Our Diversity: Openness, Honesty and Reconciliation

Dear Colleagues,

Our organization has moved well beyond the rancor that accompanied the lawsuit which permitted psychologists (and, ultimately, social workers) the freedom to train at APsaA institutes. I am proud of this fact, but disturbed by what I have heard from some of you during this campaign via phone calls and emails.

It is perplexing to me that some members, perhaps many, do not feel fully accepted as equal partners in our organization. Some social workers and psychologists, as well as some of our CORST colleagues, have felt they receive fewer analytic case referrals than their medical colleagues. Others have felt excluded from key committee assignments. Some have felt they were not ‘tapped’ for TA/SA roles at ratios comparable to their medical colleagues. And a number of our social work members have pointed, with some pain, to the fact that a few of our institutes still do not accept licensed social workers for training.

We can add to this the residual animus felt by our mental health colleagues who have not trained at our institutes. Just a few years ago, our expensive market research revealed a strong reluctance by these colleagues to refer patients to us, even and especially those patients who could profit from analysis.

Of course, no organization is without unhappy members, and perhaps these problems are not widespread. To some they may even seem like old news. But those of us who would be elected to our highest office have a special and unremitting responsibility to resolve any and all problems that arise from our organizational struggles with change and diversity. Here are three ways I believe we can catalyze this important process:

First, we must, as an organization, openly and non-defensively acknowledge the errors of our history and the hurt our exclusionary policies have caused.

Second, we must initiate a forum (and a concomitant task force) to explore, discuss, and report on the issues and conflicts that our diverse backgrounds and training may still engender.

Third, we must reach out humbly and respectfully to the psychoanalytic arms of all major psychology and social work organizations, as well as to psychoanalytically-interested academic groups from the humanities and sciences to explore and pursue together areas of common interest and concern.

Some would prefer that we sweep these issues under the carpet. Others would say we are doing the best that we can, or that we must move slowly. And others, sadly, proclaim when these issues are addressed, as I have been addressing them, that it just creates further conflict and hostility. What kind of psychoanalytic attitude is that?!

We must not be afraid to face the errors of our ways, to pursue unhesitatingly our goals of equality and openness, nor especially to work assiduously to resolve the problems and concerns of our many and varied members. With open eyes and honest debate, I think we can continue to be proud of our organization and help it evolve into the larger umbrella of diverse and creative people and ideas that is its full potential.

Please let me know if you would like to discuss these issues further.

Sincerely,
Warren R. Procci, Candidate, President-Elect, APsaA