ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION
The last three months have been remarkably unique in the life of humanity. The virus Sars-Cov-2 (COVID-19 illness) made us all face a significant state of emergency, hyperarousal, fear, and a subsequent loss of our daily routines and “normal” lives. This pandemic has produced a partial loss in cultural developments acquired in the last two hundred years by mankind: health and disease prevention, financial stability, and quality of life. Confinement and social distancing measures make evident that our narcissism and omnipotence – individual and social – are rather fragile if human interconnectedness is suspended. And, beyond the fear of economic collapse, with its significant impact on our mental health, this pandemic has highlighted our need of the other and others to consolidate our routine and to emotionally nourish the sense of ourselves.

Using psychoanalytic and sociological approaches, this presentation proposes a reflection on how this pandemic constitutes an actual individual and social trauna, by affecting our routine and sense of ourselves. We will start taking some ideas about human development about the fundamental importance of interpersonal relationships to constitute our sense of identity – the so-called self by many authors (Donald Winnicott, Donald Stern), built in our primary object relationships (Melanie Klein and Jacques Lacan), the mother, the family, and the social environment. We will bridge this reflection with the concept of social reality through the primary socialization process, in which young children internalize early identifications, gender and social roles (Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann). The dramaturgical microsociological approach developed by Erving Goffman will allow us to consider the vital role of day-to-day interaction to keep our routines and our sense of normalcy and identity: Displaying, playing and replaying our unconscious life scripts. Finally, there will be proposed some lines of thought about imminent changes on social reality and the suspension of normalcy and routine, for children and adolescents, mental health, interpersonal dynamics, psychotherapy.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:

• Discuss the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in our mental health through the suspension of our routines and sense of normalcy;
• Describe the role of internalizing early relationships in the development of the self in both a psychoanalytic and sociological sense;
• Define the vital need of face-to-face interaction for the maintenance of the sense of self in the relationship of the individual to significant others and the social Other;
• Analyze the implications of the suspension of social reality and routine for child and adolescent mental health and therapeutic interventions.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Felipe Ramirez Hinrichsen is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist and a Licensed Psychologist in the province of New Brunswick. His educational background and clinical training includes a six-year psychology program and a Master’s degree in psychoanalytic psychotherapy for children and adolescents. In his career, Felipe has worked as a psychologist in Chile and in Canada, in both public agencies and in his private practice at Psyché Services in Moncton, NB. His experience in psychoanalytic therapy includes working with different age groups and problems such as emotional, behavioral and attachment issues, trauma, personality disorders, and autism. In addition, Felipe supervises residents in psychology and students from the University of Moncton PsyD Program and carries out personality, psychoeducational and cognitive assessments.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
These continuing education and professional development hours can be used towards your continuing education, professional development portfolio for your respective colleges, including the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).