will be accepted by the Treasurer by mail (Merry Macke, 7522 Havelock St, Springfield, VA 22150) and/or at Chapter events.

Future Plans:

The Board brainstormed ideas for maintaining athriving organization,which included discussing strategies for remaining responsive to the interests and needs of the local psychodrama community. The proposed plans are as following:

• Monthly communications via the new MAC listserv to include one-page articles written by Board members and others on topics of interest,warm-up ideas, new action structures, book or journal article reviews, and/or related to upcoming workshops; etc.
• Targeted outreach to local creative arts therapy chapters (e.g. dance, art, music, poetry, drama) and possible co-sponsored events.
• Outreach to the Maryland Chapter of the American Group Psychotherapy Association and possible co-sponsored events.
• Networking events, such as psychodrama movie nights (in theaters and at individuals’ homes) and discussion groups.

Respectfully submitted:

Cathy Nugent

Miya Whitaker

Co-Secretaries, MAC-ASGPP