THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF PSYCHOANALYSTS
The American College of Psychoanalysts was founded in 1969. The membership has consisted of psychiatric psychoanalysts who made academic contributions in scholarship and education at psychoanalytic institutes or universities. The College from its inception has been apolitical and has prided itself on its strongly collegial atmosphere in which members can freely discuss psychoanalytic ideas. This past year the College opened its membership appeal to all psychiatric psychoanalysts (trained to APsaA or IPA standards); membership is no longer by invitation. The College welcomes psychiatric psychoanalysts from around the world – there are now many members from Europe and Japan.
The College will hold its next annual meeting in Atlanta on May 13, 2016. The preliminary program includes Paul Ekman, who will discuss his work on emotions and his work with the Dali Lama; Robert Michels, who will discuss the unique identity of the psychiatric psychoanalyst; and Sander Gilman, who will discuss his new work on how biases become diagnostic entities. Psychiatric psychoanalysts who wish to join the College will find the application form on the College website, .
In the past several years, members of the College have become increasingly aware of the decline in psychodynamic teaching for psychiatric trainees and the need for readily available educational opportunities for psychiatrists who wish to expand their understanding of psychodynamics. To address the paucity of psychodynamic training, the College is initiating a program for early career psychiatrists (ECPs) to participate in distance learning via video conferencing through a twice monthly “Psychodynamic Rounds” led by a member of the College and attended by six to eight ECPs. These conferences will be focused on psychodynamic issues in conducting psychotherapy in the attendees’ actual practice. New members will have opportunities to participate is such training programs.
DAVID EDELSTEIN
NATHAN SZAJNBERG
DREW CLEMENS