The Task Force on Membership and Organizational Issues, chaired by Richard Fox, was established by George Allison, then president, and Marvin Margolis, chair of BOPS, on recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee on Strategic Planning. The task force was to deliver its final report in May 1994, but recently was given a one-year extension in which to complete its work.
The task force has met at each of the national meetings since May 1992. At its most recent meeting, held in New York last December, the group articulated a number of guiding principles to be used in formulating its proposals. The commitment to excellence in psychoanalytic education and practice is essential, and must be maintained as the organization makes the transition to a changing membership and a changing world. The American is becoming a multidisciplinary organization, and as such is moving beyond the medical-nonmedical distinction. Full recognition of all colleagues, and an appreciation of their core disciplines, is encouraged. The task force also emphasizes that The American is a national organization, a fact that must be reflected in opportunities for all members to participate.
The task force recognizes that large segments of the membership are disaffected, and in effect disenfranchised, because meeting locations, duration, and costs preclude their full and equal involvement. The full spectrum of the membership, ranging from senior analysts to recent graduates and an increasing number of candidates, must be acknowledged and addressed. Finally, economic realities must be faced. Psychoanalysts are no longer among the more highly compensated clinicians, and the financial implications of organizational decisions must be considered. The majority cannot afford to take extended time off from their practices to attend meetings held in expensive hotels.
The task force has set forth a comprehensive plan to address the issue of The Americans dwindling and “graying” membership. The plan centers on granting candidates affiliate membership directly upon matriculation and ensuring that this membership becomes an integral part of their professional development. Upon graduation, it is hoped, they will become active members for life.
Board and Council have acted on a number of the task force's recommendations, and recently voted, by a 92% majority, to allow affiliate membership upon matriculation at an institute. With the passage by Board and Council of the proposal for establishing a national Candidates Council, the task force's work in this area is virtually complete. At the December meeting, more than sixty candidates from across the country attended an organizational meeting to set up the new council. The Board's Membership Committee will monitor affiliate membership from matriculation through graduation, while the Joint Committee on Affiliate Membership will work with the Candidates Council in advancing and implementing various programs.
The schedule of membership dues has also been reviewed. To facilitate candidate membership and the transition to full membership upon graduation, the task force has advised a fee reduction for the first year of affiliate membership and for the first year of active membership after graduation.
The task force had earlier proposed a series of changes, outlined in a report circulated to local societies and institutes, in the way meetings are structured, sited, and scheduled. The Committee on Societies then polled these local groups and provided the task force useful feedback. The task force is committed to the view that the primary purpose of the meetings is to bring together the broadest range of members possible, so that they may engage in substantial discourse with one another. Economic and geographic factors weigh heavily in meeting this objective. In a preliminary recommendation, the task force suggested having one major, convention-like meeting a year, to be held in the spring and to rotate geographically, and a scaled-down December meeting in New York. In addition, an extended weekend retreat, to be held in the fall, was proposed for Board and Council and their committees. Considerable resistance to these changes is anticipated, as the present arrangement is convenient or desirable for many who attend, especially those in the Northeast corridor.
Although the task force intends to consider innovations in program formats, the emphasis for now is on reducing members' costs by scheduling meetings over extended weekends—for many clinicians, lost practice time is a significant deterrent to attendance—and in less expensive and more equally accessible sites. Incentives for younger families to attend might include financial assistance programs, lowered registration fees, and day-care and baby-sitting services.
The Committee on University and Medical Education has launched a successful fellowship program for psychiatric residents and recently established a subcommittee on medical student education. In keeping with the task force's philosophy of promoting multidisciplinary affiliations and moving away from the medical-nonmedical distinction, clinical students from other disciplines were invited to participate in the December meeting's Special Programs for Students, seminars that formerly were open only to psychiatric residents.
The task force is looking to extend the reach of the organization by establishing a low-cost category of affiliation for students in clinical disciplines with an interest in psychoanalysis, much like the very successful resident membership of the American Psychiatric Association. This affiliation should be integrated with similar affiliations at the local level, as these students are potential candidates. Students should be welcomed to meetings and programs, and be apprised of opportunities for low-fee analysis. Details are still under consideration.
The final assignment of the task force has been to study the national leadership. Since many uncompensated hours are required of national officers, a compensation package is being considered. Financial remuneration would allow members to serve who might otherwise have to decline nomination.