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2002 Annual Letter
to the Membership
Back
November 23, 2002
Dear Academy Members,
I greet you all from the perspective of fourteen months as president of
the Academy for the Study of the Psychoanalytic Arts. During these
months, it has been my privilege to work with a most impressive group of
people. I have been humbled to witness the efforts and accomplishments
of the board and committee members whose passionate and tireless efforts
have sustained this organization. The spirit of support within which I
have functioned as president is ineffable.
Since August 2001, The LEAP, Program and CIC Committees have executed a
variety of impressive objectives. The activities of our secretary,
treasurer, and membership chair are by nature less public and perhaps
less dramatic. However lacking in glamour, their contributions are
deeply demanding and profoundly crucial to the functioning of our
organization. While I make no pretext at doing justice to the efforts of
our board members, I will try to summarize their activities below.
The Program Committee sponsored the following programs: In March 2002,
Ian Parker, Ph.D. delivered a paper entitled 'Psychoanalytic Narratives:
Writing the Self into Contemporary Cultural Phenomena'. The May 2002
program was jointly sponsored with the Michigan Society for
Psychoanalytic Psychology (MSPP). At that time David L. Downing, Psy.D.
presented 'Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Film: Paranoiac Visions and
Neo-Realities in The Recent Cinema'. The June 2002 program consisted of
a half- day presentation by David Walker, Ph.D. during which he spoke
about his experience as a psychologist working with the sovereign Yakama
Indian Nation. In September 2002 Judith E. Vida, M.D. engaged the
audience in a presentation entitled 'Drawn to the Asylum: In Search of
Missing Parts (on the way to a possible
conversation). She included an audio-visual slide presentation of
drawings and artwork from the Prinzhorn Collection. This program was
jointly sponsored with Michigan Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology.
The LEAP Committee changed its name from 'Legal, Ethical, and
Professional Issues in Psychoanalysis' to 'Legal, Ethical, and
Professional Issues in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy'. This change
was informed by the fact that many non-psychoanalytic individuals and
groups across the country are working to combat the crush of
industrialized health care. The revised name facilitates expansion of
our target audience from psychoanalytic practioners to all
psychotherapists committed to preserving professional freedom.
Additionally the LEAP Committee has made contacts with other groups
working toward similar goals. These groups include, but are not limited
to: humanistic psychologists in Division 32 of APA; psychologists in
Colorado who were able to block a state effort requiring psychologists
to diagnose and maintain records for all client contacts; and the Oregon
chapter of the American Mental Health Alliance which is attempting to
establish legitimacy of many (long-term) therapies
currently threatened by practice guidelines/ 'best practices'. Members
can read about these efforts on the LEAP section of our Website.
The Community Information Committee (CIC) has continued to develop a
network of electronic resources for the purpose of disseminating
information on the Academy and its members to the public. This network
includes search engines, topical portals, professional sites, and
discussion lists. Since August 2001 the CIC has added nineteen scholarly
papers to the Academy's library.
In addition, the CIC has maintained and expanded the Website, added a
Search page allowing visitors to explore resources on the site, examined
options for a message board, and is currently considering design changes
to accommodate the Academy's activities and exposure.
Our membership chair added two members to our roster and relentlessly
provided informational materials at all Academy programs. Our treasurer
kept our fiduciary meanderings within the green lines, softly but
persuasively herding us away from the red. Our secretary's patience
defines the concept of limitless. She diligently recorded our discourse,
whether inchoate or fast and furious, wrapped it in words and delivered
an articulate rendition. The past president brought to
each meeting his enthused commitment to the mission of the Academy. He
presided over an Ad Hoc committee providing research to explicate
discussions of future direction. Following his footprints has been
nothing short of daunting.
As a board, we spent several long meetings articulating a direction for
the Academy. We decided on a formal position opposing Mandatory
Continuing Education, selected Thomas Szasz, M.D. as an honorary member
of the Academy and we are now in the process of considering what changes
will be made to the Website to render it more user-friendly.
During these past fourteen months various academy members have presented
papers and participated in many programs. I would like to cite all of
them, but fear I will miss someone. So forgive me for making a general
congratulatory reference.
I hope this missive finds you all healthy and fulfilled. Please know
that I welcome hearing from you at any time.
Lynne G. Tenbusch, Ph.D., President
1997
Patrick B. Kavanaugh, Ph.D., 1999 Patrick B.
Kavanaugh, Ph.D., 2001
Patrick B. Kavanaugh, Ph.D.
2002
Lynne G. Tenbusch, Ph.D., 2003
Lynne G. Tenbusch, Ph.D. |