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NEWSLETTER the National Membership Committee on Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work, Inc NEWSLETTER The National Membership Committee on Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work, Inc. Affiliated with The National Federation of Societies for Clinical Social Work, Inc. [ VOLUME 11 SPRING 1996 ~ AIMS AND PURPOSES MEMBERSHIP LETTER OF THE NMCOP PRESIDENT'S GREETING By Margaret G. Frank, President •!• To further the understanding of It gives me great pleasure to greet our psychoanalytic theory and practice current membership and welcome within the profession of social work and those who are new to NMCOP. We to the public. have all done well to survive the win- I •!• To promote a unique and special ter weather and work pressures. identity for all social work professionals Once again I want to bring you up to engaged in psychoanalytically informed date on the activities of your organi­ practice. zation. I'll review our goals which Margaret Frank, as you know cover education, repre­ NMCOP President •!• To work for equal recognition and sentation of social work analysts and professional parity for qualified psychoanalytic psychotherapists, and legislation effect­ psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic ing the quality of mental health services. psychotherapists in social work with Education: other mental health disciplines through Our very successful N.Y.C. meeting is behind us and en­ education, legislation, and collaboration ergy is now fq_cused upon the Seattle Meeting in Septem­ with other disciplines. ber 1997. Keynote speakers have been chosen and have •!• To effect a liaison with other accepted the invitations from us. Readers from all over disciplines identifying themselves with the country are being rallied to review submitted pa­ the theory and practice of pers. The call for papers (see 1997 Conference Plans on psychoanalysis. Pg 5) has gone out. We look forward to East meeting West in mind and body. •!• To advocate for the highest ethical There have been a number of regional institutes this year standards of practice and for quality which you will read about in regional news. They have mental health care for all. been successful and are a result of the joint efforts of the Committee on Psychoanalysis and the regional Federa- See page 7 to join or renew your membership Please see President~ on page 2 Featured Articles AIMS AND PURPOSES OF THE NMCOP 1 THE COURTS AND CONGRESS 5 PRESIDENT'S GREETING 1 WITH THE AREAS 6 A WORD FROM THE EDITOR 2 Northern California Activities 6 NMCOP HOSTS CONSORTIUM MEETING 2 North Carolina: "Legacy of Clare Winnicott" 6 STUDY GROUP: HISTORY & PLANS 3 Tyson Presents in Texas 7 PSYCHOTHERAPY WITHOUT CONFIDENTIALITY 3 Study Group in Maine 7 MIND, MEMORIES, AND METAPHORS 4 ADVERTISMENTS 7 PERSONAL PROFILE: Laura Groshong 4 JOIN OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSillP NOW! 7 1997 CONFERENCE PLANS PROGRESS 5 DIRECTORY - 1996-97 NMCOP BOARD OF DIRECTORS 8 may call upon membership of NMCOP for financial help. I A WORD FROM THE EDITOR have alerted the Consortium. Obviously if the IRS wins, this By Jim Engelbrecht, Publication Chair will effect all the professions and will markedly limit analytic We welcome readers' ophlions and training for social workers. If you have ideas or knowledge ideas on topics of the day, whether oflegal precedents, please contact me or David Phillips, Presi­ it be managed care, clinical issues, dent-Elect. book reviews, reports of confer­ I welcome comments or inquiries from our membership. ences, news of interest to our mem­ (See last page for phone numbers, addresses and faxes.) bers, organizational issues, etc. (See addresses, phones, and faxes on the NMCOP Hosts Consortium Meeting last page.) By David Phillips, President-Elect Jim Engelbrecht Thanks to this issue's contributors: The National Membership Committee Muriel Brotsky, Margaret Frank, on Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Laura Groshong, Lou Lipsitz, David Phillips, Cathy Work is one of the four founding mem­ Siebold, Marga Speicher, and Donna Tarver. bers of the Psychoanalytic Consortium, and is active in this group with the Presidents Greeting continued from page 1 American Psychoanalytic Association, tion of Clinical Societies. It is our intention to increase The American Academy of Psycho­ analysis, and the Division of Psycho­ these joint educational efforts. 1 analysis (39) of the American Psycho- The Study Group has been formulating plans for a symposia David Phillips logical Association. The goals of this day which will continue the theme they started last year in important organization are the strength­ NY on supervision. ening of psychoanalysis in the United States, and the ensur­ Representation and Legislation: ing of high standards of training and practice in those fields. Our work as a member of the Psychoanalytic Consortium con­ The umbrella of the Consortium's work includes psychoana­ tinues. Other Consortium members are: The American Acad­ lytic psychotherapy. At the March meeting of the Consor­ emy of Psychoanalysis, the American Psychoanalytic Asso­ tium, NMCOP was the host, and the meeting was chaired by ciation, and Division 39 of the A.P.A. As reported in my ear­ our Founder, Crayton Rowe. Our current president, Peg lier letter to the membership, we worked on and gave finan­ Frank, was snow bound in Boston and could not attend. cial support to the briefs prepared by the Consortium and One of the most important issues discussed at this meeting the Federation of Clinical Societies in conjunction with ABE was the complex legislative situation that has been develop­ and NASW. We are making plans to utilize the legislative ing on the state level. As has been previously reported, the tracking service which will give us access to state and federal National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis legislation effecting the practice of psychoanalysis and psy­ (NAAP) has turned its attention to legislation on the state choanalytic psychotherapy. level, and has succeeded in passing a law in Vermont which It is quite clear to all the analytic organizations that there is a will certify as psychoanalysts, individuals who have been need for an agreement on the issue of credentialing and ac­ trained in institutes that they have accredited. A similar law creditation in psychoanalysis. Lest we have members who was recently passed by the New Jersey legislature, but was consider themselves psychoanalytic psychotherapists and not vetoed by the Governor. NMCOP and the Psychoanalytic Con­ analysts, who feel these regulatory attempts do not effect sortium have consistently opposed these efforts, taking the them, please be clear that credentials for psychoanalytic train­ position that NAAP does not represent the main body of psy­ ing and practice will soon cover psychoanalytic psycho­ choanalytic practitioners in this country, and that their stan­ therapy. dards of training do not embody those standards upheld by the major organizations which represent psychoanalytic train­ ALERT: We have just learned of a situation of a very serious ing and practice. nature. In N.Y. C. a social worker of some 20 years of experi­ ence entered an analytic institute for training. In response to While the Consortium has been successful in opposing the her tax preparation, the IRS decided to disallow all training efforts ofNAAP to become the organization which would both expenses (tuition, training analysis, supervision). They made accredit psychoanalytic training programs and certify psy­ this decision based on their view that she was changing her choanalytic practitioners, it was felt that the time has come to profession, not advancing her skills in her own profession. take a more pro-active stance on the issue. It was therefore They plan that her situation will be a test case. They do not decided to form a Legislative Task Force of the Psychoana­ view psychoanalysis as a specialty of social work, as it is for lytic Consortium. The first job of this Task Force will be the psychiatry and psychology. Currently she is being repre­ development of model legislation for the licensing of mental sented by a tax lawyer and is funding the battle herself. We health professionals as psychoanalysts. The essence of this Page 2 - Spring 1996 NMCOP NEWSLETTER legislation will be the definition and recognition of psycho­ day-long Seminar on Supervision will be organized for the analysis as an advanced specialization which is practiced by 1997 conference in Seattle. The Study Group will also begin members of the four core licensed/certified mental health pro­ work toward publication of a book on the work of social work fessions of psychiatry, psychology, social work, and psychi­ psychoanalysts - soliciting active participation from the atric nursing. membership. The Study Group also discussed the urgent need NMCOP's representative to this important Task Force will be for political and educational support of each other in these Marsha Wineburgh, currently Legislative Chair of the New turbulent times. York State Society for Clinical Social Work. Marsha is a gradu­ Membership ideas are welcome! ate of the training program in psychoanalysis and psycho­ therapy at the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health. She PSYCHOTHERAPY WITHOUT CONFIDENTIALITY has earned tremendous respect for her expertise on legisla­ By David Phillips, President-Elect tive issues and the legislative process, and is a Past-President Psychotherapists, when surveyed, will usually state that con­ of both the New York State Society for Clinical Social Work, fidentiality is the most important ethical obligation which and the National Federation of Societies for Clinical Social they owe their patients. They will, in addition, stress the Work. crucial clinical need for providing a promise of confidential­ STUDY GROUP: HISTORY & PLANS ity in their work, and will argue that this guarantee is central in providing the atmosphere of safety and trust in which pa­ By Marga Speicher, Study Group Chair tients can express thoughts, feelings, and experiences of which The Study Group on Social Work and they may be deeply ashamed. The case of Jaffe vs. Redmond, Psychoanalysis was established by the currently being considered by the Supreme Court, has been Board of the NMCOP in 1990.
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