Psychotherapy Institute Head Resigns in Dispute w/ Founder (Albert Ellis)

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: Head of Psychotherapy Institute Resigns in Dispute With Founder
By BENEDICT CAREY
Published: November 21, 2005


The executive director of a renowned Upper East Side psychotherapy institute said yesterday that he was resigning amid a bitter and increasingly personal feud with the institute's founder, Dr. Albert Ellis, considered by many to be one of the most provocative and influential figures in modern psychology.

The director, Michael Broder, said he was stepping aside to help heal a rift that widened last summer, when the Albert Ellis Institute canceled the popular Friday night group sessions given by Dr. Ellis and later forced him off its board.

In two lawsuits, Dr. Ellis, 92, has charged that Dr. Broder and the board acted improperly in removing him. The suits seek his reinstatement, as well as unspecified damages. Dr. Ellis's lawyers have accused Dr. Broder of trying to seize power....

***

Robert O'Connell, a former executive at American Express, was named as Dr. Broder's replacement. Dr. Broder said he would serve out his term but take a "very back-bench" role at the institute, which helped revolutionize psychotherapy in the 1960's and 1970's by encouraging patients to focus on what was happening in their lives at the current moment rather than exploring their childhoods.

Dr. Broder's resignation, reported yesterday in The New York Post, follows weeks of personal attacks, in news articles and Web logs, in which Dr. Ellis and other psychologists have accused Dr. Broder of a power grab to promote his own career....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/21/nyregion/21ellis.html

[niallmac]

1. This is just CRAZY! n/t

[willing dwarf]

2. Well anyone who knows Ellis knows he's volatile.

A man of Ellis's stature is often driven by ego needs, probably true for Broder too. Like recognizes like.

Ironic that it's someone from Amex taking his place. Life and meaning in America today: follow the money...