An exciting, diverse, and stimulating program is set for the Fall Meeting of the American Psychoanalytic Association. It will be held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City from Wednesday, December 16, through Sunday. December 20. There is something on the agenda for anyone with an interest in psychoanalytic theory and practice, with opportunities for everyone from students to senior members. The meetings provide vivid examples of the bio-psycho-social underpinnings of the human mind.
On Wednesday, two two-day clinical workshops on psychoanalytic process and technique will begin, conducted by Ronald Britton of London, England, and R. Horacio Etchegoyen of Buenos Aires.
Joseph Weiss, Harold Sampson, and Suzanne Gassner will teach a course on “The Therapeutic Process” on Thursday. On Friday, a seminar and slide presentation on “Creativity and Childhood Loss: Edvard Munch” will be presented by Richard Simons and chaired by Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer, with Evelyne Albrecht Schwaber leading the discussion.
The Friday morning plenary address, “Psychoanalysis in the United States—A Troubled Passage,” will be given by Marvin Margolis, with Sander Abend introducing the speaker and Robert L. Pyles acting as chair. Friday afternoon's plenary presentation, “Letting Go: Some Thoughts About Termination,” will be given by Shelley Orgel; Vann Spruiell will introduce the speaker and Richard P. Fox will be the chair.
Also on Friday, noted author Barbara Kafka will present a discussion on “Why Food Matters”; Morris Peltz will chair. The “Meet the Author” panel on Saturday will feature Robert S. Wallerstein, author of The Talking Cures: The Psychoanalyses and the Psychotherapies. Discussion, chaired by Anton Kris, will be provided by Martin Bergmann and Robert Michels.
On Friday and Saturday, Jane Kite will chair a two-part panel, “Have We Changed Our View of the Unconscious in Contemporary Clinical Work?” Participants will be Sander Abend, Ronald Britton, Philip Bromberg, Owen Renik, Henry Smith, Ernest Wolf, and Polly Young-Eisendrath. Also on Saturday, Morris Peltz will chair a panel on “Race in the Clinical Situation” with contributions from Neil Altman, Pamela Jennings, Kimberlyn Leary, and Elisabeth Young-Bruehl. The final panel, “The Controversial Discussions: 50 Years Later,” is scheduled for Sunday and will be chaired by Glen Gabbard, with panelists Ronald Britton, Joseph Sandler, and David Tuckett.
There will also be new features including the Committee on Research and Special Training Essay Prize, an ethics course on “The Impaired Analyst,” and a “Presidential Symposium” (sponsored by the presidents of APsaA and the American Psychiatric Association) on “Psychoanalysis and American Medical Education for the Millennium: Recruitment, Teaching, and Practice Building Opportunities in Medical Schools.” There will also be a public forum on “Homophobia: Analysis of a ‘Permissible’ Prejudice.”
All of the above, combined with the popular discussion groups, scientific papers, and the chance to see old friends and make new ones, make this meeting not to be missed.