Analysis dying? Don't tell Elise Snyder and the members of the Fellowship Subcommittee. They are too busy mentoring a group of psychiatric residents who are discovering the excitement of psychoanalysis. Our page one article about the fellowship is followed later in this issue by short biographies of this multitalented group. In an era in which instruction in analytically oriented psychotherapy has lost ground in residency training, The American's fellowship program gives future psychiatric leaders a special opportunity to learn the value of psychoanalysis. As part of The American's outreach efforts, this issue of TAP will be sent to directors of psychiatric residencies and doctoral programs in clinical psychology, along with an offer for their program to receive a free TAP subscription. We hope all will avail themselves of this opportunity.
Although the threats posed to psychoanalysis by aspects of health care reform have diminished for the time being, president Judy Schachter and BOPS chair Larry Chalfin warn us not to be complacent in facing the many issues with which The American must grapple. Both address the question of external credentialing, no doubt an issue that will be debated at the December meeting. Larry now serves as our liaison to the American Psychiatric Association and, in his report on last May's meeting of the APA Assembly, writes of our common interests, in particular the concern that health care reform will mandate bureaucratic intrusions into the realm of private practice.
Art Farley, new chair of CGRI, cautions us not to cease our personal lobbying efforts, and to work on the local level to ensure protection of our patients and our profession. Leslie Brown writes about the Candidates Council and asks for contributions to the Candidates Column, inaugurated in this issue.
The December meeting in New York promises once again to be stimulating and pleasant. However, questions continue to arise regarding the practicality and fairness of holding every fall meeting in the city. Dick Fox and Muriel Laskin take differing perspectives in examining the issue. The format was to be that of a TAP Debate; however, Dick and Muriel happened to attend the same conference this past summer and very amicably discussed their concerns. So, in lieu of a debate, we introduce TAP Dialogue. We ask readers to consider these contrasting viewpoints and then register their opinion about the structure of the meetings—a questionnaire appears on page 7b. At the May meeting in Philadelphia, Dick conducted a survey of members attending the administrative meetings (those members who are most active and devote the most time to The American), but the results showed no clear-cut consensus. To help resolve this issue, please mail in your questionnaire at your very earliest convenience.
Thanks must go again to Elise Snyder, who next contributes a terrific interview with Helen Fischer, retired this spring from her position as administrative director and now a consultant to the newly formed American Psychoanalytic Foundation. Helen reflects on her thirty-eight years with The American and reveals some little-known incidents that enlivened her tenure.
We have two center sections in this issue: one on the upcoming fiftieth anniversary of Columbia, and another on New York City to coincide with the December meeting.
The history of Columbia, detailed here by Henriette Klein and Roger MacKinnon, is complex and enlightening. It serves as an example of the benefits of avoiding splits; despite tensions and theoretical disputes, Columbia remained in the fold of The American. It engendered the training program at Emory University, a chapter recalled by Ralph Roughton, and produced a formidable roster of faculty and graduates. Thanks to Bob Click and Roger MacKinnon for organizing this section. Fortuitously, the issue also includes interviews with a trio of outstanding Columbia analysts. Lisbe Mayer talks with Helen Meyers, Wendy Jacobson with Bob Michels, and Betsy Auchincloss with Arnie Cooper.
Our special section on the New York meeting begins with an interview with Else Pappenheim, who reminisces about the analytic atmosphere in the city fifty years ago. This heady period was an era when European émigrés commenced their momentous contribution to American psychoanalysis. It was also, however, a period of mourning for lost family and friends, culture and country.
Thanks to contributors Charlie Tolk, Janice Lieberman, Jules Glenn, and H.B., who inform us of the New York scene. To those attending the meeting: take advantage of the city's splendors. And, lest anyone think that this issue is too focused on Gotham, Ellen Handler Spitz and John Munder Ross weigh in with reports on their travels abroad. John attended a program in Italy, where analysis is well known and respected, while Ellen brought her psychoanalytic knowledge to a receptive group of students in China, where analysis is little known. Finally, the issue closes with Glen Gabbard's review of Hollywood on the Couch, a book bridging two of Glen's major interests—film and ethics.
Plans for TAP in the oncoming year are exciting. Readers can look forward to special sections on Psychoanalytic Education, edited by Deborah Cabaniss; Analysis in Academia, edited by Janet Hadda; Analysis in the Inner City, edited by Bruce Sklarew; and Analysis in the Community, edited by Lynne Moritz. Also upcoming are a section on Psychoanalysis in the Midwest and extensive coverage of the IPA Congress in San Francisco and the 1995 New York meetings.
In closing, thanks and best wishes to Rick Zimmer, who has completed his term on the editorial board.
William D. Jeffrey