President's Report

I am pleased to report that NCSPP continues to thrive, even in the midst of a cultural devaluing of psychoanalytic training and treatment. Our membership is strong, our courses are diverse and well attended, our finances are stable, and we have a talented group of volunteers that make up our board and committees. It is a pleasure to serve as president under these circumstances as we continue to work on projects that will keep us a healthy organization.

For the last several years we have focused on recruiting more student members, strengthening our membership benefits, building financial reserves, and reorganizing our board structures — which have all contributed to our stability. We are currently focused on three areas: technology, bylaws, and board structures, and racial and ethnic diversity.

Financial resources have been set aside to improve our website in several ways. We are updating the site platform to allow much more automatic “behind-the-scenes” work and cut down on administrative time. This will save costs in the long run, and expedite registration and member services. It will also allow us more creativity and efficiency in our communications with members and the rest of the psychoanalytic world. In addition, we are redesigning the site to make it more current, user-friendly, and interesting, and provide a better experience.

Bylaws and Board Structures

The bylaws for the Board of Directors of NCSPP have not been updated in many years. Meanwhile, the organization has grown and changed in noteworthy ways. It became apparent to us in the last year that we must update our bylaws and reevaluate the Board's decision-making structure to operate in a fair and ethical manner. We now have a small subcommittee (see below) working with an organizational consultant to rewrite the bylaws and clarify the structures and decision-making processes of the board, divisions, and Executive Committee. The new bylaws will go before the board for review and approval, followed