Psychotherapist Spotlight: Meet Jonathan Kersun

I have been coming to APsaA meetings for many years. I never pursued analytic training, but I've been in analysis for quite some time and I practice psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy. For years, I have felt somewhat like an outsider here. I was clearly not part of the in group. When greeting new people at the annual meeting in New York, introductions typically involve a form of “What's your name, what analytic organization are you associated with, are you an analyst?” One is continually reminded that one is not an analyst. This feeling is reinforced by the hierarchical nature of the organization itself: Training Analyst vs. not Training Analyst; certified analyst vs. not certified analyst. I am not any of that. Because I enjoy the meetings so much, I resigned myself to feeling like an outsider.

Then I discovered the Psychotherapist Associates. This organization within the organization had been in existence for at least a decade prior to my learning about it, yet it was unknown to me. Surely, this collegial group of analytic clinicians remains unknown to many within APsaA, as well as to would-be members in the larger mental health community. As the new chair of the Psychotherapist Associates Committee, I hope to help change this in the future.

Psychotherapist Associates is a category of affiliation within APsaA for non-analyst psychotherapists who practice psychodynamic/psychoanalytic psychotherapy, have at least a master's degree, and are licensed in their home states. Currently, there are 290 members. Benefits of affiliation include tiered dues for APsaA meetings and JAPA subscriptions, as well as listing in a national directory of psychotherapists. Part of APsaA's Psychotherapy Department, we sponsor a Dine-Around during the Winter Meeting that is always sold out. Open to all, approximately 20 attend the dinner held at one of the nearby restaurants. It is a great opportunity to socialize with others in the organization. We offer discussion groups about psychoanalytic psychotherapy at the winter and spring meetings that are well attended and well received.

In addition, we co-host, with the Committee on Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training Programs, a networking event open to all at the winter meetings. Presently, the Psychotherapist Associates Committee is organizing study groups for people across the organization so they can learn from each other and remain connected between meetings. We are always looking for new members and new ideas.

Since discovering the Psychotherapist Associates, I have become progressively more involved with its committee. I started by co-chairing the Business of Practice Workshop, a discussion group at the winter meetings. We've discussed a range of topics, including erotic transference, the concrete patient, and boredom. Geared to the early-career practitioner as well as to the seasoned clinician, the program always fills the room and the discussion is inevitably lively.

Last year, my predecessor, Margo Goldman, stepped down as chair of the Psychotherapist Associates Committee after serving in the position for many years. I have since stepped into that position, and I'm slowly learning the ropes. I've met many new and interesting people through my involvement, which is an ongoing joy. I feel much more connected to the organization. APsaA itself has become more welcoming to non-analysts, which is great. I encourage anyone with an interest in joining the Psychotherapist Associates to reach out to me at . Happy to talk anytime.