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The use of analysis for the treatment of the neuroses is only one of its applications; the future will perhaps show that it is not the most important one. (Freud, 1926, p. 248)
The broad focus of this special issue of the International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies is the application of psychoanalytic theory and concepts to the issue of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. A particular focus is a bi-cultural partnership, whose aim is to provide psychoanalytically-oriented mental health interventions within a framework of reconciliation. As such, the articles represent an exemplar of community psychoanalysis and the application of particular models of this discipline (Twemlow, 2013).
The series of articles arose out of a common experience amongst their authors. Each was part of the Scientific Advisory Committee of a small, psychoanalytically-based organization known as CASSE (Creating a Safe Supportive Environment), a not-for-profit organization which was invited to visit the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress Aboriginal Corporation (CAACAC), hereafter referred to as “Congress”, an Indigenous health agency funded by the Australian Federal Government. The members of CASSE's visiting committee to Congress were: Professor Stuart Twemlow (a community psychoanalyst and author), Lord Alderdice (a member of the British House of Lords, an accomplished negotiator, trained psychiatrist and psychotherapist), Ms Pamela Nathan (Director of CASSE's Aboriginal programs and a psychoanalytic psychotherapist), Ms Eve Steel (a psychoanalyst) Mr Herbert Hahn (a psychoanalyst), Dr Timothy Keogh (a psychoanalyst) and Mr Robert Springfield (Chief Executive Officer [CEO] of CASSE). Each member had significant and relevant experience in the area of Indigenous issues and/or community psychoanalysis. The Committee's goal was to examine ways of enhancing an existing collaborative relationship between CASSE and Congress in the provision of psychoanalyti