Dear Colleagues,
In recent weeks I have discussed on this list some of my ideas about the values which need greater emphasis and which are essential to the future of our organization. These include an attention to and an embrace of all forms of diversity (cultural, theoretical, racial, political, etc.) and an attunement to the needs of the next generations of analysts. Let me add another important value, one which garners much lip-service but too little action: transparency. Ours has not been a particularly transparent organization historically and the consequence, to members and non-members alike, has been a legacy of hurt and mistrust.
In the business and political worlds transparency has become an essential antidote to corruption and cronyism. To my mind, it correlates with openness, communication, and accountability, especially of leaders. Democracy by itself does not necessarily protect against plutocracy or the occurrence of abuses. This is why one of my leadership goals for APsaA is maximal transparency. Open meetings, public financial statements and budgetary review, and just a general ethic of freedom of information, are essential facets of a thriving and participatory democracy, and critical to our future success as an organization.
As Treasurer these past five years, I have been consistently committed to transparency, including the establishment of a viable and ongoing Audit Committee. Overall, our organization has made good strides towards greater openness of late, but I think we can, and must, move even further. For both practical and creative reasons, we need our members to play a larger role in the workings and evolution of all aspects of our organization, from financial decisions to membership criteria and beyond. The corollary of such an effort will not only be a more vibrant and meaningful organization, but it will also foster a greater sense of confidence and genuine trust in our Association.
As always, I would be delighted to spell out in greater detail my vision for our future and to hear your thoughts on these directions and ideas (you may visit my website at either www.wrprocci.org or http://warrenprocci.blogspot.com ). Please feel free to contact me at any time (626-793-7957, wrprocci@sbcglobal.net ) and please don’t forget to vote.
Warren R. Procci, Candidate for President-Elect, APsaA
Friday, November 2, 2007
Succession in APsaA- Do We Become an Incubator or a Museum?
We are in danger of becoming a museum rather than an incubator of creative ideas!
Dear Colleagues,
What does this current generation of analysts owe to our next generation?
The Athenian oath was a promise by older leaders to hand over their great city in better condition than they received it. And I believe that those of us who have drawn so much value from our national organization have a similar and irrevocable obligation to our younger colleagues.
In that regard, I propose two avenues towards a richer future for our organization and for all of us within it.
1) As treasurer for the past five years I’ve been substantially involved in strengthening the fiscal bricks and mortars of our organization. It is on this foundation that we need to build an association that is truly representative of our diverse and changing membership. We need to foster the involvement at all levels of committee and community life, including leadership, of our newer and younger members, with all their disciplinary, cultural, and theoretical diversity. As president I will lead and support such efforts, because only in this way can we assure that our organization can remain an incubator for new ideas rather than just a container for old ones.
2) My second point has to do with our Association’s direction: theoretically, clinically and administratively. We need to construct an Association open to the new perspectives arising in the face of current practice realities and to the myriad of newer developments in psychoanalytic theory. We run the risk of being left standing at the station as the best of our rival organizations readily embrace the value and seriousness of new ideas. It may sound obvious, but many in our organization have difficulty grasping the fact that our newer candidates and members, all drawn from varied backgrounds and experience, are essential contributors to developing a modern face and soul for APsaA.
Of course there is more to say about these significant themes, but brevity in this context is undoubtedly appreciated. However, I welcome discussion with any and all of you who are interested, concerned, or enticed by these themes. Feel free to contact me by email (wrprocci@sbcglobal.net) or by telephone (626-793-7957). Please feel free to visit my webpage as well (www.wrprocci.org or http://warrenprocci.blogspot.com)
Very truly yours,
Warren R. Procci, Candidate for President-Elect, APsaA
Dear Colleagues,
What does this current generation of analysts owe to our next generation?
The Athenian oath was a promise by older leaders to hand over their great city in better condition than they received it. And I believe that those of us who have drawn so much value from our national organization have a similar and irrevocable obligation to our younger colleagues.
In that regard, I propose two avenues towards a richer future for our organization and for all of us within it.
1) As treasurer for the past five years I’ve been substantially involved in strengthening the fiscal bricks and mortars of our organization. It is on this foundation that we need to build an association that is truly representative of our diverse and changing membership. We need to foster the involvement at all levels of committee and community life, including leadership, of our newer and younger members, with all their disciplinary, cultural, and theoretical diversity. As president I will lead and support such efforts, because only in this way can we assure that our organization can remain an incubator for new ideas rather than just a container for old ones.
2) My second point has to do with our Association’s direction: theoretically, clinically and administratively. We need to construct an Association open to the new perspectives arising in the face of current practice realities and to the myriad of newer developments in psychoanalytic theory. We run the risk of being left standing at the station as the best of our rival organizations readily embrace the value and seriousness of new ideas. It may sound obvious, but many in our organization have difficulty grasping the fact that our newer candidates and members, all drawn from varied backgrounds and experience, are essential contributors to developing a modern face and soul for APsaA.
Of course there is more to say about these significant themes, but brevity in this context is undoubtedly appreciated. However, I welcome discussion with any and all of you who are interested, concerned, or enticed by these themes. Feel free to contact me by email (wrprocci@sbcglobal.net) or by telephone (626-793-7957). Please feel free to visit my webpage as well (www.wrprocci.org or http://warrenprocci.blogspot.com)
Very truly yours,
Warren R. Procci, Candidate for President-Elect, APsaA
My First Campaign Letter to APsaA Members
The most valuable and important asset of any professional organization is its membership. That is why I am writing to you directly, to ask you to support my candidacy for President-Elect of APsaA. I know that a lot of you have been bored or put off by the postings on the listservs. But those members with little patience for politics "as usual" are often the ones who turn out to be most interested in progressive ideas, so I want to tell you who I am and where I stand. Despite its history of stalwart support for psychoanalysis, APsaA must make some major changes if it is to survive the challenges that face psychoanalysis today. Each of us will soon have to decide who we want to have leading our Association and helping to shape these changes. In this letter I'll tell you something about my background, qualifications, and values. In subsequent communications, I will outline the goals I would embrace as President of APsaA and my vision of the future for psychoanalysis and our organization.
It's been a long journey into this world for me, coming as I did from the blue-collar, working class, Italian-American Staten Island of the 1950s. Going off to the University of Wisconsin for medical school and psychiatric residency was an eye-opening developmental step. That was where I met Joe Kepecs, the charismatic Chicago geographic TA, who first aroused my interest in psychoanalysis.
My training analysis in Los Angeles, where my wife and I moved after my residency, was another great stimulus for personal and professional growth -- a life-changing experience. It set me on the road I have followed ever since, seeking out opportunities to learn, to teach, and, eventually, to lead. For 13 years I was a full-time tenured member first of the USC faculty and then at Harbor/UCLA Medical Center. There, as Director of Residency Training, I pushed hard to involve residents -- not only in matters pertaining to their training, but in all the other aspects of department administration as well. Even then, inclusivity, democracy, and pluralism were key ideals for me and integral to my beliefs about how an organization should be run. I moved into full-time psychoanalytic practice in 1988 and have retained a quarter-time faculty appointment as Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harbor/UCLA.
I graduated from the Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute in 1984. Between 1992 and 2001 I served as President-elect (1992 to 1994), as President (1994 to 1996), and as Chair of the Education Committee (1996 to 2001). In these positions too I pushed hard for candidate involvement in all aspects of Institute life, as well as for reforms regarding candidate admission, TA appointment, curriculum design, etc.
I first became involved with APsaA at SCPI's request. It was the early '90s, and we were frustrated by what we saw as cumbersome and restrictive policies regarding the admission of “non-medical candidates," as they were called then. I argued for fewer restrictions, including the abandonment of waivers and shifting admissions decisions from the national level to the local institutes. I think I played a role in the eventual development of less restrictive procedures and greater local autonomy.
At APsaA I was a Fellow to BOPS between 1996 and 2001, and nationally elected three times -- once as Councilor at Large (1997 through 2001) and twice as Treasurer (2002 through 2005 and 2005 to the present). I’ve been an officer of APsaA and an Executive Committee member for five years, and a member of our Board of Directors (Executive Council) for nine. Between 1997 and 2000 I also chaired one of our most important committees, the Committee on Government Relations and Insurance (CGRI). During my tenure as CGRI Chair, we made a significant shift to a stricter defense of the privacy of the psychoanalytic setting, and we also hired our current and extremely effective government representative, Jim Pyles.
As officer and Board member I have consistently and vigorously supported such progressive causes as: an expanded membership proposal; a by-law amendment to grant voting rights to candidates; a BOPS-generated proposal to expand the opportunities for TA appointments; a by-law amendment to extend to all members, not just certified ones, the right to hold office; a by-law amendment to remove references to certification from our by-laws; a bylaw amendment to assert Board (Executive Council) oversight; and a by-law amendment to shift authority for TA appointments to individual institutes.
One other significant leadership experience has helped prepare me for the presidency of APsaA. In 1999, I was asked to join the Wagner College Board of Trustees. Soon after I accepted the invitation, I had assumed a leadership position as a member of the Board’s Executive Committee and as Chair of the College’s Committee on Academic Affairs. In these roles I have had opportunity to deal directly with issues pertaining to administrative oversight of academic matters -- a matter clearly and directly relevant to controversies within today’s APsaA. I have participated significantly in the development and implementation of a strategic plan for the college, and in the college’s capital campaign to enlarge its endowment. This is also relevant for APsaA, and one cornerstone of my presidency would be the establishment of a program of development.
I hope I have persuaded you that I am the right person to be APsaA’s president. I don't think it's immodest to assert that few of our prior presidents have been as well prepared, or to point out the advantages of having a chief executive who won't have to learn the administrative ropes on the job. I hope I have also demonstrated a long and consistent history of support for the principles of pluralistic government, inclusive membership, and wide participation, and for local autonomy over central regulation. If you elect me to lead you, there will be no surprises about the positions I take, nor about my willingness to provide effective leadership in dealing with the serious challenges in front of us.
I believe that if we can get beyond our current dissension, a great future once again awaits our field. I would relish the opportunity to lead us toward it. Please feel free to contact me by phone or email and please visit my webpage as noted above.
With best personal regards,
Warren R. Procci, Candidate for President-Elect of APsaA
It's been a long journey into this world for me, coming as I did from the blue-collar, working class, Italian-American Staten Island of the 1950s. Going off to the University of Wisconsin for medical school and psychiatric residency was an eye-opening developmental step. That was where I met Joe Kepecs, the charismatic Chicago geographic TA, who first aroused my interest in psychoanalysis.
My training analysis in Los Angeles, where my wife and I moved after my residency, was another great stimulus for personal and professional growth -- a life-changing experience. It set me on the road I have followed ever since, seeking out opportunities to learn, to teach, and, eventually, to lead. For 13 years I was a full-time tenured member first of the USC faculty and then at Harbor/UCLA Medical Center. There, as Director of Residency Training, I pushed hard to involve residents -- not only in matters pertaining to their training, but in all the other aspects of department administration as well. Even then, inclusivity, democracy, and pluralism were key ideals for me and integral to my beliefs about how an organization should be run. I moved into full-time psychoanalytic practice in 1988 and have retained a quarter-time faculty appointment as Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harbor/UCLA.
I graduated from the Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute in 1984. Between 1992 and 2001 I served as President-elect (1992 to 1994), as President (1994 to 1996), and as Chair of the Education Committee (1996 to 2001). In these positions too I pushed hard for candidate involvement in all aspects of Institute life, as well as for reforms regarding candidate admission, TA appointment, curriculum design, etc.
I first became involved with APsaA at SCPI's request. It was the early '90s, and we were frustrated by what we saw as cumbersome and restrictive policies regarding the admission of “non-medical candidates," as they were called then. I argued for fewer restrictions, including the abandonment of waivers and shifting admissions decisions from the national level to the local institutes. I think I played a role in the eventual development of less restrictive procedures and greater local autonomy.
At APsaA I was a Fellow to BOPS between 1996 and 2001, and nationally elected three times -- once as Councilor at Large (1997 through 2001) and twice as Treasurer (2002 through 2005 and 2005 to the present). I’ve been an officer of APsaA and an Executive Committee member for five years, and a member of our Board of Directors (Executive Council) for nine. Between 1997 and 2000 I also chaired one of our most important committees, the Committee on Government Relations and Insurance (CGRI). During my tenure as CGRI Chair, we made a significant shift to a stricter defense of the privacy of the psychoanalytic setting, and we also hired our current and extremely effective government representative, Jim Pyles.
As officer and Board member I have consistently and vigorously supported such progressive causes as: an expanded membership proposal; a by-law amendment to grant voting rights to candidates; a BOPS-generated proposal to expand the opportunities for TA appointments; a by-law amendment to extend to all members, not just certified ones, the right to hold office; a by-law amendment to remove references to certification from our by-laws; a bylaw amendment to assert Board (Executive Council) oversight; and a by-law amendment to shift authority for TA appointments to individual institutes.
One other significant leadership experience has helped prepare me for the presidency of APsaA. In 1999, I was asked to join the Wagner College Board of Trustees. Soon after I accepted the invitation, I had assumed a leadership position as a member of the Board’s Executive Committee and as Chair of the College’s Committee on Academic Affairs. In these roles I have had opportunity to deal directly with issues pertaining to administrative oversight of academic matters -- a matter clearly and directly relevant to controversies within today’s APsaA. I have participated significantly in the development and implementation of a strategic plan for the college, and in the college’s capital campaign to enlarge its endowment. This is also relevant for APsaA, and one cornerstone of my presidency would be the establishment of a program of development.
I hope I have persuaded you that I am the right person to be APsaA’s president. I don't think it's immodest to assert that few of our prior presidents have been as well prepared, or to point out the advantages of having a chief executive who won't have to learn the administrative ropes on the job. I hope I have also demonstrated a long and consistent history of support for the principles of pluralistic government, inclusive membership, and wide participation, and for local autonomy over central regulation. If you elect me to lead you, there will be no surprises about the positions I take, nor about my willingness to provide effective leadership in dealing with the serious challenges in front of us.
I believe that if we can get beyond our current dissension, a great future once again awaits our field. I would relish the opportunity to lead us toward it. Please feel free to contact me by phone or email and please visit my webpage as noted above.
With best personal regards,
Warren R. Procci, Candidate for President-Elect of APsaA
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