A.A.P.E.

American Association for Psychoanalytic Education

April 25, 2026 Webinar Event

When Empathy Becomes Defense:

Personal History as an Empathic Seduction

April 25, 2026

12:00 – 2:00 PM

Eastern Time

This webinar explores the concept of empathy through a psychoanalytic lens, examining its historical development, clinical meanings, and practical applications in therapeutic work. Drawing on theoretical discussion and clinical vignettes from adult and child analysis, the presentation highlights ways in which empathy can deepen clinical understanding, while also addressing common misuses and pitfalls. The webinar will enhance participants’ ability to think about and apply the concept of empathy with greater nuance.

REGISTRATION PAYMENT FORM

Registration closed on April 24, 2026 at 5 PM Eastern Time. To get notified of future events, click HERE to join our mailing list.

PRESENTERS

Lee Ascherman, MD

Cincinnati Psychoanalytic Institute

Lee Ascherman, MD is a Training and Supervising Analyst and Child Supervising Analyst at the Cincinnati Psychoanalytic Institute and a Child Supervising Analyst for the Western New England Psychoanalytic Institute. He is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where he previously served as Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Chief of Service at Children’s of Alabama. Dr. Ascherman continues full-time clinical practice and consultation and has written and presented widely on psychoanalytic ethics, childhood trauma, and the treatment of displaced and marginalized youth. He is a former Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association and a recipient of multiple awards for excellence in diversity and child advocacy.

    Dionne Powell, MD

    Columbia Psychoanalytic Center and at the Psychoanalytic Association of New York (PANY)

    Dionne Powell, MD is a Training and Supervising Psychoanalyst at the Columbia Psychoanalytic Center and the Psychoanalytic Association of New York (PANY). She is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at NYPH/Weill Cornell. Dr. Powell previously served as Co-Chair of APsA’s Holmes Commission on Racial Equity, is Vice President of AAPE, and currently serves on the IPA Board as the North American Representative. Her most recent contribution, Becoming Raced: Psychic Consequences of Transgenerational Racial Trauma (2025), was published in the International Journal of Psychoanalysis. She is the 2026 recipient of the APsA Sabshin Teaching Award and is in full-time private practice in New York City.

      DISCUSSANT

      Ira Moses, PhD, ABPsa

      William Alanson White Institute

      Ira Moses, PhD, ABPsa, is a Training and Supervising Analyst, former Director of Training, and former Director of Clinical Services at the William Alanson White Institute, where he teaches the seminar that functions as the Alternative Pathway to becoming a Supervising Analyst. He is on the faculty of the Western New England Psychoanalytic Institute and is Visiting Faculty at the San Diego Psychoanalytic Center, and a Geographic Rule Supervising Analyst at the Oregon Psychoanalytic Institute. He is a former Board Member and Faculty member of the China American Psychoanalytic Alliance and is on the faculty of the Ukrainian Intensive Psychodynamic Program. He has published articles on the misuse of empathy, anonymity and self-disclosure; the analyst’s resistance to asking questions; and most recently, “Wrestling with Reductionism in Racial and Cultural Discourse.”

        STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

        AAPE meetings are intended to bridge the practice gaps in the professional knowledge of attendees by exploring new and recent developments in research, theory, technique, clinical knowledge and by offering opportunities to review essential psychoanalytic knowledge. After attending AAPE’s webinar, participants should be able to:

        1. Explain how the notion of empathic responding can be used defensively in the course of an analytic process.
        2. Explain two contrasting views of the concept of empathy within contemporary psychoanalysis.
        3. Describe two potential misuses of the concept of empathy, and explain how each can be harmful rather than helpful to the patient.

        CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION CREDITS

        This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of American Psychoanalytic Association and the American Association for Psychoanalytic Education. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

        The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this live activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.