The year 2020 was truly an annus horribilis, but 2021 has brought hope as we work to surmount overlapping crises. APsaA can be proud of doing its part. We've held regular Town Halls and our Covid-19 Advisory Team has provided resources for psychoanalysts and the broader therapy community during the pandemic. The DPE has worked closely with our institutes to help them effectively adapt to distance training. Members who have pioneered distance treatment and education have shared their expertise generously. We've increased our social engagement by offering a psychoanalytic perspective on racism and political extremism. The Holmes Commission on Racial Equality has begun to examine systemic racism starting with APsaA itself. Our program team converted our annual meetings in June and February into remarkably successful virtual events that we will continue in some form even when we resume meeting in person. And we owe special thanks to our staff who have adjusted to working virtually and kept APsaA humming despite all the turmoil.
Looking ahead, APsaA will continue these activities and adapt them as needed. These are transitional times for APsaA itself, accelerated by the pandemic, as we make important decisions about our future: what kind of organization we want to be; reckoning with racial inequality; the analysis of candidates; the nature of psychoanalytic practice and education in the post-Covid world; and how APsaA relates to the mental health community and to society at large.
The response to our efforts has been heartening, as many mental health professionals and others whose work is informed by psychoanalysis have attended our events and felt welcomed, which in turn has changed their perceptions of us. An evolving APsaA does not come without risk—even if we believe the greater risk is in trying to stay the same—and perhaps even more, a sense of loss that is felt as we let go of certain established ways of being and doing. Psychoanalysis guides the work of mourning, even as a world comes to an end with each loss (Derrida) other worlds can come into being (Freud).
The times are challenging, including in our own field, but so are the opportunities. APsaA is poised to seize the moment with renewed energy and social engagement that bodes well for our future. We have the opportunity to reassert APsaA's leading role in American psychoanalysis while continuing our tradition of excellence in psychoanalytic education and practice. We ask you to join us on this journey together.
Bill Glover, PhD, is president of APsaA.
Kerry Sulkowicz, M.D., is president-elect.