A presidential election, a lively array of panels, and a new program format for mental health trainees were just some of the notable events at the fall meeting of the American at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. More than 1800 were in attendance, including 104 trainees in various mental health specialities.
Nonmedical clinical training was debated at an extraordinary meeting of the Board on Tuesday, December 12; at the regular meeting of the Board of Professional Standards, on December 13; and at the meeting of the Executive Council on December 14.
In another major arena, the first step toward the dissociation of certification and voting rights in the organization was approved by the Board on Professional Standards. [See next column.]
A highlight of the meetings was the series of four panels entitled “Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: Similarities and Differences.” Sixteen panelists gave the audiences their views on the conceptual differences between the two therapies; the indications, contraindications, and beginnings of the treatments; technical differences and similarities; and differences in termination. Robert S. Wallerstein, Henry M. Bachrach, Phyllis Tyson, and Mardi J. Horowitz chaired the four panels.
The forum previously established for psychiatric residents has been expanded so that psychology and social work students, as well as psychiatric residents, are now invited to the programs. In addition, the format itself was changed to four talks with follow-up discussions. Paul A. Dewald conducted the first, “Therapeutic Action in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy.” On Saturday morning, Pietro Castelnuovo-Tedesco spoke on “Fear of Change”; that afternoon the topic was “Transference and Resistance: A Clinical Demonstration”; given by Ronald M. Benson. The program was concluded on Sunday morning by Arthur L. Rosenbaum, who spoke on “Therapeutic Action in Child Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy.”
The video presentation featured Robert N. Emde and Joy D. Osofsky in a discussion of a tape, “Observing Emotional Communication in One-to-Three Year Olds'”; and a three-part film series, chaired by Bruce H. Sklarew, explored the impact of the Surrealism movement on the cinema.
Peter Wolff conducted the seminar for psychoanalysts, a paper entitled “Behavioral States and Emotions in Early Infancy”; and four clinical workshops were conducted: “On Helping Analysands Observe Intrapsychic Activity,” with Paul Gray; “Termination,” with Stephen K. Firestein and Joseph Schachter; and “When the Patient is a Therapist: Special Challenges in the Analysis of Mental Health Professionals,” with Glen O. Gabbard and Henry F. Smith.
Peter Loewenberg's presentation, “The Creation of a Scientific Community: The Burghoelzi, Zurich, 1902-1912,” was very well received. Leo Rangell delivered the Plenary Address on “Castration.” He received a standing ovation.
—Michael G. Moran