As the Affiliate Council enters its fourth year, it has turned a corner. In these beginning years, the council's main goal is to develop an organizational structure. While we will continue to evaluate and develop this structure, we now want to increasingly recognize the many contributions that candidates are making to the intellectual vitality of The American.
Early on in their membership, affiliates are encouraged to participate in committees and programs of The American. Through their involvement, they gain a broader knowledge of current analytic thinking and learn about the important decisionmaking function of committees. These experiences can be central to candidates in forming their analytic identity. In turn, affiliates bring critical thinking and inquiry, fresh ideas, and enthusiasm to the larger organization. This reciprocity is enriching to candidates and to The American as a whole.
Reports from three candidates who are very involved in the Affiliate Council tell of some recent activities.
The Affiliate Council will sponsor several programs at the fall meetings. The Psychoanalytic Forum on Analytic Identity will feature Otto Kernberg interviewed by Lee Jaffe, President of the Affiliate Council. The intent of this forum is to give candidates a more personal view of the experiences that have contributed to the analytic identity of a prominent psychoanalyst. There will be ample time for discussion and a chance for a more informal dialogue with Kernberg.
“Candidate to Candidate: Clinical Issues in Training” will offer candidates an opportunity to present and discuss papers on a specific topic of mutual interest. The topic for this fall meeting is “Love in the Analytic Situation.” The Affiliate Council is also co-sponsoring the International Candidate to Candidate Discussion Group with the International Psychoanalytic Studies Organization (IPSO). In this group a candidate presents a case to an international panel of candidate discussants.
Two other discussion groups at the fall meeting may be of particular interest to candidates: the popular and topical “On Becoming a Psychoanalyst in the 21st Century” and “Mutual Learning in Supervision: New Ideas and Directions From the 1997 Barcelona Pre-Congress.” The latter promises to be a stimulating discussion of the supervisory process.
All candidates are invited to the Affiliate Council's business meeting on Thursday, December 18, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. It is a good way to see how the council works and to be introduced to the most current and vital issues facing the American and the psychoanalytic community at large. We welcome your participation. On Friday, December 19, from 7:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., all candidates are invited to the Affiliate Council party. On Saturday evening, December 20, from 5:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., there is a reception for affiliate members and candidates hosted by the Executive Committee of the American Psychoanalytic Association. We hope to see you in New York!
Much has happened during the past three years to promote affiliate membership in The American. With the reduction of fees for first- and second-year candidates, and the December 1995 membership drive spearheaded by Katherine Fraiser and me, the number of candidates who became affiliate members increased significantly. In 1995, 71 candidates became affiliate members; in 1996, 156 candidates became members. The total number of affiliate members is 593; the total number of candidates is 899. Two-thirds of candidates nationwide are now affiliate members of The American!
During the May meetings in San Diego, the Board of Professional Standards and the Executive Council voted to give affiliate membership in The American to candidates automatically as soon as they are accepted into their local institutes. The first year of membership is free; the second-year membership fee is substantially reduced and includes a subscription to JAPA.
A new cooperative spirit has truly developed in The American. BOPS and the Executive Council help the affiliates in many ways to become integrated into the greater association. For example, candidates may now serve on many of The American's standing committees. In particular, our candidates' efforts have been supported consistently by Dick Fox, Marvin Margolis, and Bob Pyles, to whom we are very grateful. If you are interested in becoming a committee member, please contact me at (617) 424-9552 or Lee Jaffe at (619) 452-5728.
As I step down as chairman of the Membership Committee, I would like to thank all the hardworking delegates who contacted their fellow candidates individually and interested them in joining. This one-to-one outreach was especially helpful.
IPSO, founded in 1972, was created to promote a free exchange of ideas across international boundaries and to further the best interests of candidates in their psychoanalytic training and education. At the Barcelona meetings, IPSO sponsored a thoughtful pre-congress, “1895-1997: Psychoanalysis and Sexuality: Candidates' Perspective.” There were many professional contributions of high quality as well as events where candidates could meet and socialize. Three affiliate members of The American made significant contributions to the program: Paul Lynch of Boston, Michael Bader of San Francisco, and Geraldine Hoban of New York. The next IPSO Bulletin will give a full report of the program.
During the past few years, IPSO North America has become a viable organization, with the full support of the American and Canadian Psychoanalytic Associations and the Independent Societies. IPSO workshops, serving as North American meetings for IPSO, now take place during the national meetings of the American and Canadian societies. Recently, the American and Canadian societies were asked to collect the IPSO's $10.00 annual fee along with their own collection of affiliate fees. Eventually all affiliates will be members of IPSO, resulting in an exponential jump in both membership and money for programs. We have also begun to provide announcements and bulletins in a timely fashion throughout North America.
Rachel Seidel, an American affiliate from the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, was elected Vice President Elect for North America on July 30 at the IPSO business meeting in Barcelona. The new vice-president is Helene Tessier of Montreal. I want to thank Elizabeth Tuters of Toronto, with whom I have worked closely during the past two years. I admire both her organizational abilities and her dedication. I pass on this office with a sense of accomplishment, good memories, and sadness. I was involved for four years; first as treasurer of IPSO, then as Vice President for North America. My experience with the international community of psychoanalytic candidates was invaluable.