ApsaA Press Coverage

Colleagues,

Thanks to both Leon Hoffman and Kerry Sulkowicz for telling us about their experiences with journalists and with the press. As with so many of the tasks we face in dealing with the contemporary world we are in an unfamiliar environment which requires special skill, persistence, a long view, and a willingness, even an eagerness, to push beyond our usual roles.

It is most likely unrealistic to expect unequivocally positive coverage for any story about us in today’s media but I don’t take the view that we should consider just any coverage as acceptable or good. Without a doubt negative coverage can cause us very serious harm. Our Association showed prescience many years ago when we put both funds and people into our public information efforts. The addition of a staff member dedicated to handling this effort has paid off handsomely and we can thank Dottie Jeffries for many a piece of good media attention over the years. We were similarly wise when we formed a Public Information Committee years ago and staffed it both with media savvy members (such as Leon and Kerry) as well as a number of non member experts.

While not typical psychoanalytic activities these are exactly the kinds of very non traditional efforts we need to support, both financially and with our personal capital, if we are to “stay on the radar” of public awareness. We also need, as both Leon and Kerry suggest, to continue to work at this to become ever more effective. While it is unlikely that this work would be seen today by many members as controversial we should recall that at one time it was. There may be an interesting lesson here. It is unlikely that our Association can advance and thrive if we choose only to “play it safe”.

Warren R. Procci, Candidate for President-Elect of APsaA

Openness in Campaigns

Dear Colleagues,

Openness in campaigns is a sine qua non if we are to have effective leadership. Miriam Tasini has asked about the relevance of current experience as a participant in an Institute teaching program as a qualification for APsaA leadership. My response, similar to that of most others who have posted, is that any APsaA member possessing the necessary interest, drive, dedication, ideas, etc. is eligible to run and our members will then make their decision. I had thought this issue was resolved when our members endorsed the bylaw amendment several years ago delinking certification from eligibility to hold office, a proposal I strongly endorsed at the time.

This brings me to two points I’d like to make today. The first is the relevance of a candidate’s voting record. In my view this is very relevant, perhaps the best predictor of how a candidate might eventually lead. In this interest of openness here is how I voted on a number of recent matters of significance. I actively supported: the proposal to remove references to certification from our bylaws, the oversight proposal, and the Local Option proposal. I did not support the Renew proposal

Point two, an absolutely central issue of my campaign has to do with just whose organization is APsaA? Who makes the key decisions that affect us? I’d frame it as central regulation vs. individual/local autonomy, or how much do our members want the central organization to govern them locally. I believe this question underlies the issue which is the major source of our current divisiveness, the certification/TA link. I am proud of my long, quite consistent history of standing foursquare on the side of increased local autonomy on just such matters, and if elected this is the direction in which I will lead.

Please feel free to contact me either at this email address or by phone (626-793-7957). Please visit my website, “a work in progress”.
www.wrprocci.org or http://warrenprocci.blogspot.com

With best wishes,
Warren R. Procci, Candidate for President-Elect