2023 Annual Conference: Am I My Sibling's Keeper? An exploration of sibling dynamics, how they influence the roles we take and the people we become in groups.

Annual Conference 2023

Siblings are among the few people in the world who know what it is like to grow up in our family. And yet, our siblings’ experiences frequently differ from our own.  

The conference will explore this unique affiliation, the intense feelings of love, rivalry, connection, envy, and loss that arise in these formative bonds and how they establish a new template for future relationships. 

We will combine didactic, demonstration and experiential components, meaning that in addition to learning from lecture and discussion, participants will have the opportunity to observe the leaders conducting group treatment live and attendees will have the opportunity to participate as members of process groups over the course of the weekend. 

Would you like a taste of what the annual conference will be like? Watch AGPS President Alyson Stone's interview with our conference presented here.

About the Presenters

Terri Lipkin, PsyD is a bilingual licensed psychologist at the Center for Behavioral Health, HMH-JFK University Medical Center in Edison, NJ, where she offers psychological services in English and Spanish for employees as well as adolescents and adults from the surrounding communities. 

Brett Kociol, PsyD currently works as a psychologist in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has conducted psychotherapy groups whenever given the opportunity and is currently leading two process groups, one of which is fully online and one of which is a hybrid online/in person group. 

Yair Kramer, PsyD, CGP is in private practice in New York City where he conducts individual, group and couples therapy. Yair is currently a process group facilitator at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. 

Benjamin Mueller, PsyD is a licensed psychologist in the state of New York and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Albany Medical Center. He provides individual, couples, and group psychotherapy to medical students, hospital employees, and members of the Capital Region community.

Drs. Lipkin, Kramer, Kociol, and Mueller have presented half- and full-day workshops focused on the impact and importance of sibling relationships in group psychotherapy at the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) Annual Institute and Conference, the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society (EGPS) Annual Conference, and the discussion group of the Manhattan chapter of EGPS.

We are proud to showcase a slate of local expert group therapists to co-lead process groups as a unique component of this conference. Leaders include:

Joseph Acosta, MA, LPC, CGP, AGPA-F & Katie Griffin, MA, LPC, CGP, AGPA-F

Jeanne Bunker, LCSW, CGP, AGPA-F & DeLinda Spain, LCSW, CGP

Laura Ebady, PsyD, CGP & Allen Lambert, LCSW-S, CGP

Anna Graybeal, PhD, CGP & Rhea Pledger, MA, LPC, CGP

Stacy Nakell, LCSW, CGP & Lavanya Shankar, PhD

Scott Phillips, LMFT, CGP & Donna Rich, LCSW

10.5 CEUs including 3 Ethics available for social workers, LPCs, LMFTs and psychologists.

Early Bird Pricing Ends October 6th!