The Texan context of our Annual Meeting in June 2017 was poignant and inspiring. The setting mirrored the range of experiences attendees had—from bittersweet farewells to deeply enthusiastic endorsements of a forward-looking vision for APsaA.
Some APsaA members considered boycotting Texas because of its political stance on sanctuary cities and its proposed legislation that many members consider threats to the well-being of families, children and the freedoms promised to Dreamers. Those who attended experienced additional aspects of Texas: immense generosity, open-mindedness, respect for colleagues and neighbors, and active concern for threatened fellow citizens. Our Texan colleagues were very grateful we did not abandon them but instead showed up and explicitly explored relevant topics in our scientific meeting, including the opening session “Race and Borders: Crisis in Contemporary American Identity—A Town Hall Discussion.”
To share a bit of local culture, I’ll tell you about two cab rides in Austin. My first one was with an Ethiopian man who drove me in from the airport and had been in Austin for two years (his sole exposure to the U.S.). I asked him if he felt safe and he seemed puzzled. He said he liked Austin a lot, he found people very friendly, he recommended I try the BBQ and he told me how to find the two best places. An Eritrean man who drove me back to the airport reported his life was stable but Mexicans were rounded up as soon as Trump was inaugurated, despite the fact they accounted for over 50 percent of construction workers in the city. We had driven by a building devoted to homeless people; beds were full and many were camping on the street outside the building, but it offered other resources and a safe haven.
Let’s keep in mind the Texan context, with its sociopolitical threats, diversity and cultural strengths. In APsaA we face an exciting but challenging time as an organization. How we go about our interpersonal and professional business and how we define our goals is critical.
There were two important organizational moments in Austin. The bylaw amendment, eliminating the separate structure of the Board on Professional Standards, passed. In a variety of settings members of BOPS were recognized and thanked for creating a tradition of excellence in psychoanalytic education. The new Department of Psychoanalytic Education (DPE) is already engaged in the task of taking that tradition into the future and developing adaptive approaches that ensure educational excellence in a changing culture.
The bylaw vote brought to an end a decade or so of internal conflict. I do not expect the passing of the bylaw to undo histories of hurt and injury for those who worked hard within BOPS for psychoanalysis or for those who felt excluded from BOPS and worked hard to democratize the process of engagement with psychoanalytic education. What matters now, however, is how we move forward together.
The second important organizational moment in Austin was one that set the stage for our leaving behind a focus on our internal conflicts and shifting to a constructive, successful focus on our profession and its relevance in the modern world. In the reorganization of APsaA our governance is now clearly placed in the hands of the Executive Council. Our mission is implemented through the Departments of Academic and Professional Affairs, Communications, Membership Services and Programs, Psychoanalytic Education, Psychotherapy, Public Advocacy, and Science.
The structural reorganization is sound. As long as policies and procedures are clear, it is the way in which we do business that will make the difference.
The day before the bylaw vote was finalized, the Executive Council unanimously approved a community vision statement proposed by the Membership Task Force on Values, Engagement and Community. That vision has the following guiding principles: scholarly, educational and collegial; diverse, inclusive, collaborative and curious; compassionate, open-minded and respectful; constructive, progressive and innovative; supportive, welcoming, tolerant and encouraging of many points of view.
We are a privileged group. We have the education and resources to make a true difference in the lives of those people with whom we engage. The options for engagement are multiple: clinical, scholarly, scientific, political. The vehicles for professional engagement vary: consulting room, classroom, research project, public commentary. The level of engagement varies. For example, in the political realm there is both individual and organizational action. While APsaA as an organization will continue to take stands on sociopolitical issues about which it has relevant expertise, individual members may also take considered, professional stands on political figures. Many will remain free of political involvement as a matter of principle.
Our profession’s relevance in today’s world is threatened by the cultural shift to fast communication, to quick answers and rapid social media reporting. The new level of immediacy often results in generalized feelings of threat, helplessness, outrage or dismay. Meanwhile our psychoanalytic orientation emphasizes the value of reflection and understanding.
How do we hold onto our professional identity and values and make a difference in today’s world? Most basically, we must remind ourselves what we stand for and support one another in consistent maintenance of the APsaA community vision of scholarly, respectful, constructive discourse. Finally, the psychoanalytic understanding that the human violence, bigotry, hatred and love we observe in others also exists in ourselves deserves our humble, discerning attention.