This is the second time, I am told, that a regular column in The Americans newsletter has been given over to candidates. My informant, Marvin Margolis, wrote the first one in his own candidate days. Called “The Candidates' Corner,” it somehow faded from the scene, and now the opportunity presents itself again. I take this as another reflection of the many salutary changes occurring within The American.
As acting chair of the Communications Committee of the new Candidates Council, I suggested such a column and volunteered to write it. Given the many innovative ideas for change that candidates discussed at their Council meeting in May, this medium seemed made to order as a vehicle for keeping the process going between meetings. TAP editor William Jeffrey readily agreed to my proposal for a national conversation among candidates and with the readership at large. Offering us space up to a page in each issue, he suggested that this might be used for articles separate from and in addition to the column. Ideas or commentary are welcome from candidates and others for inclusion in either form.
One of the suggestions for change that was discussed in May in the Communications Committee was that as candidates we should be more familiar with the workings of institutes other than our own. This information would be valuable in letting us know what might be possible at our own institute, providing us leverage for effecting changes we might be considering, such as a reduction in supervisory fees for candidates, or the placing of candidate representatives on all standing committees of the institute and society.
Someone at the meeting suggested that we devise a questionnaire for gathering such information. Later, in a conversation at the candidates' cocktail party, a candidate who is an experienced researcher said he could be of help. Others interested in the project should contact their local representative to the Candidates Council, or call or write me directly. We need a core of workers to get this off the ground. Another means of sharing information, of course, is this column itself. Here issues that candidates are addressing in their local organizations can be aired, including suggested changes that might be implemented nationally.
At my institute, for example, the Washington Psychoanalytic, the Education Committee of the Candidates Organization last year drew up a position paper expressing the view, supported by the majority of candidates, that the Institute should drop the requirement of a terminated case for graduation. The position paper included data on the requirements of the other institutes of The American. This movement for change, which eventuated in our success, involved numerous meetings, first among ourselves to draft the position paper, and then with members of various Institute committees in order to determine the efficacy and consequences of this major change.
Currently our Candidates Organization is pursuing our representation on all standing committees of the Institute, in sufficient number to allow our views to be heard and carry weight. At present we have only one candidate representative on the curriculum committee of the Institute, and no representation at all on other committees, with the exception of various Washington Psychoanalytic Foundation committees, where we are well represented. Our pursuit of representation just recently included an active voicing of our concern that the subcommittee planning the curriculum committee retreat this fall, which included all active members of the Institute, was considering excluding candidates. Our position was that changes in the curriculum are our immediate concern as consumers, and that our input is crucial to informed decision making in this area. We were subsequently invited to participate, and a few candidates were invited to serve on special committees set up for the occasion. In concluding this inaugural column, I again encourage candidates and the general readership to send in their ideas and commentary.