The philosophical underpinning of Don Rosenblitt's term as chair of BOPS derives from his deeply held belief that an essential boundary must separate the functions of the two governing bodies of our organization. For Rosenblitt, BOPS alone should be concerned with standard-related educational decisions. Conversely, issues related to standards should not intrude into non-educational, membership-based aims of the organization.
In his farewell remarks to the Board at the May meeting, Rosenblitt stated,
We have much reason to be optimistic about our future. BOPS has become what it should be: an institution within which our institutes achieve a national consensus with regard to educational philosophy and policy, a think tank where new ideas are germinated, and an originator and facilitator of educational programming within our institutes.
Completing a demanding three-year term as chair, Rosenblitt is pleased that the Board continues to evolve from a purely regulatory body into one that is “open, facilitative, and … exploring and promoting new vistas in psychoanalytic education.”
He cites the following as some of the major accomplishments of the Board during his three-year term:
Completion of the first revision since 1984 of the Principles and Standards for Education in Psychoanalysis (accessible on the APsaA Web site).
Revision of the procedures for certification, achieving a greater level of collegiality and ensuring that the Certification Committee has sufficient information about an applicant's work when its deliberations begin.
Creation of a new model for direct sponsorship of new training facilities, piloted in Minnesota and now to be initiated in the Berkshires.
The work of Project 2000, which is assessing the current state of psychoanalytic education and looking toward assisting institutes with new pedagogical approaches.
Increasing partnership between the Board and affiliate members. Almost all Board committees have at least one affiliate member, and affiliates are a central part of Project 2000.
Establishment of a specific methodology through which free-standing institutes can achieve accreditation by the Board and become a member institute of the APsaA.
Rosenblitt is also excited about some of the newer initiatives that have been put into place: the exploration of the possibility of making our institutes into degree-offering institutions (Ph.D.s) and the beginning exploration of the possibility of independent training in child analysis.
Rosenblitt called the dramatic new governance proposals in the recent Joint Task Force report (see page 3) evidence of a profound change in the organization. He feels that there is a dialectical tension within our Association between membership values (such as one person/one vote) and educational values. Recognizing that both sets of values can be upheld by both strengthening Board autonomy and protecting membership prerogatives has led to the new proposal de-linking certification and voting rights. Rosenblitt believes that establishing an organizational structure that integrates and preserves both value sets is crucial to our survival as an association:
Photo by Mervin Stewart
It's not right to have a membership organization without the vote for all members. What I've come to feel is that the membership have the absolute right to determine what our organization should do and stand for at the highest levels of policy, and this is reflected in the by-laws. It needs to be members who decide should we have a board on professional standards, should it certify members and accredit institutes. If the members say yes, then it goes to the Board to implement these tasks with full autonomy.
Rosenblitt supports candidates' having full voting rights. “There was a time,” he says, “when candidates didn't know about how institutes functioned; now they are deep participants in their own institutes and organizational life. Our candidates are not young students; it's just demeaning” to deny them the vote. In their assessment of prospective officers, affiliate members, Rosenblitt thinks, will form a national constituency whose main interest and priority is education.
In leaving his post as Board chair, Rosenblitt said he is completing his service to the American at the elected leadership level. He returns to North Carolina from the peripatetic suitcase- and laptop-hauling life of an APsaA officer to continue his work as clinical director of the Lucy Daniels Center for Early Childhood, his practice as a child and adult analyst, and his work as a training and supervising analyst at the UNC-Duke Institute.