The Board of Trustees of the Institute for Clinical Social Work established the Joseph Palombo Center for Neuroscience and Psychoanalytic Social Work to honor Joe Palombo for his dedication and devotion, over the 55-year period of his career, to the improvement of the lives of children, adolescents, and adults with neurobehavioral problems and to furthering the education of clinical social workers.

MISSION & VISION

Concordant with the values and objectives of The Institute for Clinical Social Work, the Joseph Palombo Center for Neuroscience and Psychoanalytic Social Work is an interdisciplinary center whose:

• Mission is to maximize the effectiveness of mental health services to children, adolescents, and adults through the integration of neuroscience and psychoanalytic social work by offering educational opportunities to professionals and the lay public.

• Vision is to enhance the mental health of children, adolescents, and adults by integrating neuroscience and psychoanalytic social work.

UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE PALOMBO CENTER

The Neuropsychodynamic Perspective: A Zoom Webinar Series with Joseph Palombo

In this eight sessions seminar, I present my perspective on understanding the dynamics and the treatment of patients with neuropsychological deficits. Although the focus is primarily on those patients, the framework applies to a much broader cohort whose endowment contributes to their unique development and their struggles with life tasks. Among the topics covered will the New Worldview that proposes that we are all interdependent and that every aspect of our universe is interconnected. As a prelude to the discussion of the concept of the Self as a Complex Adaptive System, I will present a critique of traditional developmental theories. A brief introduction to nonlinear dynamic systems theorywill prepare us for the detailed discussion of the neuropsychodynamic perspective. This framework includes a presentation of the processes that guide the interactions within systems, such as the sense of self, and an elaboration of the concept of “unsuccessful accommodations,”  which is the term I use to characterize the problems of patients with neuropsychological deficits. I conclude with a detailed consideration of the approaches to the treatment of these conditions. Case illustrations will be used to facilitate the integrations of the materials. A reading list will be provided.

PSYCHOANALYTIC SOCIAL WORK AND NEUROSCIENCE

A strong bond has existed between clinical social work and psychoanalytic theory from the early days of our profession. In recent years, controversy has arisen regarding as to whether psychoanalysis and neuroscience should be integrated or whether such an integration is even feasible. The consequence has been that the findings from the neurosciences remain unintegrated into psychoanalytic social work theory. Clinical social workers provide an overwhelming share of services to patients in need of mental health services. Many of these patients suffer from brain dysfunctions. There are significant clinical implication to the adherence of either position. The Center is dedicated to an exploration of the issues surrounding this controversy in the service of initiating a dialogue among advocates of the various positions. 

PUBLISHED BOOKS BY JOSEPH PALOMBO

Guide to Psychoanalytic Development Theories (Published by Springer)

Learning Disorders and Disorders of the Self in Children and Adolescents (Published by Norton Professional Books)

The Neuropsychodynamic Treatment of Self-Deficits: Searching for Complimentarity (Published by Routledge)

Nonverbal Learning Disabilities: A Clinical Perspective (Published by W.W. Norton & Company)