Since the spring of 1996, the Ad Hoc Committee on Student Associates has been steadily building a national student association, and it is now 140 students strong. The mission of the committee, chaired by Gerald Melchiode and co-chaired by Fred Levine, is to encourage interest in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic ideas among students and to develop programs in local societies to facilitate mutually enriching exchanges among students, analysts, and societies.
Although the committee was established formally in 1996, it began and evolved several years earlier. In a meeting with the American Psychiatric Association in 1992, chairman of the Board on Professional Standards Marvin Margolis learned that 97 percent of all psychiatry residents were student members of the APA. Not only were they members, but they also were involved in committee work and were even accorded voting privileges! That meeting sparked the beginning of thought and discussion of developing a students' affiliation and program in The American.
The issue was incorporated into the mandate of the APsaA's Strategic Task Force on Membership and Organizational Issues, chaired by Richard Fox. The task force's discussions were followed by decisions that eventually led to the formation of national and local student affiliations. In May 1996, the Joint Committee on Student Associates was formed, chaired by Jerry Melchiode, known for his expertise in educating young professionals. A sophisticated brochure conceived of by Sharon Zalusky helped to inform and interest students. At the 1997 Spring Meeting in San Diego, Council and Board voted unanimously to form a student associates affiliation in The American.
The Ad Hoc Committee on Student Associates and the Council recommended that component societies also form local affiliated groups, or “Student Associations.” Though the idea had been several years in the making, the speed with which that action item passed testified to the high priority and support given it by Marvin Margolis and Robert Pyles and the unanimity of Council and Board.
The Ad Hoc Committee on Student Associates has received enthusiastic reports from many societies. Students are eager to become involved in educational activities sponsored by societies, and analyst members report gratifying mentorship experiences.
While some societies have opted to reach out primarily to students who have indicated interest in eventually pursuing analytic training, the national model encourages a more inclusive, encompassing stance. That model accepts all students at the graduate level — medical, psychology, and social work students, psychiatry residents, residents from other specialties, and graduate students in other disciplines, such as the humanities and allied health professions. The goal is to provide an atmosphere in which immersion in psychoanalytic thought and principles can occur, in the hope that students will use the knowledge in their various vocational paths, be it clinical work, research, administration, scholarly writing, or other pursuits.
An underlying goal is to promote psychoanalytic teaching as a standard part of training in academic programs (sorely lacking at present) by forming partnerships with educators and administrators in graduate programs around the country. Leaving the educated professional uninformed about psychoanalysis runs the risk of psychoanalysis disappearing from the minds, classrooms, and educational institutions of future generations.
Student associations vary at the society level. For example, while the San Francisco Society does not have a formal student association in place, its candidates organized and developed a “Student Outreach” course, offered free to students. Students decide on topics, and candidates design the curriculum. The course, so popular that prospective participants are now waitlisted, has been running year-round for more than two years.
Milwaukee and Chicago report that their student associations are in the formative stage. Students are invited to society meetings and other scientific programs, and both societies plan on organizing more formal programs in the near future.
The Baltimore-Washington Society recently produced its own brochure, which it will distribute this fall to eligible area students. This society also will involve students in scientific meetings, invite them to its open house, and encourage participation in its annual film series.
In Boston, PINE and BPSI are part of a consortium of residency and medical directors in which students are invited to attend case presentations and discussions. Meetings are well attended by students of all mental health disciplines. PINE and BPSI have organized additional workshops and meetings at their respective societies. The programs, which have been running for the past two years, are free for students.
Dallas' student association, active for the past year, is steered by a multidisciplinary chaired student association committee. The society is proud to report that its program is student-driven and sensitive to students' interests and needs. There are now more than twenty students active with the Dallas society. Nearly half of the student associates participated in a weekly seminar program. Some students have entered the psychotherapy training certificate program, and others have joined the community education program.
The Michigan Society's student program, the largest and perhaps the most active, has arranged many special programs and events around and with students. Topping out at fifty student associate members last year, Michigan is in the rebuilding mode, having recently lost some students to graduation. Last year the society organized a special open house for students at which several local analysts gave a presentation on “Why I chose to become a psychoanalyst.” The society has also organized a brunch discussion group that meets three Sundays each month to discuss clinical presentations by students. Members have raised funds for educational grants that sponsor student travel to The American's annual meetings. The society's web site (http://www.mpi-mps.org) announces and promotes student programs and events.
Aside from involvement in society programs, students are assigned a local mentor with whom to discuss their studies and their interests in
Brenda Bauer Eischen is a psychology student at the Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology in Milwaukee. She is a student associate of The American and a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Student Associates and the Ad Hoc Committee on community Clinics. Marvin Margolis was consulted on this article.
psychoanalysis and to consult on psychotherapy cases. Mentorship, perhaps the most meaningful facet of association with the local society, brings the student experience to life and is the key to building a solid student association. Access to a committed, personal resource to whom one can turn with questions and ideas is highly valued among students.
As in most outreach efforts, “inreach” to local membership becomes essential. The societies with the most successful student associate programs have had significant numbers of their members serve as mentors, thus helping students feel “at home” in the society. Some societies have involved students on committees, assuring that students' voices are heard in setting the scientific program; this introduces students to governance issues. Societies have found that as with most good investments, the development of a student association pays dividends. Student involvement can energize and diversify the membership.
Upon joining the national organization, students receive
Early announcements of the scientific program and advanced registration materials for national meetings. The student registration fee is a mere $20 for all five days of the meetings.
A subscription to TAP.
A subscription to JAPA, at the drastically reduced rate of $30.
Mentoring by a psychoanalysts in the student's home area, and/or mentoring at national meetings (coordinated by Carolyn Weyand).
A special four-session program for psychiatry residents and psychology and social work students has been developed for students, but it is open to all registrants at the national meetings. The lecture format, organized around a specific topic, is followed by a case presentation by a participant in The American's Fellowship program. The special student program at national meetings is recognition that students hold a place within the organization. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.
There is an ongoing need for mentors at both the local and national level. Members of The American who are interested in mentoring a student for their society should contact the society's student associate representative, administrator, or other designee. Interested in helping a student navigate the busy annual meetings? Please contact Carolyn Weyand at 504-861-2900.
Those in need of applications for the American Psychoanalytic Association's Student Association may contact Debbie Steinke, membership services coordinator at the APsaA central office, 212-752-0450, extension 26. Individuals interested in forming a student association within their society may contact Gerald Melchiode at 214-373-6195 for assistance.