This past weekend, in Philadelphia, Arnie Richards gave the plenary address on the history of left leaning, as well as members of the communist party, who were practicing psychoanalysts in American during the thirties, forties and fifties. It was well received, informative, enlightening as well as surprising – given some of the analysts he discussed. Arnie received the Hans Loewald award from the International Forum for Psychoanalytic Education, an organization that welcomes anyone with a commitment to psychoanalysis, without the need of certification as a requirement for membership. IFPE has been functioning for the last twenty four years and at each year’s meetings
has welcomed individuals – primarily analysts – from numerous foreign
countries. At its founding it resisted the efforts on the part of its organizing mentor, The American Psychological Association, to establish an alternate route to the certification offered by the American Psychoanalytic. Some of the past ! recipients of the Loewald award are John Gedo, Ethel Person, Christopher Bollas, James Grotstein and many more. I would like to urge anyone interested in participating in a professional setting where one can talk about psychoanalysis within an inviting context to consider taking a look at the IFPE website. It meetings offer an intellectual breath of fresh air.
Jerry Gargiulo