PSYCHOANALYTIC SOCIETY ACTIVITIES

The Society provides various services, benefits, activities and benefits to our membership as well as the overall postdoctoral community, the professional community at large and the public.

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

Postdoctoral Referral Service
This Psychoanalytic Society sponsored service has been providing moderate-cost referrals exclusively to Society members for nearly 30 years. Invitation for membership is extended annually in mid-autumn to alumni, faculty members and supervisors of the NYU Postdoctoral Program. Members of the Referral Service must also be members of the Psychoanalytic Society. Registration in the Service is accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, as enrollment capacity is limited to ensure optimal effectiveness. The Postdoctoral Referral Service’s long lasting popularity is a reflection of its consistent and personalized service.

You may learn more about the Postdoctoral Referral Service at their official website: www.psychologistsearch.org. Application for treatment can be made by calling 1-800-POSTDOC or through a secure form on the Referral Service website.


Moderate-Fee Candidate Psychoanalytic Service
As a benefit of membership in the Psychoanalytic Society, members may choose to participate in providing moderate-fee psychoanalysis to candidates in the NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. You are eligible to enroll in this program if you are a Society member in good standing and if your postdoctoral graduation was 5 years ago, or more (i.e., to participate in the 2009 service, you must have graduated in 2003 or prior).

This option is offered to Society members each year on the first annual dues renewal notice sent in mid-autumn. Those Society members who qualify and wish to add their names to the annual list of providers must complete and sign a confidential Professional Profile Form by the annual deadline date which is typically 90 days past the initial offering of membership. The Moderate-Fee Candidate Psychoanalysis Committee maintains a detailed database of the program’s registrants with which it manages requests and referrals. The committee makes its best effort to make a good match with candidates, according to specific criteria presented by the candidate and the criteria furnished by enrolled Society members.

For further information please feel free to contact Dr. Pat Vitacco, committee chair, at pbvitacco@yahoo.com.


Annual Cocktail Party
The Society’s Annual Cocktail Party at the Harmonie Club in late winter, usually held in March, has become a wonderful tradition and much-anticipated occasion. This annual event offers a great opportunity to see old friends and colleagues; enjoy the food, drinks, live music, dancing, and the elegant atmosphere of the venue. Please contact Janice Bennet, committee chair, at job5@columbia.edu for further information.

We invite you to view the EVENT PHOTO GALLERY page of this website.

EDUCATIONAL ENDEAVORS

Colloquium/Workshop Committee
This committee organizes a series of workshops and colloquia on topical subjects of interest to the postdoctoral community -- complimentary for Postdoc candidates and Society members.

Our recent workshop, “New Horizons: Working Psychoanalytically With Older Adults,” held at NYU on Saturday, January 24, 2009 was well-attended. Keynote presentations were made by Drs. Martin Bergmann and Greg Hinrichsen, as well as a broad range of panel discussions on this topical issue by experts in the field. Complimentary admission and continental breakfast was provided to candidates of all psychoanalytic institutes and all graduate students in addition to Society members and Postdoc candidates.

A previous workshop was entitled “The Psychoanalytic Taboo: Integrating Cognitive-Behavioral Techniques into Psychoanalysis” and was presented by Drs. Paul Wachtel, Lisa Lyon and Lisa Cross. It was also highly successful and well-attended.

We anticipate being able to offer CE credits to eligible participants in the future. Please contact Dr. Judy Warren at jjwhkg@aol.com for further information.

Joint International Conference
The Joint International Conference, held biennially, provides an opportunity for professional and social exchanges with analysts from other countries. Attendees present and discuss scientific papers before professional audiences. Past conferences have been held in Buenos Aries, Cape Town, Dublin, Paris, Tel Aviv and Toronto.

The Fourth Joint International Conference, entitled, “Loneliness and Yearnings,” was held in Vancouver, Canada on July 25-27, 2008. It was co-sponsored by the graduate societies of NYU, White, Adelphi, Toronto, and Western Canada:  The Psychoanalytic Society of the [NYU] Postdoctoral Program, William Alanson White Psychoanalytic Society, Adelphi Society for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Toronto Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis, and the Western Canada Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Association.

Please contact Dr. Michael Stern, committee chair, at mstern393@gmail.com for event information.


Memorial Lecture
For more than 30 years, the Society has been sponsoring the Memorial Lecture that honors the NYU Postdoctoral Program faculty members who have passed away. Distinguished analysts and authors from the U.S. and abroad deliver the lecture to the psychoanalytic community. The last memorial Lecture was presented by Dr. Jerrold M. Post’s entitled, “When Hatred is Bred in the Bone: Psychocultural Foundations of Contemporary Terrorism.”  It was provocative, timely and well received.

We look forward to offering interesting lectures in the future. Please contact Dr. Maureen O’Reilly-Landry, committee chair, at doctormony@aol.com for information or program suggestions.

GRANTING AND SPONSORSHIP ACTIVITIES

The Scholars’ Grants
The Scholars’ Grants Committees are wholly funded by the Psychoanalytic Society and dedicated to awarding two levels of annual grants to support scholarly work that substantiates the efficacy of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic theory. For more information on the Scholars’ Grants including a history of the awards and recipients, please refer to the SCHOLARS’ GRANTS page of this website.

Scholars’ Grants for Graduates
The Graduate Scholars’ Grants Committee awards up to three annual grants totaling up to $5,000 to Society members with demonstrated commitment to psychoanalytic research, scholarship, and/or community education. These annual endowments have been awarded since 2005.

Grant specifications are mailed to Society members in mid-autumn, the submission deadline is mid-January, and the awards are conferred in late winter at the Society's Annual Cocktail Party. Applicants must meet additional membership requirements. Please contact Dr. Pat Vitacco, committee chair, at pbvitacco@yahoo.com for further information.

The 2009 Scholars' Grants Awardees:
Dr. Maureen O'Reilly-Landry, “Psychodynamics of Medical Care” ($1,500 individual grant) 
Dr. Nina K. Thomas, “Telling the ‘Truth’ in the Wake of War” ($1,500 individual grant)

Scholar’s Grant for Candidates
The Candidate Scholar’s Grant Committee was recently established to include Postdoc candidates in the Society’s granting endeavors. This committee awards one grant for $1,000 to a high seniority matriculating candidate in the New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. The first candidate grant, conferred in 2009, was dedicated to Dr. Patrick Lane, a former Society president and Scholars’ Grants Committee member, who was highly instrumental in originating this grant.  All applicants are required to be current matriculating candidates in the Program and to have completed at least 28 credits by the end of the autumn academic term preceding grant confirmation.

The 2009 Candidate Scholar’s Grant Awardee:
Dr. Limor Kaufman, “The ‘Bad Object’ as the Artist's Muse - A Relational Perspective on the Creative Process as a Dialogue Between the Artist, his ‘Bad Object,’ and the Audience”

Grant specifications are mailed to qualified Postdoc candidates in mid-autumn, the submission deadline is mid-January, and the award is conferred in late winter at the Society's Annual Gala Cocktail Party. Please contact Dr. Pat Vitacco, committee chair, at pbvitacco@yahoo.com for further information.

Bernard N. Kalinkowitz Memorial Fund
The Fund, wholly sponsored by the Psychoanalytic Society, honors Dr. Kalinkowitz’s lifelong commitment to individuality and pluralism in psychoanalytic training and practice, and celebrates him as a founder of the Postdoctoral Program. The Fund confers an annual scholarship award to a first year candidate. Please contact Dr. Dolores Morris, committee chair, at domorris@worldnet.att.net for further information.

NYU Postdoctoral Program Directory  
The Psychoanalytic Society co-sponsors the publication of the NYU Postdoctoral Program’s Directory. A list of Postdoctoral Program graduates of five years standing or more is noted in the publication, along with vital contact information for all Postdoctoral Program staff, faculty, supervisors, alumni and candidates. Should you need to update your information, please contact Society Administration at geoinmaine@myfairpoint.net.

Outreach to Students and Membership
The Psychoanalytic Society’s Outreach Committee works to establish links with students who are still in training, informs current candidates about Society events, and provides new graduates the opportunities to network with alumni who share similar professional interests. Recent graduates are extended complimentary membership in the Society for the year in which they graduate until the end of that calendar year. We strive to include candidates in as many of our activities as possible to help bridge the gap between the Postdoctoral Program and life after graduation.

Various get-togethers are scheduled for candidates and recent graduates as forums for discussion to explore how they can fully utilize the Society’s membership benefits and to develop programs of interest. Please contact Dr. Roanne Barnett, committee chair, at rkbarnettphd@yahoo.com for further information or if you wish to suggest new endeavors.