APsaA ELECTIONS: SECRETARY
CAMPAIGN STATEMENTS
The first time I ran for the office of secretary, I wrote that it was a time of great challenge, but also a time of great opportunity for the Association. I am now seeking a third term in order to complete the work that I, as a member of the Executive Committee, have done to fulfill that opportunity by taking the initiative to bring about a “live and let live” solution to our longstanding difficulties. That work we have done together, embodied in the complex and evolving Six Point Plan, now has a concrete timetable for implementation.
One part of the plan that I worked on as co-chair of the IRRC and member of the Bylaws Work Groups, the proposed IRRC Bylaw, was brought before the Executive Council this past June for discussion and vote. I am proud to say that it was unanimously approved by the Council to take effect no later than June 2017. It also received a unanimous vote for a positive advisory statement from the BOPS. The IRRC Amendment will be sent to you, the members, for your vote in January.
We will need to do additional work to develop the proposed Department for Psychoanalytic Education (DPE), and to be thoughtful before making changes in APsaA governance. I favor a step-by-step approach rather than an omnibus bylaw amendment, because this will, in the long run, enhance the probability that the members will comprehend the proposed changes, and as an understanding electorate, will adopt the bylaws. We need to proceed with the recognition that in a few instances, relationships between local societies and institutes may be problematic. The Executive Council and the Executive Committee will need to work together to help affected societies resolve long-standing difficulties democratically and inclusively. Members have been waiting for this forward step. Help me to make it happen.
We now have an opportunity to begin a new approach to improving psychoanalytic education as we replace the BOPS with the new DPE under the overall authority of the Executive Council. The certification requirement will be dropped from our bylaws, will be externally administered, and will be optional for those institutes that choose to continue to use that credential for their internal purposes. The Council will approve new APsaA Training Standards for membership, using the IPA standards as guidelines, permitting, under the protection of APsaA’s Regional Association status, a flexible approach to high quality education that fits local needs. This will help us attract new candidates. Additional institutes will be invited to apply to become approved institutes. APsaA education will become welcoming, innovative and collegial.
During my two terms as APsaA secretary and a member of the Executive Committee, I have kept my pledge conscientiously to review all ballots, proxies, letters of instruction and other election materials and procedures. As a result, I am proud to say that we have avoided needless costly mistakes and errors in following the bylaws and as a result, our last three elections, which incorporated the electronic balloting that others and I have long advocated, ran smoothly.
If you reelect me, I will continue to work within the Executive Committee to foster a more collaborative relationship between that committee and the Executive Council. I will continue to prepare and circulate the Minutes of the Executive Committee, the Executive Council, the Members Meetings and the MRRC in an accurate, transparent, and timely fashion. I have responded to members’ complaints about deficiencies of our email lists, and have advocated for the planned improvements.
I seek your vote for reelection to the office of secretary. I have the experience and the leadership skills needed to make APsaA the best organization it can be for you, the members. I pledge to continue to work for the advancement of the Association and ask that by giving me your vote, you endorse my ideas for looking toward APsaA’s future.
Ralph Fishkin
reports no ethics, malpractice, or licensing board findings.
Like many members of the Association, I have closely observed the performance of Dr. Ralph Fishkin, secretary of the Association, during the present turbulent and critical years for all of us, and for psychoanalysis in America. I have been consistently impressed by his excellent judgment, judicious conduct of the office (one that does not achieve the public visibility of the other office-holders) and valuable, often behind-the-scenes input and effectiveness during the several transitions that are currently in process. I believe that in this office, previous ones, and in numerous positions of leadership in the Philadelphia Center for Psychoanalysis, Dr. Fishkin has made very important contributions to our psychoanalytic organizations. He has, for many years, been a central figure in stabilizing our organizations and in facilitating their ability to serve all of us.
I have therefore decided to vote for Dr. Fishkin to continue in office, and I urge all others to do so as well. I am honored to have been asked to submit my name in candidacy for the office for the purpose of providing Dr. Fishkin with the bylaws-required opponent so that he can stand for reelection. Please vote for Dr. Fishkin to continue in the office of secretary of the Association.
Frederic Levine
reports no ethics, malpractice, or licensing board findings.
APsaA ELECTIONS: TREASURER
I am seeking your support for a third term as treasurer of our Association.
When I asked for your vote for this office three years ago, I committed myself to leading by a core set of values: transparent communication, a businesslike approach to the management of our Association, the growth of our local centers/institutes/societies, and the active involvement of the entire membership. I have kept that commitment by acting in a deliberate and open way to promote dependable governance in which the process is always as important as the goals. As a result, I have been able to work with everyone, even during these contentious times. We have important work left to do and I believe I can help.
APsaA is in the midst of taking steps that barely seemed possible when I first began serving as treasurer five years ago. We are now in the midst of implementing the Six Point Plan. The Six Point Plan builds on a consensus that the Association should increase local autonomy and externalize regulation. The plan makes the use of certification and of institute site visits an option, to be determined locally. The plan creates a Department of Psychoanalytic Education to nuture educational innovation. The establishment of the Department of Psychoanalytic Education was overwhelmingly approved by both the Executive Council and BOPS at the June 2016 meeting.
The development and implementation of the Six Point Plan has been a major part of my work over the last three years. Working together with the other leaders of the Association, I have been immersed in the plan’s development and now its careful implementation. The fruits of that work could be seen at the June 2016 meeting where the bylaw amendment to establish an Institute Review Committee to transfer authority for vetting new institutes to the Executive Council, was endorsed with resounding support from both Executive Council and BOPS. The proposed bylaw will be sent to the membership in November of 2016 for their vote with the results announced at the January 2017 meeting.
An important step in moving forward was the passage of the recent bylaw amendment establishing the authority of the Executive Council by a more than a two-third’s majority vote. The passage of this bylaw amendment supported the process of repair and our becoming One APsaA, governed by a single Board of Directors that oversees both the membership and the educational aspects of the Association.
As treasurer, I will continue to ensure that we have the necessary financial and organizational resources available to implement the planned changes, while also safeguarding that the outstanding work of our staff and member-staffed committees continues without disruption. I have also been involved in a number of other initiatives which are progressing well:
I have strongly supported all of these businesslike endeavors and the Association is benefitting substantially from them.
My established commitment to fairness and transparency, in tandem with my years of experience as treasurer and as a member of the Executive Committee, will allow me to work effectively for you as we continue to transform our Association into One APsaA. I am seeking a third term as treasurer so that I may continue my efforts on your behalf and so I can see the Six Point Plan through to a successful conclusion.
The changes that are occurring will open up exciting new possibilities for us as members of APsaA and as psychoanalysts. I hope that you will give me the opportunity to keep working for you and for the future of psychoanalysis.
We must work together to succeed.
William A. Myerson
reports no ethics, malpractice, or licensing board findings.
Herbert S. Gross
I am a candidate for treasurer of the American Psychoanalytic Association to fulfill the bylaw requirement that there be two candidates for each office. As a member of the Finance Committee and as a councilor-at-large and as chair of CGRI, I have had ample opportunity to observe the performance of Bill Myerson, our current treasurer. He has done an excellent job overseeing our finances and he has made important innovations in the budgeting process. Additionally he has begun a meeting of the administrators of local organizations during the National and Annual meetings.
I heartily endorse his candidacy and trust you will reelect him as our treasurer.
Herbert S. Gross
reports no ethics, malpractice, or licensing board findings.
APsaA ELECTIONS: COUNCILOR-AT-LARGE
Phoebe A. Cirio
I wish to serve as councilor-at-large for the next four years because it will allow me to participate in the tremendous changes coming to APsaA. I foresee the Executive Council, and the role of councilor, being developed and reformed to become fully realized itself as the directors and Board of Directors of APsaA.
I graduated in 2014, and I have been involved in APsaA programs and governance since January 2006 when as a first-year candidate I attended my first APsaA, and Affiliate Council meeting. In the decade since, I have served in numerous roles within the now-named Candidate Council, including paper prize chair, program chair, president-elect, and now, president of the Candidate Council.
I have, since fall of 2015, been a member of the Task Force on Governance and Structure. Through my role on the task force I have come to believe that the Executive Council and councilors will need to develop into their emerging role as the policy-making Board of Directors of this organization. I want to be involved in that process of development, which I think will stretch the current Council members to fulfill all of the functions that APsaA needs from its board. Realizing this goal will require that we establish an atmosphere of mutual trust within Council, and between Council and the president and officers of APsaA, and I feel prepared to work to establish that kind of relationship.
The stronger this organization is, the better able it will be to effectively advocate for enlightened policies throughout the United States. We need to strengthen and develop the governing and executive functions of the Executive Council. This will enable APsaA, a national organization, to represent the interests of psychoanalysts and those served by psychoanalysis in the media, to heighten public awareness of the good psychoanalysis does, and to the federal government.
I believe that APsaA needs to continue to meet the needs of candidates, who represent the future of psychoanalysis, by providing high quality psychoanalytic education through the affiliated institutes. I believe that in addition to fostering the development of candidates and analysts, we need to focus our attention and efforts on the world around us. We should play a defining role in shaping mental health policy, supporting education and training of mental health practitioners, and to advocating for quality mental health services for the public.
If elected as councilor-at-large I will work to develop the Executive Council to meet the needs of APsaA for the future.
Phoebe A. Cirio
reports no ethics, malpractice, or licensing board findings.
Jane S. Hall
APsaA, once an association focused on exclusion, has become an inclusive group of dedicated psychoanalytic clinicians and researchers who are keen on keeping our profession vibrant. My membership has allowed me to join colleagues in furthering psychoanalysis, this vitally important contribution to the world. High standards are necessary and must be used to encourage and to inspire.
The Contemporary Freudian Society, my alma mater, provided me with a classical, orthodox education. After graduating I broadened my studies, attending ongoing seminars with Martin Bergmann, Roy Schafer, Margaret Mahler and others. While at CFS I graduated from Gertrude and Reuben Blank’s three-year program in psychoanalytic psychotherapy. In 1979, after their retirement, I was a founder of NYSPP, modeled on their ideas. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy is an indispensable form of treatment and not a stepchild of psychoanalysis proper. Strengthening the ego and interpreting defense are among the crucial skills, necessary to connecting with all kinds of people. Most of all I learned that listening to my patients’ stories with respect and benevolent curiosity was key to a successful practice.
In 1993 I became a TA at CFS (a component society of IPA) and in 2001 created and was director of their first psychotherapy program. As CFS president from 2002-2005, I was instrumental in changing the TA selection process. I am currently on the faculty of three NY institutes.
All of the above inspired me to write two books: Deepening the Treatment and Roadblocks on the Journey of Psychotherapy.
At APsaA I launched the Practice Building Today Standing Committee and the Discussion Group: Deepening the Treatment, where I have met wonderful people. Six APsaA institutes have invited me for weekends dedicated to deepening our work.
I have chaired three IPA panels and represented APsaA as editor of the international e-journal: Psychoanalysis.today.
My goals include: Supporting a candidate (colleague-in-learning) representative on the Executive Council; encouraging study and change of the method of TA selection; institute choice with the DPE available for consultation; a very active speakers’ bureau for outreach to high schools, colleges and graduate schools. Making psychoanalytic therapies understood and available to the public is crucial.
If elected CAL, I will be available to all members and candidates, welcoming ideas and concerns and will do my best to serve on the Executive Council by fostering cooperation, respect and genuine open mindedness for the benefit of APsaA’s continued growth and prosperity.
Jane S. Hall
reports no ethics, malpractice, or licensing board findings.
Judith Logue
I am honored to be nominated for councilor-at-large.
I have been devoted to APsaA for 16 years through committee memberships: Department of Psychotherapy, Task Force on Undergraduate Education, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Education, Psychotherapist Associates, and Status of Women and Girls. As co-chair of the annual Business of Practice Workshop, leadership and collaboration skills inside and outside APsaA were required. Presenting at the 2014 winter meeting and organizing a 2015 program added operations and programming knowledge.
APsaA is a wonderful opportunity for my participation in psychoanalysis. Another highly valued benefit is the intelligent, enlightened colleague friends, who apply—in the community and world—the psychoanalytic perspective I strongly believe in. Finally, APsaA has been an avenue for advocacy of health care and privacy legislation, which I strongly support.
In 2000, APsaA officers and committee chairs warmly welcomed me as a colleague. My membership on the American Psychological Association Division 39 (Psychoanalysis) Board, and in national organizations, including the American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work and the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis, offered liaison opportunities with mutual advantage.
My professional experience includes 46 years in independent practice, a doctoral degree, teaching and supervision of psychiatric residents and graduate students; membership on journal editorial boards (now TAP), boards of psychoanalytic institutes, societies and organizations; publications and presentations for national psychoanalytic, psychological, forensic, professional coaching and aviation association meetings and symposiums. Currently, the focus of my writing and presentations is gender and the sexualities. Additionally, as a captain in the Air Force Civil Air Patrol, I teach cadets character development, leadership and aerospace education.
Because my education/training began in the mid-1960s, 50 years of work in clinics, hospitals and medical schools have made me well aware of cultural and professional changes. Having lived through more than a few painful institute splits and reorganizations, I understand the complex APsaA governance controversies and lawsuits.
Looking forward, I think APsaA’s future requires research, the maintenance of a democratic and functional Executive Council (Board of Directors) with authority, and review of our TA system. My hope is for psychoanalytic theory and practice that integrate our research, and knowledge from neuroscience and other disciplines. I believe we can maintain wisdom, our souls and the best of our classical tradition—and stay relevant at the same time.
As a training, supervising and faculty psychoanalyst from a nonmedical analytic institute, I have a strong commitment to high standards with wisdom and relevance. The councilor-at-large position would allow me to continue work toward the enhancement and improvement of our organization and profession.
Judith Logue
reports no ethics, malpractice, or licensing board findings.
Kerry Kelly Novick
This is an exciting and important time at APsaA. We are in the midst of a sea change, with opportunities for revitalizing our organization’s role in our profession and our society. I have been part of this effort, from working years ago to expand our membership criteria to my current intensive involvement as a member of both the Task Force on Governance and Structure and the Bylaws Committee. I am committed to finding a good plan that members can engage with to meet our needs from practice to fellowship to education and professional development to research, outreach and more.
Within Council, I am a member of the Committee on Council, which has played an increasing role in improving Council’s functioning. I have successfully proposed the formation of Council committees on the budgeting process and administrative liaison. I have long administrative experience at all levels of organizations, including serving as president of the Association for Child Psychoanalysis and on numerous non-profit boards.
I am committed to fuller integration of child analysis in our field. I served as chair of APsaA’s Committee on Child and Adolescent Psychoanalysis (2005-2008). Currently, as Chair of the IPA’s COCAP, I have been part of the international development of the new IPA integrated child/adult training track. This position gives me the opportunity to bring a broad perspective to my work in APsaA, and to consider APsaA’s relationship with the international world of psychoanalysis.
As an active member of a number of psychoanalytic societies within and outside APsaA and as faculty at numerous institutes around the country, I appreciate the varied perspectives and cultures of those different psychoanalytic communities and enjoy linking different groups. My scientific efforts (over 100 published papers and 4 books, translated into several languages) round out my qualifications to make a contribution on Council.
I am most grateful for your confidence in electing me to my current term as councilor-at-large. It has offered opportunities to contribute to APsaA, new relationships and broader perspectives. It has also been an incomparable learning experience. I now seek your vote for re-election to continue to advance the challenging tasks before us. APsaA will surely continue to evolve, and I hope to be able to pass on to our future colleagues a more effective, flexible, democratic, responsive, and sustaining organization that they will cherish and value, as APsaA plays a critical role in strengthening our profession, our own communities, and all that we have to offer.
I welcome your questions and ideas at kerrynovick@gmail.com.
Kerry Kelly Novick
reports no ethics, malpractice, or licensing board findings.