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TEXT Clinicians' letter to Bishop Lennon
1/22/2003
Dear Bishop Lennon: We the undersigned are clinicians, authors, clergy, and/or researchers who have been active in the area of psychological trauma, including childhood sexual abuse, for many years. We are writing from deep concern about the decision of the Archdiocese of Boston to depose therapists with whom you have contracted to provide clinical services to adult survivors of sexual abuse by priests. The psychotherapist-patient relationship and the healing process therein are successful only to the extent that the therapy is impervious to disruptive impingements from others. In order to heal, any patient must be assured that conversations taking place in the consultation room are confidential. Under ordinary circumstances, confidentiality is broken only if the patient intends to harm herself/himself or someone else, and/or if the patient discloses that a minor is being abused or neglected. Most therapists make these exceptions to confidentiality clear to a patient early on. Although confidentiality is always sacred, it is even more so with patients whose bodies, minds, and souls already have been betrayed by loved and trusted figures in their lives. We who are experienced in working with former victims of sexual abuse must assert that your willingness to allow your attorneys to invade the confidentiality of a survivor's psychotherapeutic treatment by deposing his or her therapist is an act of reabuse. In June of this year in a nationally televised speech in Dallas, Bishop Wilton Gregory, the president of The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, invited all victims of sexual abuse by clergy to come forward, and he pledged the commitment of the American Catholic Church to help these members of the faithful heal. He said, ''If there is anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse by a priest or representative of the Church in the United States and has not yet reported this fact, I ask you to report it to the bishop of your diocese and to the appropriate civil authorities. Though this may be a very difficult step for you, the Church does love you and wants to help you find justice and healing.'' Many dioceses, including Boston, made similar pleas. Often, victims coming forward have been offered psychotherapy as one reparative gesture provided by the Church. Many victims, perhaps hoping to restore their faith in the compassion and good will of the Church they still love, indeed stepped forward and availed themselves of the promised assistance. At the time, they were not informed that if they also were involved in litigation with the Church, their therapy conversations would be subject to depositions. Is it not painfully apparent to you that to call forth victims whose therapies you then allow to be penetrated and dismantled reenacts the seduction and abuse perpetrated by the original abuser? In addition to revictimizing already traumatized victims of clergy abuse, subjecting therapists to depositions also traumatizes them. It is a shock for any therapist to experience the invasion of his or her consultation room by attorneys seeking information about a patient that may be used to discredit him or her in legal proceedings. Moreover, responding to subpoenas, preparing for and enduring depositions, and later perhaps having to testify in court removes the therapist from his or her own practice, thus disrupting the treatments of even more patients. Finally, in most cases, the therapy with the trauma survivor will be permanently harmed by the intrusion of the legal system. Those who are in relationship with trauma survivors sometimes experience themselves as victims while survivors can end up subjectively feeling like abusers. While the Archdiocese of Boston has a legal right to pursue the depositions of therapists treating abuse survivors in litigation with the Church, it is crucial for Church officials to remember that these suits have emerged from the sexual abuse of minors by priests and, often, only after years of stonewalling efforts by the hierarchy. We hope that you will reconsider your decision to retraumatize the already broken members of your flock and will choose to pursue a pastoral rather than corporate and counter-litigious path. In 1956, Chairman Mao launched in China the ''Let One Hundred Flowers Bloom'' campaign. In it, he asked that the citizens of China freely discuss their reactions to his regime. It was all a ruse. As people gratefully reached for what they perceived to be an outstretched hand, many ended up slaughtered or imprisoned. To invite adults who were tragically betrayed by priests and by your predecessor bishops to come forward to be helped, only to betray them again, is cruelly reminiscent of Mao's tactics. Please do not do this to your wounded faithful. Signed, Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea, Ph.D. Executive Director, Trauma Treatment Center,
Manhattan Institute for Psychoanalysis; Co-author, Treating the Adult
Survivor of Childhood Sexual Abuse; Invited speaker, Semiannual Meeting of
the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Dallas, June 2002. MaryAnn Akers-Chamberlain, MA, NCC, LPC. Partners in Healing. Peoria, IL. Judith L. Alpert, Ph.D. Professor of Applied Psychology, New York
University; Editor, Sexual Abuse Recalled. New York City. David Brennan, MSW, LICSW. Psychotherapist, Private Practice. Boston, MA. Bill Burmester, MA. Marriage and Family Therapist; Training Leader,
Relational Psychotherapy with Male Survivors, University of California,
Berkeley; Clinical Member, MaleSurvivor. Berkeley, CA. Margaret A. Carr, Ph.D. Private Practice; Candidate, New York University
Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. Princeton, NJ. James Cassese, CSW. New York City. Andrea Celenza, Ph.D. Consultant on clergy sexual misconduct to Episcopal
Diocese of Northeastern United States, Northeast Diocese of Catholic
Churches, Conference of American Rabbis. Lexington, MA. Rev. Maureen Chase. Littleton, MA. Richard A. Chefetz, MD. President, International Society for the Study of
Dissociation; Faculty, Washington School of Psychiatry; Founding Member and
Faculty, Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis;
Faculty, Modern Perspectives in Psychoanalysis, Washington Psychoanalytic
Foundation. Washington, DC. Christine A. Courtois, Ph.D. Psychologist; Cofounder, Clinical and
Training Director, The CENTER: Posttraumatic Disorders Program at the
Psychiatric Institute of Washington; Independent Practice. Washington, DC. John F. Crowe, MS, CRC, BCSA. Co-director, Sexual Assault Mental Health
Project, Mental Health Association of Ulster County, Inc. Albany, NY. Jody Messler Davies, Ph.D. Psychoanalyst; New York University Postdoctoral
Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy; Co-author, Treating the Adult
Survivor of Childhood Sexual Abuse. New York City. Muriel Dimen, Ph.D. Psychoanalyst; New York University Postdoctoral Program
in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. New York City. Peter Dimock, MSW, LICSW. Faculty, School of Social Work, University of
Minnesota; Author, Adults Molested as Children: A Survivors Guide for Men
and Women. St. Paul, MN. Anne Marie Dooley, CSW, BCD. Private Practice. New York City. Martha Douty, BSW, MSW Candidate. Worcester, MA. Ann Drake, Psy.D. Private Practice. Gloucester, MA. Kathleen M. Dwyer, BA. Institute for Health and Recovery. Cambridge, MA. Leslie R. Fenn, M.D. Community Psychiatry, Somerville, MA; Staff
Psychiatrist, Cambridge Health Alliance of Harvard Medical School. The Reverend Anne C. Fowler. Episcopal Priest, Rector, St. John's
Episcopal Church, Jamaica Plain, MA. Howard R. Fradkin, Ph.D. Psychologist; Chairperson, MaleSurvivor Retreat
Committee. Columbus, OH. David Friedman, Psy.D. Psychologist, Rockland County Child & Adolescent
Services; Private Practice. West Nyack, NY. Mary L. Froning, Psy.D. Psychologist; Former President, District of
Columbia Psychological Association. Washington, DC. Glen O. Gabbard, MD. Professor of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine.
Houston, TX. Richard B. Gartner, Ph.D. President, MaleSurvivor; Founding Director,
Sexual Abuse Program, William Alanson White Institute; Author, Betrayed as
Boys. New York City. Mark Gianino, MSW, LICSW. Private Practice; Adjunct Professor, Simmons
College School of Social Work. Boston, MA. Esther Giller. Chief Executive Officer, Sidran Institute for Traumatic
Stress Education and Advocacy. Baltimore, MD. Marc Gilmartin, MA. Past Membership Chair, MaleSurvivor. Bellevue, WA. Arnold Goldberg, MD. Cynthia Harris Professor of Psychiatry, Rush
Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital. Chicago, IL. Virginia Goldner, Ph.D. Psychoanalyst; Clinical Professor of Psychology,
Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Adelphi University.
New York City. Douglas Goldschmidt, CSW, Ph.D. New York City. Ellen T. Goodman, LICSW. Faculty, Simmons School of Social Work. Jamaica
Plain, MA. Judy Gotthoffer, BCETS, CSW. New York City. Sue Grand, Ph.D. Psychoanalyst; Faculty, New York University Post-Doctoral
Program; author, The Reproduction of Evil. Englewood, NJ. Sandra L. Green, MSSW, CSW-R. Co-Director, Trauma Treatment Center,
Manhattan Institute for Psychoanalysis. New York City. Frances K. Grossman, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, Boston University. Boston,
MA. Valentina Harrell, Ph.D. Psychologist; Psychoanalyst. Affiliated with
Columbia University and William Alanson White Institute. New York City. Thom Harrigan, LICSW. Co-director, Next Step Counseling and Training.
Jamaica Plain, MA. Elizabeth Hegeman, Ph.D. Faculty, John Jay College of Criminal Justice and
William Alanson White Institute. New York City. Richard Hoffman. Writer-in-Residence, Dept. of Writing, Literature, and
Publishing, Emerson College. Boston, MA. William C. Holmes, MD, MSCE. Assistant Professor of Medicine and
Epidemiology; Senior Scholar, Center for Epidemiology and Biostatistics,
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Philadelphia, PA. Gloria B. Horvitz, LICSW. Private Practice. West Roxbury, MA. Elizabeth Howell, Ph.D. Psychologist; Adjunct Associate Professor, New
York University; author, "The Role of Trauma and Dissociation in the
Creation and Reproduction of Gender." Private Practice. Brooklyn, New
York. John W. Jones. Marriage and Family Therapist; Supervisor, Counseling
Department, California Pediatric and Family Services. Pasadena, CA. Maurine Kelber Kelly, Ph.D. Faculty, Advanced Psychotherapy Training
Program, Washington School of Psychiatry; Faculty, Doctoral Program,
Psychoanalytic Psychology, George Washington University; Senior Staff
Consultant, Adele Lebowitz Center for Youth and Families; Private Practice.
Silver Spring, MD. Eugene C. Kennedy, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Loyola
University of Chicago; author, The Unhealed Wound: The Church and Human
Sexuality. Chicago, IL. Sue Kolod, Ph.D. Psychologist; Psychoanalyst; Faculty and Supervisor,
William Alanson White Institute, New York City. Beth Lawrence, CSW. Co-Director, Trauma Treatment Center, Manhattan
Institute for Psychoanalysis. Brooklyn, New York. Mike Lew, M.Ed. The Next Step Counseling; author, Leaping Upon the
Mountain: Men Proclaiming Victory Over Sexual Child Abuse. Brookline, MA. Donna Robin Lippman, M.S. Executive Director, Incest Awareness Foundation;
Director, Incest and Rape Recovery Center. New York City. David Lisak, Ph.D. Editor, Men and Masculinity; Department of Psychology,
University of Massachusetts. Boston, MA. John McDargh, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Religion and Psychology,
Department of Theology, Boston College. Boston, MA. Nancy McWilliams, Ph.D. Psychoanalyst; Professor, Graduate School of
Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University; Private Practice.
Flemington, NJ. Kenneth Maguire, BA. Clinical Psychology Doctoral Candidate and Masters
Candidate in Human Sexuality, Widener University. Stewart Manor, New York. Charles G. Martel, LICSW. Boston, MA. Marcie Mitler, M.Ed. Psychotherapist, Sexual Abuse Specialist, Cambridge.
MA. Mikele Rauch, M.A., LMFT. Membe, MaleSurvivor. Waban, MA. Philip A. Ringstrom, Ph.D., Psy.D. Senior Training Analyst, Supervising
Analyst, Faculty, Board of Directors Member, The Institute of Contemporary
Psychoanalysis. Encino, CA. Geraldine Russo, CSW. New York City. Mark T. Sammons, Ph.D. Psychologist. Adelphi University Postdoctoral
Program. New York City. Emily Samuelson, Ph.D. The Soaring Project: Thriving Beyond Childhood
Sexual Abuse. Towson, MD. Linda T. Sanford, LICSW. Boston College Graduate School of Social Work;
author, Strong at the Broken Places and The Silent Children. Joan E. Sarnat, Ph.D., ABPP. Psychoanalyst; author, "Working in the
Spaces Between Psychoanalytic and Trauma Approaches to Stories of Abuse."
Berkeley, CA. Bert H. Schaffner, M.D. Medical Director, HIV Service and Supervising
Analyst, William Alanson White Institute. New York City. Murray David Schane, MD. Faculty, Masterson Institute for Psychoanalytic
Psychology. New York City. Jim Schmidt. Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Sidran Institute,
Traumatic Stress Education and Advocacy. Baltimore, MD. Dennis G. Shulman, Ph.D. Founding Director, The National Training Program
in Psychoanalysis; Professor, The Kollel Program of the Hebrew Union
College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Demarest, NJ. Nancy B. Siegel, MSW. Leadership Council for Mental Health, Justice, and
the Media. Bala Cynwyd, PA. Joyanna Silberg, Ph.D. Author and editor, The Dissociative Child.,
Baltimore, MD. Zoya S. Silve, Ed.D. Private Practice. Cambridge, MA. Ken Singer, LCSW. Member, MaleSurvivor. Lambertville, NJ. A.W. Richard Sipe, MS. La Jolla, CA. Josef Spiegel, Ph.D. Wellsprings Psychotherapy; Author, The Sexual Abuse
of Males: The SAM Model of Theory and Practice. Asheville, NC. Jim Struve, LCSW. Psychotherapist; Member, MaleSurvivor. Salt Lake City,
UT. Ellis Waingrow, MSW, LICSW. Newton, MA. Gillian Walker, ACSW. Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, New York
University Medical School; Former Co-Director, The Incest and Family
Program, Ackerman Institute for the Family; Director, Unique Minds Program,
New York University Child Study Center. New York City. Ann Hagan Webb, Ed.D. Psychologist. Associate Director, South Shore
Counseling Center. Ned Weisman, LICSW. Clinical Director, Centerpoint; Private Practice.
Massachusetts. Elaine Westerlund, Ed.D., DABPS, DAPA. Cofounder and Director, Incest
Resources, Inc; author, Responding to Incest: In Memory of Nancy
(commissioned and published by the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts) and
Women's Sexuality After Childhood Incest. Cambridge, MA. Charles Whitfield, MD. Specialist in trauma psychology. Atlanta, GA. Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D. Psychologist; Psychoanalyst; Clinical
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Vermont Medical College.
Worcester, VT. Gadi Zohar, MFT. Member, MaleSurvivor. San Francisco, CA.
This story ran on page A10 of the Boston Globe on 1/22/2003.
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