Los Angeles and Southern California Societies and Institutes Merge

A new entity, the New Center for Psychoanalysis, will replace the two venerable members of APsaA that have co-existed in Los Angeles for more than 50 years. The “crosstown rivals” had recruited and trained their own candidates and put on scientific and social programs with little shared activities or membership. For years, the idea of combining these two rather similar organizations had been mentioned, but each was functioning well and cherished organizational identifications made the idea seem unnecessary and unappealing.

There is now considerable excitement about the opportunity to build a psychoanalytic organization that better reflects the needs of its members, its candidates, and the community.

Over time, however, new institutes appeared on the scene, reflecting theoretical niches and the medical exclusivity of the past. In some cases, these new entities were formed by groups that had split off, taking members and their candidates with them. So while interest in psychoanalysis has remained strong in Los Angeles, the market share of the two original organizations gradually became smaller. Recruiting became more competitive and membership rolls began to decrease due to aging and attrition. The result for both groups was shrinking coffers and decreasing vitality as the financial and human resources to run their various and often parallel programs were stretched thin.

By the late '90s, the idea of merger was finally being taken seriously. A joint committee explored the feasibility of combining to create a larger, financially robust psychoanalytic organization, revitalized by the synergy of a merger. A vote in principle by both memberships to combine led to an implementation committee charged with recommending a model for the new organization. A final, binding vote was held in May 2005, expressing overwhelming support for the merger and creating the New Center for Psychoanalysis.

The process was not always a smooth one. At various points, there was understandable resistance to change, with apprehension in each group about the “other,” and infighting within each group about the advisability of making such a sweeping change. Alongside the excitement of starting something new was always the awareness that our psychoanalytic homes would cease to exist, places where we had learned our craft and found lasting professional and personal relationships.

Following the vote in principle to combine, there was a de facto merging of important functions, establishing joint institute and psychotherapy classes and their associated committees, which have been running quite smoothly for the past three years. The experience of working together successfully was crucial in building trust and confidence in the process and in one another.

There is now considerable excitement about the opportunity to build a psychoanalytic organization that better reflects the needs of its members, its candidates, and the community. To this end, the New Center for Psychoanalysis, while continuing the tradition of analytic training of the highest caliber, will also sponsor a broader application of psychoanalytic thinking. With a strong foundation, we hope to tap into the academic and cultural passions of our diverse membership, sponsoring programs that will both foster more active participation within and further widen the scope of psychoanalysis in the community.