June APA Division 39 InSight

Division News

President’s Message

By Marilyn Charles, PhD

These are difficult times for members of Division 39, as we reel from increasing evidence that reveals APA complicity in supporting psychologist involvement in torture. While awaiting the Hoffman report, some members are questioning the ethical imperatives brought forward by largely uncontroverted information that has already been revealed. How do we locate ourselves as an ethical individual in relation to a parent organization that seemingly has engaged in morally repugnant and even corrupt practices?

It seems to me that the possibility of corruption is inherent in group process. Given that APA sets the standards for not only ethical behavior but also for practice and training, the imperative, as I see it, is to not just to criticize and walk away, but rather to be more active and to fight harder to ensure that those standards remain in line with our accepted professional values and principles. I therefore encourage Division members to be critically informed about, APA and its efforts and to be active in speaking out in favor of efforts that support your values and against those that do not. The often-heard phrase, speaking “truth to power” is now more important than ever for each of us to practice.

We are a large and strong Division, with an active and growing membership that continues to share a strong commitment to the integrity and quality of our profession. . Your Officers, Board Members, and Council Representatives continue to monitor these challenging events and will work towards communicating our professional concerns, demanding organization transparency, and building alliances with other Divisions and APA constituents to build an even stronger voice through which to advocate for the public good. As one example, we have recently written to the Presidents of all of the Divisions and State Associations, inviting them to sign on behalf of their respective organizations, a statement to APA asking that the Hoffman report be made public, uncensored as soon as it is completed. We hope for a reasonably unified response.

I encourage you all, in your own lives, to continue the good fight and to work in your own ways towards a more beneficent APA that is attentive to social justice and the high moral and professional principles we try to live by.

Marilyn

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The Early Career Committee of Division 39
Our June Early Career Committee column features brief posts on impressions of the 2015 Spring Meeting by recipients of scholarship awards. Our first writer, Erin Pierson, is a therapist in private practice in Seattle. She is also an ER Crisis Counselor at Valley Medical Center in Renton, Washington, where she performs a myriad of job duties, including evaluating psychiatric patients for hospitalization and outpatient services.

Thanks to the Early Career Professionals Scholars Program, I had the opportunity to attend my first Division 39 Spring Meeting this year. Nervous and excited, I made my way down to San Francisco not knowing what to expect and not knowing anyone. Eventually, I was able to connect with some colleagues from Seattle, and to meet some new people with whom I forged connections and memories. The experience of the conference was a mixture of emotions and knowledge. I became aware of areas of practice wherein I want to improve, and I was motivated to write about my experiences as a therapist. My passions were stimulated by psychoanalytic thoughts and ideas. I was particularly sparked by the Community Invited Panel because I wrestle with how to be a clinician who wants to do analytic training and to practice psychoanalysis both in a private practice setting and in a hospital setting. I hope to find a training program that will embrace and nurture a professional self who is at home in the community and in private practice, and thus help me continue to embrace “Life in Psychoanalysis in Life.” MORE>

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Section V, The Section for Applied Clinical Psychoanalysis

The section for Applied Clinical Psychoanalysis would like to thank all of the authors who submitted to the 2015 Schillinger Memorial Essay Contest. We were impressed by the large number of thoughtful contributions we received. And we are pleased to congratulate Dr. Billie Pivnick who submitted the winning essay:

Spaces to Stand In: Applying Clinical Psychoanalysis to the Relational Design of the National September 11th Memorial Museum

The contest topic addressed issues of psychoanalytic identity while navigating non-psychoanalytic communities. Dr. Pivnick’s description of her experiences consulting with 9-11 museum designers depicts a particularly unique stance – holding a psychoanalytic perspective as distinct from various psychological viewpoints. She provides space to wrestle with the challenges of addressing how to hold this space for others impacted who were impacted by these tragic events.

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Interested in psychoanalysis and social justice?

Read the online newsletter of Psychoanalysts for Social Responsibility! In this edition, Neil Altman discusses APA and torture, Allan Scholom analyzes the Affordable Care Act, Nancy Hollander provides an update on social activism within the section, and Matthew LeRoy and Batsirai Bvunzawabya explore embodying social justice in a training seminar. Link: psychoanalyticactivist.com
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Division/Review is now on PEP

As Chair of the Publications Committee—

I’m delighted to announce that Division/Review is now on PEP web and is highlighted in the “What’s New” section of their home page. All eleven issues are available and searchable.

http://www.pep-web.org

Congratulations to Editor David Lichtenstein and to all the contributors! This is a serious achievement—a new voice in the psychoanalytic literature—and one we can all be proud of!
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Please join our effort to update and steward Wikipedia’s Psychoanalysis pages!

Wikipedia is one of the most widely used references in the world and is transforming the way we gather information. It provides instant answers in the simplest form and is frequently the first resource consulted when faced with confusing concepts or terms. Yet, psychoanalytic articles on Wikipedia currently lack credible sources and have significant gaps in content. Historically, as psychoanalytic professionals, we do a great job helping individuals, but we don’t do as good of a job helping inform the public. As a profession, psychoanalysis has a corpus of knowledge about the human experience, and as professionals, we have an opportunity to improve the quality of psychoanalytic information available to the public.

The Division 39 Wiki Project is a collaborative effort to disseminate psychoanalytic information in more accessible and relevant ways. As more professionals contribute to this project, the information becomes more accurate and usable by the public.

Please join us in assembling a group of psychoanalytic professionals dedicated to improving the quality of psychoanalytic information on Wikipedia. Graduate students and faculty are especially encouraged to join us. We are seeking the following:
1.) Article Editors – Individuals wanting to edit and/or learn how to edit Wikipedia articles.

2.) Content Consultants – Individuals wanting to review edited articles and provide content-based feedback on an as-needed basis.
For more information about the project, please email Ari Pizer ( ari.pizer@gmail.com). We look forward to hearing from you!

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The Division 39 Fund

The Division 39 Fund announces the recipients of its first grant: Anne Dailey, Professor of Law, and Ann Johnson Prum, cinematographer. The grant helps support the production of a one hour documentary film, “The Talking Cure: Psychoanalysis in the Twenty-First Century”. Applicants for this grant had to demonstrate how their project advances education, research, and service in the field of psychoanalysis. The intent of the film is to increase public awareness of psychoanalytic principles and treatments and the application of these principles and treatments to contemporary social issues.

According to Ms. Dailey, “Culturally, psychoanalysis may help us to deal with pressing social problems beyond the reach of scientific psychology; the surge in the use of psychotropic medication for children, the suicide rate among veterans, the prevalence of gun violence by the mentally ill, the effects of foster care, and the intergenerational effects of domestic abuse. And morally, psychoanalytic ideas encourage us to consider the value of a self-reflective life in today’s consumer-driven world.” She further asks, “ How can we bridge the gap between scientific approaches to the study and treatment of mental illness, and the kind of long-term treatment and model of mind offered by psychoanalytic psychology?”

Professor Dailey focuses in part on the 2004 creation of the Soldier’s Project, a non-profit organization providing free and unlimited psychoanalytically informed therapy to Iran/ Afghanistan war veterans and their families. The growing interest in psychoanalytic ideas for the treatment of war trauma reflects an understanding of the limits of present scientific psychiatry to treat complex psychological struggles that involve deep personal and moral injuries. MORE>
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Division 39 Discount Subscription Program

As you know, for a number of years, we have been able to offer our members discounts for subscribing to psychoanalytic journals. It is the time of year when many of us are renewing our subscriptions and this note is a reminder to consider renewing or beginning a subscription by taking advantage of these savings. For now, as you will see, you may need to contact customer services to request the discount, although several journals offer direct links to the discount. Please follow the directions that are different for each journal. MORE>
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Ethics Committee Announcement
To the Membership:
We are writing to remind the community that the Ethics Committee is available to the Division 39 membership for informal, confidential consultations on matters of ethical concern. We are not an adjudicatory body: our aim is to help you think these through and clarify your understanding of the problem at hand.

For more information, please contact
Joyce Slochower, Chair: joyce.slochower@gmail.com 212-362-4437
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