The Committee on Foundations (COF) held its fifth workshop April 18-20, 1997, in St. Louis. There were 33 registrants from 18 groups of The American: institutes, societies, and foundations. Their underlying goal was the same: to ensure the visibility and viability of psychoanalysis.
In departure from earlier practice (but in keeping with his oratorical skill), Harvey L. Rich, chair of COF, led the meeting without a formal facilitator. Ellen Fertig from the central office was an especially welcomed participant, along with three Board members of the American Psychoanalytic Foundation: Selma Duckler, Nadine Levinson, and Sandra Walker.
The workshop focused on practical steps in developing a foundation board that includes many members — perhaps the majority — from the local community. This topic followed naturally from previous workshops on board structure, ethics and mechanics of fundraising, and media relations. The workshop began with a roundtable discussion in which each representative described the wide range of activities and institutional structures that have emerged in his or her area. Over and over, we heard variations on the notion of outreach, of listening to people in our communities, of learning how to share our viewpoint with humility and openness.
The central presentation came from the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute. The great majority of this organization's board consists of community members who work with analysts in all aspects of institute functioning, from forming a library committee to recruiting board members to developing educational events. The group makes no distinction between institute and foundation: they are one and the same. William A. Kelly, director of the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute, said that the conglomerate board is best thought of as a family unit, sometimes ambivalently but always strongly invested. The presentation reflected a synergy between community people who deferred to analysts in areas of educational and therapeutic expertise, but were themselves deferred to when it came to more worldly skills. As the two-day workshop progressed, a rotating panel of St. Louis Institute board members demonstrated their collegial approach in which individual differences and succession are not only anticipated but welcomed.
At the conclusion of Saturday's program, Mark Smaller of Chicago treated us to an engaging discussion of his public relations work stemming from the fourth COF Workshop on media relations, held in Portland, Ore., in 1996. Smaller has gathered a cadre of enthusiastic and articulate analysts who meet monthly with a public relations consultant to find ways to communicate widely on social issues. He told how his group speaks promptly to the media about gripping events like the recent mass suicide in California or the little girl who died in Colorado flying a plane under the guidance of adults. Chicago analysts find quick access to media friends in order to address a public longing for meaning.
Saturday ended with a dinner at the home of Cheryl Griffin, a candidate from the St. Louis Institute. The workshop continued on Sunday morning, when Rich cajoled and humored a sometimes hesitant group to develop talking points — answers to the provocative questions we hear in interviews. For example, people say that “analysis is for the rich.” One contributor thought a useful and non-defensive answer might be, “Wealthy people are fortunate to have access to high-quality, long-term treatment, but there are plenty of ways people with less money can get into exactly the same type of treatment, through our clinic at [phone number].” Talking points help to guide the discussion and to find ways to speak out about the many resources we provide.
Delegates to the COF workshop agreed to accept an offer to visit Detroit in the spring of 1998. On behalf of the Michigan Psychoanalytic Foundation, Marvin Margolis had invited us to observe an actual working board meeting. This seemed a welcome and practical next step in our joint mission of sustaining psychoanalysis.
Richard Lightbody is president-elect of the Cleveland Psychoanalytic Society.