Experts Offer a More Realistic Look at Intimacy

Relationship Experts Offer a More Realistic Look at Intimacy

Santa Barbara, CA -- February 2000 -- Joyce Catlett, co-author of the book Fear of Intimacy, and Dr. Lisa Firestone, Program and Education Director of the Glendon Association, will make a number of appearances in the Los Angeles area in March 2000.

Catlett and Firestone will co-teach a special all-day continuing education seminar about the fear of intimacy on Saturday, March 11 at the California School for Professional Psychology (CSPP). The seminar will take place in Alhambra (near Los Angeles) and Alameda (near San Francisco) simultaneously via videoconference. Catlett and Firestone will also bring their expertise to two LA-area book stores for a discussion/video presentation exploring the topics of intimacy and relationships. The events will take place at Borders in West Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 8 and The Bodhi Tree Bookstore in West Hollywood on Thursday, March 9.

Catlett is co-author with renowned psychologist Robert W. Firestone of Fear of Intimacy, a new book that addresses how psychological defenses formed in childhood can act as a barrier to closeness in adulthood. "Most people don't really want what they say they want," states Catlett. "They find it easier to fantasize about finding love than to tolerate the experience of being loved in reality."

At each of the upcoming events, Catlett and her associate psychologist Lisa Firestone will talk about how people can overcome the fear of intimacy. They will offer methods that help couples develop the understanding and skills necessary for coping with relationship problems.

"Far from seeing relationships or marriage as doomed to failure, our outlook is hopeful and optimistic," Catlett says. "People really can change themselves in ways they never thought possible. Even alienated couples can come to understand and work through their problems, challenge their defenses and develop a greater capacity for both giving and accepting love in their lives."

Calendar Items:
Wednesday, March 8, 2000, 7:30pm -- 9:30pm. "Fear of Intimacy" Book Signing and Lecture/Video Presentation. Facilitated by Joyce Catlett, MA and Lisa Firestone, PhD. Borders Books and Music, 1360 Westwood Blvd. West Los Angeles. Cost: Free and open to the public. For more information: 310-475-3444.

Thursday, March 9, 2000, 7:30pm -- 9:30pm. "Fear of Intimacy" Book Signing and Lecture/Video Presentation. Facilitated by Joyce Catlett, MA and Lisa Firestone, PhD. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore, 8585 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood. Cost: Free and open to the public. For more information: 310-659-1733.

Saturday, March 11, 2000 9am -- 5pm. "Fear of Intimacy: Application of Voice Therapy to Couple Relationships." Taught by Joyce Catlett, MA and Lisa Firestone, PhD. California School for Professional Psychology, Los Angeles (Alhambra) and San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda) campuses, using state-of-the-art videoconferencing technology. Cost $125. For seminar information: 1-800-457-1273 x207.

Book Information:

Fear of Intimacy by Robert W. Firestone and Joyce Catlett was published by American Psychological Association Books in October 1999. 358 pages. Hardcover. List $39.95; ISBN# 1-55798-605-3. Available at book stores or directly from APA at 800-374-2721.

Biographies:

Joyce Catlett, MA, author and lecturer, is a certified Child Mental Health Specialist. She has collaborated with Robert Firestone in writing seven books (including Psychological Defenses in Everyday Life, originally published as The Truth by Macmillan), numerous articles, and has co-produced 37 video documentaries which are used extensively for training mental health professionals in the areas of couple relations, suicide prevention, and parent/child issues.

Lisa Firestone, PhD, is Program and Education Director of The Glendon Association, and adjunct faculty at UCSB Graduate School of Education. She received her Ph.D. from CSPP Los Angeles. Since 1987, Dr. Firestone has been involved in training and research in the areas of suicide prevention and couple relations, and she actively educates professionals in these areas nationally and internationally.

The Glendon Association is a nonprofit association dedicated to stimulating and disseminating research, study, and education related to psychology and psychotherapy. The Association has an active interest in psychologists dedicated to understanding the dynamics of self-destructive behavior and to alleviating the resulting social problems of child abuse, suicide, violence, substance abuse, and disturbed family relationships. Since its inception in 1982, the Association has produced and disseminated a comprehensive body of resources including articles, books, video documentaries, a parent education program and a suicide prediction scale. These materials are used extensively by psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, family therapists, teachers, nurses, ministers, correctional systems and others in the helping professions.

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