A new Task Force on the Efficacy of the Psychoanalytic Treatments has been appointed by Homer C. Curtis, President of the Association. Norman (Drew) Clemens has been named as its Chairman, and serves as well as the representative from the Committee on Government Relations and Insurance. The new Task Force will also include representatives from the Committee on Public Information and the Committee on Scientific Activities, as well as representatives from other committees of the Association.

The establishment of this new Task Force was at the recommendation of the Committee on Government Relations and Insurance, chaired by John J. McGrath, for the purpose of initiating action for third-party support of psychoanalytic treatment. McGrath, on behalf of his Committee, maintains that in order to make a convincing case for insurance coverage for psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy, a number of problematic issues must be addressed. Among them are: how do the psychoanalytic therapies differ from other therapies; why do they sometimes appear unfocused and open-ended; what is the end point of therapy and how is that determined; how do we know therapy works; what are the economic benefits to the society at large of full coverage; can psychoanalytic treatment be combined with other forms of treatment (e.g., medication); what about coverage for children, adolescents, and the elderly?

The new Task Force has been charged with gathering together all available data on the above-mentioned topics, as well as others. These data are then to be presented by the Task Force to the Executive Committee, together with its recommendations as to the most appropriate and effective means to communicate and publicize this data to the insurance companies and to the public at large. Finally, the Task Force has been asked to recommend to the Executive Committee and the Committee on Scientific Activities further outcome and efficacy studies that most urgently require immediate planning, organizational support, and funding.