The Board on Professional Standards, chaired by Donald Rosenblitt, passed several important items and moved ahead effectively on other difficult issues at its December 15 meeting. The Board gave final approval to a substantial revision of the American's standards of psychoanalytic training. It passed a recommendation that would allow free-standing psychoanalytic institutes to join the American. In addition, BOPS approved a position statement against bias in the treatment of homosexuals.
The question of allowing full voting and membership privileges to non-certified members of the American while maintaining the credibility and integrity of the educational functions of BOPS was moved to a newly created Board-Council task force. Even the very disappointing news that other members of the Psychoanalytic Consortium hesitated to confirm the provisional accreditation standards resulted not in heated criticism but in a decision to continue to meet at the table.
BOPS chair-elect Ralph Engle's choice for Board secretary, Calvern Narcisi, was unanimously approved. Engle and Narcisi will take office following the May meeting when Rosenblitt and secretary Robert Cummings complete their terms.
Rosenblitt expressed his great pleasure with the approval of the revision of the Principles and Standards of BOPS. In addition to codifying changes over the past fifteen years, the new document moved beyond a simple listing of training standards. The document explains the thought behind particular standards of analytic education, which makes it a source of information to a wide audience. Candidates, prospective candidates, and even the general public can learn much about the thinking that goes into the education of an analyst.
BOPS voted to establish a process by which an institute not part of the APsaA could become an affiliated institute (see “Accreditation of Free-Standing Institutes,” page 8). The Ad Hoc Task Force on Accreditation of Independent Training Facilities, chaired by David Carlson, presented its final report, which outlined a series of steps by which an independent institute could join the American.
The task force developed two plans: one for long-established institutes and one for recently established institutes. After preliminary steps, an independent institute would become an allied institute of the American. Then, following further steps, it could be accredited by the Board's Committee on Institutes. A proposal was made to send the task force's report to institutes for their input and to create a joint committee to further study the recommendations, but the Fellows voted thirty-five to fourteen (with two abstentions) to pass the report.
The Board approved the formation of an Ad Hoc Joint Task Force on Education and Membership with the expectation that it would resolve the complex issue of fostering full membership rights for non-certified members of the Association while safeguarding the educational independence of the Board.
Photo by Mervin S. Stewart
There has been an ongoing movement within the American to eliminate a two-tiered membership. Currently only certified members can vote on by-law amendments, serve on the Executive Council, and run for national office. The Fellows of the Board are concerned about non-certified members voting on educational matters. BOPS is concerned that membership needs of the American could intrude into the educational functions of the Board, such as certifying members and accrediting institutes. For example, there was concern that if the membership felt that Board educational policy interfered with membership needs, the membership could vote to modify or eliminate that educational policy.
Early in 1999 the Board formed an Ad Hoc Committee on BOPS Structure and Function, chaired by Morton Reiser, in order to examine these issues. Reiser reported that the committee took a broad view, believing that the basic structure of the American caused ongoing conflict between membership functions and educational functions. The committee recommended holding a referendum of all members, including non-certified members and candidates, to decide the Associations structure. Three possible models were proposed:
The American could become only a membership organization, with Board credentialing functions external to it.
The American could become a membership organization with a Board function limited to that of a study group.
The American could continue the current hybrid structure, with modifications to create safe boundaries against undue influence of membership interests on educational functioning.
At the same time Reiser's committee met, the Council created an Ad Hoc Task Force on Certification and Membership, chaired by Jonah Schein, to examine the same problems. The task force took a narrower view and suggested that non-certified members should have increased rights, including running for national office, serving on the Council, and voting on all by-law amendments except those involving educational issues. Although both groups examined the same problem, they were doing so from different perspectives and with different mandates.
On October 31, president Bob Pyles and Board chairman Rosenblitt called a meeting with the Executive Committee and representatives from the Board's committee and the Council's task force. This meeting was collegial and productive. It was felt that this group should become an ad hoc joint task force in order to move forward together. Because of the optimism surrounding the joint task force, Reiser did not ask BOPS to vote on the referendum proposal.
Leon Hoffman, co-chair of the Committee on External Credentialing, reported that the October 9 meeting with the Psychoanalytic Consortium was very disappointing. The Consortium partners had serious reservations about the Consortium's provisional document of standards for accrediting psychoanalytic training institutes. They felt that their members would find the proposals unacceptable.
The provisional document was drafted after a long and difficult negotiating process. All the Consortium representatives had agreed on the document early in 1999. It then was sent to the four member organizations of the Consortium to obtain feedback. Although several APsaA institutes had serious concerns, a majority felt that although the standards were weak and on the low side, they were an acceptable compromise.
At the October meeting the other Consortium partners, especially Division 39, delineated two major objections. They were the concept of “minimal” and “recommended” standards (e.g., a three-times-a-week training analysis would be a minimal standard; a four- to five-times-a-week training analysis would be a recommended standard) and the qualifications for training analyst appointment. The representatives from the American were firm in their position that it was unacceptable to change the document.
Narcisi, the other committee co-chair, reiterated the need for agreement of analytic standards. On a state-by-state basis, groups associated with the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis were attempting to establish licensing laws for psychoanalysts. These laws would define who could legally call him or herself an analyst, using what the American considers extremely low standards of training.
In spite of the setback, there was no talk about abandoning external credentialing. On the contrary, there was a desire to continue the discussion.
Chair of the Board Committee on Membership Remigio Gonzalez reported that the committee was hesitant to process applications from IPA members who wished to join the American. Members of the committee hesitated because of their uncertainty about the movement to give voting privileges to non-certified members. If this happened without adequate protection of the Board, members not trained in institutes of the American could vote on Board educational policies. Rosenblitt, Cummings, and Gonzalez served as an ad hoc committee and favorably evaluated two applicants, whom the Board approved.
Michael Singer, chair of the Certification Committee, said that the certification evaluation earlier in the week went very well. Of twenty-two new applicants and eleven continued applicants, twenty-eight were certified. It was the first time the committee functioned using its revised procedures, and it appeared to be a more relaxed experience both for the applicants and the examiners.
All new applicants now submit written accounts of two analytic cases and present another case orally. With an applicant's analytic work fresh in mind during the oral interview, the examiners can better frame questions to judge the applicant's competence. The previous procedure required the applicant to submit written accounts of three cases. Then, if the Certification Committee had questions, an oral evaluation took place at the following meeting of the American.
Singer spoke of the committee's effort at self-study to reflect on the ways that it thought about evaluating applications. Out of this effort, some tentative guidelines with a focus on evaluating skills are emerging for future study. Although the guidelines are a work in progress and an internal, not official, document, BOPS voted two to one to have them sent to the Fellows of the Board.
Susan Vaughan, chair of the Joint Committee on Homosexual Issues, requested the Board's approval of a position statement against bias in the therapy of homosexuals. Edward Hartmann suggested a revision of the committees statement which he felt was more forceful. After some discussion, it was moved to approve both statements; the Committee on Homosexual Issues and the Executive Committee will integrate them into one statement. This was passed. (See the position statement on page 5.)
Otto Kernberg, president of the IPA, discussed the SAM II proposal, which would streamline the administrative structure of the IPA. SAM II would combine the IPA Executive Committee and the House of Delegates. This would reduce the size of the IPAs governmental structure and cut administrative costs.
The Board approved training and supervising analyst appointments for Humphrey Morris of Boston, Clayton Gotwals of Cincinnati, and Eve Caligor and Ellen Peyser Rees of Columbia. Jerry M. Lewis III and Larry G. Shadid of Dallas, Michael G. Moran of Denver, Frances Cohen of New York, and Jane V. Kite of PINE were also appointed. In addition, John Hassler of San Diego and Georgine Marrott and Janet Roth of San Francisco were appointed TAs.
Carl Brotman of Boston was appointed geographic rule TA. Stephen Sonnenberg of Topeka was appointed geographic rule supervising analyst. Stanley J. Leiken of Los Angeles and Catherine Henderson of Seattle were appointed child supervising analysts. Samuel Rubin for Cincinnati and Jill Miller for San Francisco were appointed geographic rule supervising analysts.
Chair Ellen Rowntree reported on the Committee on New Training Facilities. The Minnesota New Training Facility, operating under direct sponsorship of the American, has a beginning class of fourteen candidates. Rowntree asked for and received approval for GRSA status for twenty-three analysts for Minnesota. Appointed are Melvin Bornstein, Fred Busch, James W. Dimon, Suzanne M. Gassner, Mark J. Gehrie, Edward Goldfarb, Stuart D. Hirsch, Deanna Holtzman, Daniel Jacobs, Theodore J. Jacobs, John F. Kelly, Jane V. Kite, Fred M. Levin, Marvin Margolis, Henry Markman, Rex H. McGehee, Michael Moore, Kenneth Newman, Mary Jane Otte, Robert L. Pyles, M. Barrie Richmond, Richard A. Ruzumna, and Evelyne A. Schwaber.
Lawrence Chalfin reported on the progress of Project 2000. The committee continues to gather and organize information obtained in its questionnaire to institutes. Project 2000 worked closely with the Affiliate Council in its survey of candidates.
Ronald Benson, chair of the Committee on Institutes, reported successful site visits to the Philadelphia Institute, the Dallas Institute, and the New York Institute. Benson warned about a potential liability for geographic rule supervisory and/or training analysts (see page 14).
Ralph Engle presented what he hoped would be the final draft of the revision of the Principles and Standards of Ethics for Psychoanalysts. However, a few questions were raised by the Fellows. The Board voted to provisionally approve the document taking these questions into consideration.
Edward Nersessian was appointed chair of a new Ad Hoc Joint Task Force on the Relationship With the IPA.
BOPS approved permanent committee status for the Ad Hoc Joint Committee on Graduate Education, chaired by Stephanie Smith.