Could our societies and institutes be places where graduate students gather to learn about psychoanalysis? This is already occurring in several psychoanalytic communities. In fact, on the national level, leaders of the American Psychoanalytic Association are promoting greater involvement with graduate students in psychology and social work, as well as psychiatric residents and medical students.
The goal is to educate and increase awareness of psychoanalysis. This need exists because teaching of the psychoanalytic perspective has been either totally eliminated or greatly diminished in training programs of all kinds, and there is nothing to indicate that this trend will reverse its downward spiral in the near future. If psychoanalysis is not being taught in the graduate departments, why can't members of The American fill the breach for interested students in our local societies?
At the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Society, a multidisciplinary group of twelve students meets every other month with candidates and graduate analysts to discuss clinical material and theory. The Society is planning a mentor program and further outreach to graduate students focusing on marriage and family, as well as to students in non-clinical graduate programs.
Three times a year, Saturday morning lectures and discussions are offered to medical students, psychiatric residents, psychology interns, and social work students by the Boston Psychoanalytic Society. Two analysts from Boston meet monthly at one of their homes with medical students from Harvard, Tufts, and Boston Universities. These meetings focus on clinical presentation with discussion. So far, about ten students have asked to meet with mentors.
The Chicago Psychoanalytic Society and Institute have begun a local fellowship program. They now have seven fellows, four psychiatric residents, and three psychology graduate students. The fellows meet on a regular basis with analysts to discuss Greenson's textbook and more contemporary readings. All of the fellows are assigned mentors with whom they can work on topics of their choosing. Their program is also open to social work graduate students.
Pre-symposium discussion groups for trainees are offered by the Michigan Institute and Society on the evening prior to the Institute's annual symposium. The Michigan group also offers a mini-symposium designed for graduate students and residents on a topic of their choice. A mentoring program is in the works.
There are eleven psychiatric residents and graduate students in a mentoring program at the Denver Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. Each student is paired with an analyst; they meet weekly or biweekly to discuss psychoanalytic psychotherapy and the mentor's supervision of the student's work, plus specific topics and relevant papers.
All of the above societies invite students to scientific programs, send them newsletters and local publications, and provide food and refreshments at society meetings that students attend. This is all done without charge. The societies are in the process of organizing student associations that will feed into a national student association planned for The American.
The American has recently appointed a multidisciplinary ad hoc committee for student outreach composed of both candidates and graduate students. Each will act as a liaison for his or her respective discipline and society. I hope by the time this goes to press every society will have met with a group of graduate students and residents to determine their needs and will have begun planning a student program.
Student outreach will expose future mental health clinicians to psychoanalysis as a potent tool for understanding and enhancing the human condition. Along with the growing number of efforts on the part of societies, institutes, extension divisions, and foundations, this effort will help us keep the torch burning.
Gerald A. Melchiode is chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Student Associates. He is a training and supervising analyst for the Dallas Psychoanalytic Institute, of which he is also president.