A connection that has become a topic du jour in recent months is the connection between creativity and candidacy.
Otto Kernberg, who presented at the Presidential Symposium at APsaA's 2013 National Meeting in NYC, has famously written and spoken about ways in which our institutes function to promote or impede creativity during candidacy. In another sighting, pointing to the timeliness of this topic, I recently attended a panel entitled “Candidates and Creativity.” It was part of the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research monthly scientific meetings and consisted of a panel of senior educators in our field who had been assembled by a Columbia candidate, Luke Hadge, to address this issue. At my own institute, the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute (NYPSI), our listserv was recently the stage for a lively exchange on creativity, candidacy, and how creatively our institute responds to candidate requests for inclusion in the decisions about how we are taught and integrated into our institute during candidacy.
What is meant by creativity during candidacy? I think we are all clear on what it means to be a candidate, but what does it mean to be a creative candidate? At the Columbia panel, a member of the audience posed the question by distinguishing two possible connotations. He pointed out that the panelists spoke as if there were a single understanding and, therefore, they had not bothered to define creativity as applied to candidates' education and development. Was creativity to be understood as a basic requirement for developing an analytic mind? In this linkage, we must all be creative in order to graduate, pass certification exams, and demonstrate analytic proficiency if we want to become supervisors and training analysts. So, learning to think analytically is a de facto creative process.
What about nurturing other creative expression that goes beyond learning to be competent analysts? What about opportunities to contribute to the field, to take one's work and find an outlet to share our ideas? Now the question is: Do our institutes provide enough opportunities for candidates to participate more broadly in their analytic institutes, offering them opportunities to present their work, serve on committees and organize scientific presentations with guest panelists of interest to the current candidate body?
The Candidates' Council (CC) addresses the second connotation of being creative during candidacy. We offer many opportunities for candidates to develop and express their creativity through participation on our various committees. In addition, involvement in the CC is a springboard for many opportunities candidates find once they begin to attend the APsaA meetings. Presidentelect Phoebe Cirio's recent publication in JAPA is a direct demonstration of the professional rewards that can come from participation in APsaA's Candidates' Council. Her 2011 proposal of a major panel was accepted and eventually took place during the 2012 National Meeting. It was entitled “Desire and Being Desired.” Phoebe was asked to be the reporter and her Panel Report was recently published.
The members of the Candidates' Council are working on various projects, administering the existing programs and also creating new opportunities for candidate participation in APsaA. Treasurer Jamie Cromer attends APsaA Finance Committee meetings as well as those of the American Psychoanalytic Foundation. At the latter, she learns what kind of proposals are likely to receive a grant, and she educates candidates who are interested in submitting a proposal for a project in need of funding.
Secretary Gennifer Lane Briggs is working on a proposal to help small institutes and classes make up for the difficulties that arise. She is also interested in exploring how to make the candidates' listserv more successful in promoting candidate engagement with each other.
The CC officers and I are working to construct a candidate survey that we urge you to complete when it arrives. We want to take the pulse of candidates' ideas about APsaA as a national, professional organization. This is a first mention of the project and more information will be given as it progresses.
I have been reviewing all the CC committees to determine the ongoing purpose of each. I have appointed new chairs, created two new committees, renamed one, and eliminated a few that had ceased to function and appeared to have lost relevancy. Most of the committees are open to new candidate involvement and all of the chairs welcome candidate inquiries.
Following are the CC committees and their chairs:
Child and Adolescent Psychoanalysis
(Adam Libow):
Adam serves as candidate liaison to COCAA. You can read his article in the June issue of The Candidate Connection newsletter about his committee, and he welcomes candidates interested in joining.
Digital Media and Communications
(Anton Babushkin):
Anton has worked on creating a Face-book page for candidates at his institute (Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute) and is very interested in improving communication for candidates. He and the CC are in the process of identifying what those communication needs are. He is happy to have interested candidates join him in this work.
Education Committee (Navah C. Kaplan):
Due to a last minute need to replace the chair of this committee just prior to the January meeting, I was appointed by COPE chair Harriet Wolfe to chair our COPE Candidates' Study Group on Issues of Candidacy. We held our second meeting this past January, honing in on the broad topic of the development of an analytic mind during candidacy. The study group is actively seeking new members as well as a new chair, since my present role is to bridge a gap.
IPSO Liaison (Deisy Cristina Boscan):
Deisy encourages candidates to make use of the Visiting Analyst Program, which provides candidates the opportunity to visit institutes around the world and be hosted by local analysts, making the travel affordable. She encourages candidates to expand their analytic participation beyond North America to the world. The IPA meeting in Prague in July had IPSO Pre-Congress events. I am told that, as lovely as our candidate parties have been, we have not truly partied until we see how it is done IPSO-style.
New: Master Teacher Award
(Valerie Golden):
This project under development will be an award for exceptional teaching as judged by candidates. Those who receive the award will be invited to have their teaching recorded. The plan is to create an archive available to future generations of candidates to experience the teaching style of the legendary Master Teachers.
Newsletter (Holly Crisp-Han and Marian Wiener-Margulies):
Holly and Marian began their term as co-editors of the newsletter with the June edition. The topic was Candidacy and Creativity. Marian presented the first in a three-part series of articles exploring the topic through interviews with candidates and senior analysts who are top educators in our field. This issue is available online at the APsaA website.
New: Policies and Procedures
(Angela Retano):
This replaces the old Bylaws Committee, a misnomer the current title corrects. Angela has experience and interest in the structure and procedures used by organizations for the benefit of serving its members. Because the CC does not have legal standing and obligations, the rules we live by, unlike bylaws, are easily revised by the present leadership. Angela has undertaken a review of our current rules by which we govern the CC to see if they require change.
Scientific Paper Prize and Writing Workshop (Sabina Preter):
This is Sabina's second year chairing this committee. I encourage you to submit your work for consideration of the prize.
Scientific Programs and Training (Sarah Lusk):
Sarah is working on the programming for the 2014 National Meeting in New York. Anyone who is interested in submitting an idea, please contact Sarah.
New: Social Issues Committee (Alexandria Sawicki):
Alexandria initiated this committee when she requested to become the candidate representative to Prudy Gourguechon's Social Issues Department. We hope to develop many opportunities for candidate participation on this committee. Prudy invites candidates to request a formal appointment to any of the committees within her department. Contact Alexandria to answer questions and for more information.
I look forward to working with all the enthusiastic, passionately involved and creatively productive candidates mentioned here. I invite all of you not yet involved to join us. The Candidates' Council needs your participation, and APsaA needs an influx of present generation candidates who will become the next leaders and creative contributors to psychoanalysis.
Editor's Note:
This column was adapted from Navah Kaplan's column in the June 2013/Volume 15, Issue 2, of The Candidate Connection newsletter.
Navah C. Kaplan, Ph.D., is president of the Candidates' Council.