ANNOUNCEMENTS
DVD AVAILABLE
- Visit our Resources page for instructions on how to order the DVD: Psychotherapy Case Formulation from the Perspective of Control-Mastery Theory w/ George Silberschatz and Susan Badger.
SPEAKERS AVAILABLE
- SFPRG is happy to provide speakers on Control Mastery theory to groups of therapists, students, or other interested parties. Contact the office to make arrangements.
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LOW FEE PSYCHOTHERAPY
- Seeking low fee psychotherapy? Any person seeking psychotherapy and unable to afford private fees is eligible to request consultation from the Clinic Program. Click here for more information.
SFPRG Mission Statement
To improve the practice of psychotherapy through the further development of Control Mastery Theory by educating mental health professionals, conducting research on psychotherapy, and providing mental health services to the community.
The History of San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group
Control Mastery theory was originated and developed by Joseph Weiss over thirty years ago, and has been empirically investigated by Harold Sampson, Joseph Weiss, and the San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group (previously known as the Mount Zion Psychotherapy Research Group.)
In 1958 Weiss began his investigations through the close review of the process notes of an analysis. Weiss noticed certain phenomena which could not be explained by Freud's original theories, but were compatible with Freud's later writings. He noted, for example, that patients may acquire insight spontaneously without the therapist's interpretation. Weiss published his first article, "Crying at the Happy Ending," in 1952 (Psychoanalytic Review, Vol 39, p. 333).
In this one-page article Weiss explored his observation that people could and did lift their repressions when they believed that it was safe to do so. In 1965 Weiss was joined by Hal Sampson. They met daily to collaborate on researching Weiss' theories. Together they have successfully directed many research projects which test the predictive powers of Weiss's theory of psychotherapy. Weiss' theory has been called Control Mastery theory to emphasize a patient's ability to exercise some control over his mental life and unconscious mind, and to acknowledge his wish to master traumatic experiences which have inhibited his development.
The Research Group was started in 1972 (as the Mt. Zion Psychotherapy Research Group) to rigorously and systematically study the therapeutic process. In 1986 Weiss, Sampson, and the Research Group published The Psychoanalytic Process: Theory, Clinical Observation and Empirical Research describing their work. In 1989 Lewis Engel, a member of the Research Group, published Imaginary Crimes which describes Control Mastery theory for the general public. Weiss' second book, How Psychotherapy Works: Process and Technique was published by Guilford Press in 1993. Transformative Relationships edited by George Silberschatz was published in 2005. In 1990 the Research Group incorporated into an independent nonprofit organization which offers courses, workshops, and ongoing case conferences which are open to the public. In 2002, SFPRG fulfilled one of our biggest dreams when we opened our Control Mastery Center in San Francisco's Presidio. In addition, we established a low-fee psychotherapy clinic to serve the community.