The Problem of Meeting Place and Time: Council was advised of the ongoing difficulty in making arrangements for future spring meetings. The American Psychiatric Association, because of its much greater size, has a priority hold on all hotel space in the chosen meeting cities, a hold which extends into the week preceding their meeting — that is, into the week of the meeting of the APsaA. This necessitates getting clearance from the APA before making arrangements for our own Association. There is, in addition, the question of locations chosen by the APA: 1973 is scheduled for Honolulu, 1976 for Atlantic City, 1977 for Las Vegas and 1978 for Miami Beach. Some of these locations are highly uncongenial to many members of the Association. Council debated again, as it has many times in the past, the question of whether it is or is not important that the APsaA hold its meetings in the same city as the APA and during the week preceding the latter's meeting. In the end Council voted to advise the membership of the arguments for and against the traditional arrangement, and to seek an advisory expression of opinion from the members regarding their wishes about the time and place of the spring meetings.
Malpractice Insurance: Dr. Edward Joseph reported that the program for malpractice insurance is now under way and has been approved so far by fourteen states, among them New York, California, Illinois and Massachusetts, where the Association has large numbers of members. It is expected that all of the states will soon approve the program. The policy covers the “usual practice” of psychoanalysts, including psychotherapy, consultation and drug therapy, but excluding electric shock treatment. Analysts who have incorporated themselves may also be covered. The broker is reported to be very pleased with the response of the Association's members so far and may be interested in other insurance plans in the future, at equally favorable rates. The Executive Council gave a vote of thanks to Dr. Joseph for bringing this plan to fruition.
COPER: The Planning Committee for a National Conference on Psychoanalytic Education and Research, referred to by the acronym COPER, reports that a Commission on Child Analysis has been added, bringing the number of Commissions to nine. Dr. Herbert Gaskill, the Chairman of COPER, also reported that the Commissions have been enlarged in size from eight members to seventeen. The response to invitations to participate as members of the various commissions has been encouraging in its enthusiasm.
Less encouraging is the fact that the NIMH has rejected the application for a grant to fund the undertaking. Applications to other foundations are being made and the Conference has been put off to the fall of 1974 to make funding somewhat easier.
Recognition to Research Graduates: Dr. George H. Pollock, Chairman of this ad hoc committee, presented his Committee's final recommendation — namely, that research graduates should be eligible for full membership in the Association. This issue had been under consideration for a long time and had in the past provoked intense controversy, but the Committee's proposal was now received warmly by the Council and a motion to accept the recommendation was passed with only two dissenting votes. A By-Law amendment to implement this recommendation will be prepared and
submitted to the membership for mail ballot.
Study of Financial Resources: Dr. Samuel Ritvo, Chairman of the Committee on the Study of Financial Resources and Commitments, reported that his group had initiated a discussion of its most recent charge, which is to study the problem of financing the psychoanalytic training of those who do not have adequate private income.