The Fragility of Joy in a Troubled World

Uncovering and discovering joy in clinical work requires recovering from “joy threatening” and “destructive elements” that press joy into submission, or that do not permit joy to be experienced and expressed. In clinical practice, we aspire to engage with our patients to uncover and decipher deep-seated, developmentally rooted anxieties, survival motives, and states of mind that interfere with interpersonal and personal well-being and growth.

But what about joy?

Joy has been a reoccurring theme in psychoanalytic writing, from Freud’s early work on the pleasure principle to Lacan’s writings on jouissance and Winnicott’s focus on play and creativity. Although joy is often conceptualized as a longed-for experience, many fail to seek out joy or struggle to experience feelings of joy. Against a backdrop of a climate crisis, global conflicts, political divisions, and ongoing health and safety concerns in our post-pandemic world, the pursuit of joy may feel like an unaffordable luxury.

The experience of joy has the potential to be terrifying. Stress, anxiety, isolation, and loss- the sequelae of recent global events- can create a preemptive strike on both our need for and our ability to pursue joy. These factors may create a barrier that prevents us from fully engaging in joyful experiences.

During this conference, we would like to open a dialogue about the importance of joy in our work and our lives, our tendency to avoid joy, and how we might reclaim and/or preserve our capacity to experience joy during difficult times. By examining these themes, we hope to foster a deeper understanding of joy’s significance as well as develop ideas about cultivating it in our clinical practices.

Conference Information

Date

October 4, 2025

Time

9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST

Location

Ruth S. Harley University Center
Adelphi University
One South Avenue
Garden City, NY 11530

CEUs

7 CE contact hours available for NYS: Psy, SW, MHC, MFT & Psychoanalysts and APA: Psy

Fee

$125 – General Admission
$70 – Derner Alum, Adelphi faculty/clinical supervisor, Non-Adelphi psychoanalytic Candidate/student
$40 – Derner student/Postgraduate candidate

Registration will close 48 hours before the start of the event.