Division News
President’s Message
This will be my last President’s Column.
I am in a state of disbelief as I write those words. The time has flown so fast that I still feel I am new on the job in some ways, and in others, I am very ready to hand the reins over to my esteemed colleague and friend, Dr. Marilyn Charles.
As I reflect back on these two years, I have many positive feelings and memories. I think in the last two years, and for years before that, we have accomplished a great deal in extending the reach of analysis to previously underserved groups. My ears are not deaf to the crescendo of conventional wisdom that tells us all the psychoanalysis is dead, or at very least dying, and that the field has moved on to “evidence based treatment.” Aside from the fact that the advocates of this form of treatment have scanty evidence for what they call “evidence based,” there is scaffolding beneath their belief system that is fatally flawed, and they do not and will not own up to the inability of their epistemology and ontology to hold up to scrutiny. It is a sad fact that in a sense they do not have to defend their blatantly inconsistent epistemology, but, there is nothing more powerful than an idea that fits the economic exigencies of the insurance companies. One does not have to justify an approach that is deemed profitably for insurance companies and fits the hegemonic values system. And that is what we are facing. MORE>
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The Early Career Committee of Division 39
This month’s writer, Trisha Ready, Ph.D., is co-chair of the ECP Committee. She manages a psychodynamic-based partial hospitalization program at Fairfax Hospital, in the Seattle area. She will be starting a small private practice in 2015. Trisha is working on a manuscript, The Rhythm of Connection, to be published by Rowman & Littlefield, focusing on using music as an adjunct tool with difficult to reach patients, such as those experiencing early stage psychosis.
My last analyst and I ended our work together in a slow, disintegrating manner. I had been asking for months if she (I’ll call her Barbara) could please stop dominating our sessions. Each week Barbara told the same stories: one was about a neurobiology book she was reading, the second was about her neuropsychology study group. My request to stop talking about those topics had no lasting effect. As soon as I sat down each week she began her repeated stories interspersed with random childhood memories. Sometimes she talked for 40 minutes. She wouldn’t stop until I interrupted, saying: “There’s something I want to explore now.” MORE>
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Graduate Student Voices:
The first Graduate Student Voice is that of William Caperton. William is a Doctoral Candidate in Counseling Psychology at Marquette University and Psychology Intern at the University of Iowa University Counseling Service.
In August of this year, I began my predoctoral internship at the University of Iowa counseling center. I was drawn to this site, in part, due to the option of completing an emphasis in Time-Limited Dynamic Psychotherapy. Throughout my graduate training, I have tried to supplement my studies by connecting with and attending offerings at local psychoanalytic institutes, but this is the first year I’ve been able to more deeply immerse myself in the application of psychodynamic work. I was excited to help my client’s un-tangle the knots that inevitably brought them into my office, to help them attend to their words, spoken and unspoken, and develop a more richly textured narrative for themselves.
On a run after one particularly difficult day, in which nothing felt like it was clicking, in which I was questioning my own ability, acutely feeling the impossibility of doing the work I knew could be helpful in the necessarily brief setting allotted (typically 5-12 sessions), I began to think in particular of wordlessness. Of client’s for whom the very act of speech felt inadequate, impossible, untenable. This poem began to form. I think this presentation from the non-scientific, non-obsessed-with-being a competent provider of evidence based therapies part of myself is a kind of compassion, for my clients, but for myself as well. To avoid the potential of further dilution, here is the poem.
Words Being Born
you say
nothing you say
can come close
to the bone
the breath
the tongue
come close
to the wound
the word
the wounded word
you speak
a word
wound tight
through teeth
breathe
your
voice breaks
the nothing
you say
a word
a sign
you sing
this breathing
thing breaking
your will
your word
your wound
unwound
in the space
between
our breaths
our bodies
becoming
no thing
becoming breath
coming back
into the world
being born
through words
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Don’t You Wish You Were at the Spring Meeting?
This new column shares news and views from the most recent Spring Meeting and makes you want to attend the next one. Really: look deep into the eyes of this column, reconnect with your breath, think fleeting mean thoughts about your mother, repress those thoughts, and then ask yourself, “How could I possibly have missed the previous Spring Meeting?” if your next thought is, “Gosh, I won’t make that mistake again!” consider booking your ticket for San Francisco, April 23-26, 2015. Registration and hotel information can be found on our Division 39 Web Site
At our last spring meeting :
Toward a Firmer Foundation for Psychoanalytic Practice:
The Empirical Validation of Basic Psychodynamic Concepts
By: Robert F. Bornstein, PhD Adelphi University
Although he began his career as a researcher, Freud ultimately shifted his efforts toward clinical work and theory construction. Following Freud’s lead, psychoanalytic psychologists have traditionally emphasized theory and therapy over quantitative research. As a result, the influence of the psychodynamic perspective has declined in recent years, both in academia (wherein psychoanalytic constructs have been increasingly marginalized), and in clinical settings (wherein “empirically supported” treatments dominate). It is ironic that—even as psychoanalytic ideas are disparaged in academic circles—evidence suggests that they are being co-opted, renamed, and “re-invented” by researchers in other disciplines (see Bornstein, 2005). MORE>
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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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Mentors Needed for the Scholars Program
We are in the midst of another Division 39 Scholars Program year. As I am sure most of you know, becoming a Division 39 Scholar is a competitive process for graduate students and Early Career Professionals who may apply to receive a $500 travel award for the spring conference, access to our publications, and a mentor with whom they meet at least once per month.
The success of the program depends on our members who have at least 10 years of experience volunteering to be mentors to our Scholars. Whather you volunteered last year or not, please volunteer to be a mentor for one of this years’ scholars.
Please send all inquiries to division39scholarsprogram@gmail.com
Frank Summers and Kris Yi, Co-Chairs, Division 39 Scholars Program
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Scholars Program
It is with great pleasure that we announce that applications are now being accepted for the Division of Psychoanalysis (Division 39) Scholars Program for the 2015-16 year. There are a total of 66 openings for the program which runs from the Division 39 Spring Meeting in San Francisco April 22-26, 2015 until the Atlanta Spring Meeting April, 2016.
All Division 39 Scholars will receive the following benefits:
• A travel award of $500 for expenses to the San Francisco conference
• A mentor with whom the Scholar will meet at least once per month
• Subscriptions to all Division 39 publications, including the journal Psychoanalytic Psychology, the Division/Review which comes out three times per year, and the monthly online newsletter, Insight
• Free access to Psychoanalytic Electronic Publishing (Pep-web) if such access is not otherwise available. 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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2015 Johanna K. Tabin/APA Books/Division 39 Book Proposal Prize
This prize aims to encourage Division 39 members who have not published a psychoanalytic book to submit a book proposal
Division 39 and APA Press are delighted to announce the sixth annual prize the Johanna K. Tabin/APA Press Book Proposal Prize for a first book by a psychoanalytic author. The winner receives a $1,000 cash prize, certificate of recognition, and guarantee of publication by the APA Press.
The aim of this prize is to encourage psychoanalytic writing by Division 39 members who have yet to publish a psychoanalytic book. We look for good writing, originality, as well as clinical and scholarly relevance. While some previously published material may be included, the proposed book should consist primarily of new work and promise to be an original and coherent monograph. Edited collections of previously published papers are not acceptable, nor are edited volumes of contributions by more than one author. Simultaneous submissions to other publishers will disqualify the entry.
The proposal should consist of:
a cover letter to include the author’s identifying and contact information
a full CV
a statement of sufficient length to describe the mission, scope, and potential contribution of the project to psychoanalysis
a table of contents; and
one, and only one, sample chapter.
With the exception of the cover letter and CV, there should be NO identifying information in the other materials that would identify the author of the proposal
Submissions are accepted in hard copy only and must be in quintuplicate. Blind review evaluations are conducted by the Book Proposal Committee, the editor of APA Books, and an Honorary Judge.
All submissions for the 2014 award must be submitted by January 9 2015, to:
Book Prize
Division of Psychoanalysis
2615 Amesbury Road
Winston Salem NC 27103
Questions should be addressed to: Frank Summers, PhD, ABPP, Chair of the Book Prize Committee at Franksumphd@gmail.com
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Archives
We are pleased to announce the creation of The Task Force on the Archives of Division 39. As the division has become important in the evolution of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychology, it follows that the time had come to a) collect materials which reflect its history, b) encourage scholarship among the membership when the collection is assembled, and c) establish a means to promote awareness in future generations of the important contributions to psychoanalytic thought by the Division. More>
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From the Awards Committee
Submit your nominations for division award nominees
The Awards Committee of Division 39 is soliciting recommendations from our membership for award nominees for 2015. This 2014 awardees are Elliott Jurist for Scholarship; Marsha McCary for Leadership, and Dolores Morris, for Diversity. The list of prior awards is on the Division 39 website. MORE>
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Division Members
Congratulations! to recent NYU Postdoc graduate and psychoanalyst, Dr. Avgi Saketopoulou, winner of the 2014 Ralph Roughton Paper Award — given to an author who makes an original and outstanding contribution to the psychoanalytic understanding and/or treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered individuals.
Avgi’s paper is entitled, “Mourning the Body as Bedrock: Developmental Considerations in Treating Transsexual Patients Analytically” and has been published by JAPA — get your free copy by visiting: http://apa.sagepub.com/content/62/5/773
Author Connection
Recent Publications by Division 39 Members
Peter Lin and Division 39 member Henry M. Seiden have an article forthcoming In Psychoanalytic Psychology on “Mindfulness and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: a clinical convergence.” A poster presentation on the same subject, essentially supplementary to the article, will be on display at the next meeting of the American Psychoanalytic Association in New York in January 2015.
What are you writing? Future issues will highlight the varieties of publishing activities our members are engaged in. All links to books and articles will be considered. To be included, please e-mail the editor by the 21st of the month. All publications submitted for Author Connection need to comply with the InSight submission guidelines
George Washington University post-doctoral fellowship
The Professional Psychology (Psy.D.) Program at The
George Washington University invites applications for
our post-doctoral fellowship program for the 2015-16
academic year. Preferred starting date is in August,
2015, and can be flexible depending on selected fellows’
needs.
The Psy.D. program has a psychodynamic and
community-service orientation, and the post-doctoral
fellowship seeks to attract emerging professionals
aspiring to careers in academic, clinical, or research
leadership in psychodynamic or psychoanalytic clinical
psychology. MORE>