Michael Gerson, PhD

About

Dr. Gerson is a licensed psychologist, marriage and family therapist, and a nationally certified psychoanalyst who has been working in the mental health field since 1974. He began working with juvenile gangs for the LA County Probation Dept. and then transitioned into working with domestic violence. In 1977 he entered into community mental health and specialized in family and child therapy. Dr. Gerson has served on the Los Angeles County Commission on Violence Against Women, was a consultant to the Los Angeles County Child Abuse Task Force, and served on the Preschool Age Molested Children's Professional Group for the L.A. County Department of Mental Health. He has also served as an evaluator for the California Department of Mental Health. In addition to his training in clinical psychology and marriage and family therapy, Dr. Gerson has trained in the psychoanalysis of both adults and children. He entered into private practice in 1981 and had maintained a full time practice until 2008, when he accepted a full time faculty position at CLU. Dr. Gerson still sees a limited number of private patients and regularly consults with the courts and State agencies. His teaching career began in 1982 where he has taught graduate psychology at various universities around Los Angeles, including Loyola Marymount, Alliant, UCLA-NPI and Phillips Graduate Institute. Dr. Gerson has been an invited presenter to many professional conferences where he has delivered papers on the psychological effects of child abuse,  adolescent development, neuro-psychoanalysis, systems/complexity theory and Lacanian psychoanalysis. Dr. Gerson is currently involved in the psychotherapeutic applications of magic and is a member of Academy of Magical Arts (Magic Castle), International Brotherhood of Magicians, and the Society of American Magicians.

Education

BA, CSU Northridge, Psychology 1973. MA, CSU Dominguez Hills, Applied Behavioral Science, 1976. PHD, California Graduate Institute, Psychology and Psychoanalysis, 1981. NAAP Certification in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, 1982, Psychoanalysis 1985. MFT License, mn14637 1980, Psychologist psy 8785, 1985.

Expertise

Child and Adolescent therapy. Psychological assessment. Family and Marital therapy. Psychoanalysis. Domestic violence. Forensic Psychology

Publications

Recent Peer Reviewed Publications

(under revision) Eye Tracking Patterns, Interest, and Understanding of Magic Tricks as a Function of Autism Spectrum Characteristics. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice.

2018. Psychodynamic Theories of the Family. In, APA Handbook of Contemporary Family Psychology (B. Feise, Ed.). Washington, D.C., American Psychological Association Press.

2014. Reconsidering Self and Identity Thorugh a Dialogue Between Neuroscience and Psychoanalytic Theory. Psychoananytic Dialogues. 24(2), 210-226.

2014. A Meta-Commentary: Response to the Commentaries of Marks-Tarlow and Solow Glennon. Psychoanalytic Dialogues 24(2), 247-251.

 2014. Clinical Implications for the Expressions of Self and Identity in Adolescent Psychotherapy: Case Studies of a Vampiress and a Gangster. Psychoanalytic Dialogues: The International Journal of Relational Perspectives, 24:6, 718-732. DOI: 10.1080/10481885.2014.971668

Presentations at Professional Conferences and Seminars

2016

Exploring Theory of Mind:Relationship Between Autism Spectrum Characteristics, Eyetracking and Cognitive Impressions of a Magic Presentation. Association for Psychological Science. Chicago, Illinois. 

2013

Re-Embracing the Magic of Psychoanalysis. Brown Bag presentation. CLU Chapter of PSI Chi Honor Society for Psychology

2012

Diagnosis and Management of Common Psychiatric and Behavioral Disorders in Children and Adolescents. Invited presentation to Sky Lakes Medical Center, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Applications of Network Theory to Psychology. Brown Bag presentation. CLU Chapter of PSI Chi Honor Society for Psychology

Research Considerations for Studying Self and Identity. CLU Presentation to Psy.D Colloquia.

The Contributions of Gregory Bateson to Psychology. Brown Bag presentation. CLU Chapter of PSI Chi Honor Society for Psychology

Psychology of Violence. Presentation to Pacifica Hospital Medical Center continuing education lecture.

Psychology of Violence. Presentation to Tarzana Hospital Medical Center continuing education lecture.

Psychology of Violence. Presentation to Northridge Hospital Medical Center continuing education lecture.

Psychology Behind Child Abuse. CLU Conference on Child Abuse and Domestic Violence

Legal and Ethical Issues for Psychotherapists: HIPAA and Beyond. Full-day workshop presented at Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage Ca.

Systems Thinking for Psychotherapists. Presentation to the CLU Community Counseling Center case conference series.

2010

An Update on Modern Systems Thinking for the Behavioral Scientist, Part II. Brown Bag presentation to the faculty of California Lutheran University.

Neuropsychoanalysis of Self and Identity: Three Case Studies. Brown Bag presentation to the faculty of California Lutheran University

2009

An Update on Modern Systems Thinking for the Behavioral Scientist, Part I. Brown Bag presentation to the faculty of California Lutheran University.

An Update on Modern Systems Thinking for the MFT. Workshop presentation at the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists annual convention, Sacramento, California. 

Neuropsychoanalysis of Self and Identity: Three Case Studies. Symposium presentation, American Psychological Association annual convention, Toronto, Canada.

Considerations for Lacan’s Mental Registers as Neurological Processes; International Neuropsychoanalysis Congress, Paris, France. R. Descartes University.

2008

Neuroscientific Implications for Self and Identity in Adolescents Poster presentation, International Neuropsychoanalysis Congress. Montreal, Canada. McGill University

2007

The Therapeutic Role of Suffering, Passion, and Ritual in Psychotherapy; Invited lecture, Psyche and the Soul Conference, California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, CA.

2006

Panel Chair/Discussant, 7th International Neuro-Psychoanalysis Congress. Neuroscience in Psychotherapy. Pasadena, California.

2005

Neuroscientific Implications for Self and Identity, Invited Paper, American Psychological Association, Division 39 (Psychoanalysis) Spring Conference, April 2005.

2003

Passion and Suffering in Adolescent Self and Identity Formation, Presented at Association for the Psychoanalysis of Society and Culture Annual Conference, University of Pennsylvania, November

2002

The Transformational Process of Adolescence: Revisiting Lacan with Complexity Theory II; Invited paper for presentation at; the 8th Annual Conference on the Human Sciences, George Washington University, Washington D.C., April 13, 2002.

2001

The Transformational Process of Adolescence: Revisiting Lacan with Complexity Theory I; Invited paper for presentation at; The Association for the Psychoanalysis of Society and Culture, at Rutgers University, New Jersey. November 12, 2001.

1992

The psychodynamic effects of childhood trauma on the development of borderline personality disorder. Paper presented at the annual National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis Conference, New York.

1990

Delayed effects of child abuse on personality structure. Paper presented at Pine Grove Psychiatric Hospital, CA.

1989

A child’s search for sanity. Paper presented at Pine Grove Psychiatric Hospital, CA, Professional Enrichment Series.

1986

Workshop on domestic violence (presentation of theoretical and clinical issues regarding the treatment of domestic violence), Westside Women’s Center, Los Angeles, CA.

1985

An object relations approach to treating sexually abused children. Paper presented to the San Fernando Valley Child Abuse Council, CA.

1984

Psychodynamics of child sexual abuse. Paper presented at the Symposium on Cross-Cultural Issues in Domestic Violence, California State University, Los Angeles, CA.

1983

Moderator/presenter. Symposium on Domestic Violence, Sponsored by California Graduate Institute, Culver City, CA.

1982

World madness versus personal sanity. Paper presented at State of the World Lecture Series, UCLA, CA.

Grant Funding

Community Leaders Association of California Lutheran University, $2000.00.Purchase of Gazepoint eye tracker device for research project to study visual behavior of autistic spectrum young adults.