Virtual Live Seminar with Dr. David P. Celani
January 18th, 2026 (Sunday), 11:30am-3:45 pm EDT
Continuing Education: 7 CE hrs
for APA (covers most mental health professionals outside of NYS),
NYS Psychologists, & NYS Social Workers
To Register for this seminar, please complete the Registration form
“The chief aim of psycho-analytical treatment is to promote a maximum “synthesis” of the structures into which the original ego has been split, in the setting of a therapeutic relationship with the analyst. Involved in the achievement of this aim are two further aims, viz, (a) a maximum reduction of persisting infantile dependence, and (b) a maximum reduction of that hatred of the rejecting object which, according to my theory, is ultimately responsible for the splitting of the ego.” — W. R. D. Fairbairn, “On the Nature and Aims of Psycho-Analytical Treatment” (1958, p. 380)
Fairbairn’s model of the inner world, further elaborated by Thomas Ogden and clinically developed by David P. Celani, provides a clear understanding of how trauma experienced by parents is unconsciously transmitted to their children. Fairbairn’s theory is grounded in the child’s absolute dependency on caregivers for emotional security, protection, and a sense of being loved. Any experience that originates in parental neglect, indifference, or rejection disrupts the child’s sense of safety and belonging and, in doing so, threatens the dependent bond to the parent. For the infant and young child, this threat to attachment is traumatic.
Trauma, in this sense, does not arise solely from a single overwhelming event, but from a chronic state in which the child’s developing psyche lacks the capacity to process the persistent absence of emotional responsiveness, care, and protection. The child’s ego is overwhelmed by this condition, and the memory of these experiences must be banished from awareness to preserve attachment to the needed object.
The child’s experience of trauma may be dramatic and unmistakable — such as being locked in a room during a period of extreme distress — or it may be subtle and cumulative, as in repeated experiences of being ignored while seeking attention, comfort, or emotional engagement. Each rejecting or neglectful interaction is forced into the unconscious, where similar memories accumulate and gradually coalesce into a stable, though dissociated, internal view of the parent, along with an equally dissociated view of the child’s self in relation to that parent.
Over time, these dissociated self-and-object representations form an unconscious structure, which — even when dormant and isolated from the conscious central ego — continues to replay the most frequently repeated relational exchanges that once occurred in the external world. These structures are timeless and emotionally charged, particularly when the original relationship was characterized by rejection, humiliation, or emotional deprivation.
As the child matures, these unconscious relational patterns persist within the inner world. The emotional pressure of these unexpressed and unresolved traumatic memories may later be displaced onto the next generation. The infant or child of the traumatized parent may become the recipient of intense hostility, rejection, or emotional withdrawal, often because the child — unconsciously — represents the parent’s own vulnerable infant self. In many cases, the parent is unable to restrain these reactions. The unresolved humiliation, despair, and rage from the parent’s own childhood are exchanged for identification with the very rejecting or abusive parental role that once caused such suffering.
Fairbairn’s structural theory offers clinicians one of the most coherent and clinically usable models for understanding this process. At its core, the theory provides a well-reasoned explanation of how early chronic emotional trauma becomes embedded in the psyche and how trauma is transmitted across generations through dissociation, attachment, and enduring ego structures.
At the conclusion of this educational activity, participants will be able to:
Intended Audience
This seminar is intended for psychiatrists, psychologists, psychoanalysts, social workers, and other licensed mental health clinicians working with patients whose early relational trauma continues to shape their inner world, relationships, and capacity for emotional development.
Although this seminar is clinically oriented, its conceptual framework may also be of interest to parent coaches and trauma-informed practitioners seeking a deeper understanding of early chronic emotional trauma and its relational dynamics.
“It is because a fellow is more afraid of the trouble he might have than he ever is of the trouble he’s already got. He’ll cling to trouble he’s used to before he’ll risk a change. Yes. A man will talk about how he’d like to escape from living folks. But it’s the dead folks that do
him the damage. It’s the dead ones that lay quiet in one place and don’t try to hold him, that he can’t escape from…” — William Faulkner, Light in August
As one of the few contemporary psychologists specializing in Fairbairnian theory, Dr. Celani brings unique expertise in translating complex theoretical concepts into practical clinical applications. His approach makes sophisticated psychological insights accessible to both professionals and parents, bridging the gap between theory and practice.
Dr. Celani is the author of multiple peer-reviewed publications on Fairbairnian theory and its application to treatment of personality disorders and developmental trauma, as well as books: Fairbairn’s Object Relations Theory in the Clinical Setting; The Illusion of Love: Why the Battered Woman Returns to Her Abuser and Leaving Home: How to Separate from Your Difficult Family (all published by Columbia University Press). His new book, Ronald Fairbairn: A Contemporary Introduction, with Routledge, was published at the end of December of 2024.
Object Relations Institute for Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis
2026 ORIPP A Fairbairnian Inner World and Early Chronic Emotional Trauma
David P.Celani
January 18, 2026
Online
Joint Accreditation Statement
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Amedco LLC and Object Relations Institute for Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis. Amedco LLC is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Amedco Joint Accreditation Provider Number: 4008163
Professions in scope for this activity are listed below.
Psychologists (APA) Credit Designation
This course is co-sponsored by Amedco and Object Relations Institute for Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis. Amedco is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Amedco maintains responsibility for this program and content. Maximum of 7.0 hours.
The following state boards accept courses from APA providers for Psychologists/Counselors: AK, AR,
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA (LEP ONLY), MD, ME, MN, MO, NC, ND, NH, NE, NJ, NM, NV, OH, OK*, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WY
MI: Accepts courses from APA for Psychologists. No general CE requirement for Counselors.
OK: Accepts APA credit for live, in-person activities but not for ethics and/or online courses.
The following state boards accept courses from APA providers for MFTs: AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IN, KS, MD, ME, MO, NE, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NV, OH, OK*, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WDC, WI, WY
AL MFTs: Credits authorized by NBCC or any other state licensing agency will be accepted. MA MFTs: Participants can self-submit courses not approved by the MAMFT board for review. MI MFTs: There are no CE requirements for MFTs in MI.
The following state boards accept courses from APA providers for Addictions Professionals: AK, AR, CO, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IN, KS, LA, MD, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NY (held outside NY ONLY), OK*, OR, SC, UT, WA, WI, WY
The following state boards accept courses from APA providers for Social Workers: AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, ID, IN, KY, ME, MN, MO, NE, NH, NM, OR, PA, VT, WI, WY
New York Social Workers
Amedco SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #0115. 7.0 credit hours.
New York Psychologists
Amedco is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0031. 7.0 hours.
Early Bird registration (before December 28th, 2025):
$60 regular/ $40 graduate students & analytic candidates/ $15 undergraduate students
Regular registration (from December 28th, 2025 – to January 17th, 2026 – before 6pm EST/NYC time):
$75 regular/ $55 graduate students & candidates/ $20 undergraduate students
Registration ‘at the door’ (after 6pm EDT/NYC time on January 17th, 2026):
$85 regular/ $65 graduate students & candidates/ $25 undergraduate students
Please Note: IF CEs ARE REQUESTED — please use the “regular” registration (not a “student”) option. An additional fee of $25 will be added for CE certificate processing.
SPECIAL SCHOLARSHIPS are available for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as for retired or disabled practitioners, or need-based.
