President's Message by Henry Evans, MD

Plans for the Institute/Society-sponsored March 21-22 Conference, "Psychoanalysis, Neurobiology and Therapeutic Change," celebrating the 65th Anniversary of the Institute for Psychoanalysis, are moving into their final phase. Registration has been growing steadily and we expect to have a large and diverse audience, reflecting numerous disciplines and drawing from several parts of the country. Going by attendance at preconference meetings and by purchases of packets of reading material, interest and curiosity is at quite a high level. Those attending the preconference meeting held at the Institute on Saturday, February 14 were treated to a highly informative, stimulating and clear presentation by Tom Jobe, MD from UIC. His presentation spanned from neuropsychiatry and neurophysiology to studies of post-traumatic and dissociative states. He offered a fascinating variety of information relevant to topics which will be discussed at the conference, a considerable amount of his information having resonance with and implications for practice. The conference promises to be one example of high level interdisciplinary discussion, relevant to further development of analytic theory and clinical technique. I very much encourage all Society members to attend.

The election for Society officers will be held this Spring. At the time of this writing, nominations are being sought for positions of President-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary, Councilor and Alternate Councilor. The one year President-Elect position implies a four year commitment, with two years as President and one as Immediate Past President. The other officers serve for two years. A list of nominees is to be presented at the February Scientific Meeting, with nominations taken from the floor as well, whereupon nominations will be closed.

The public relations and marketing effort, jointly sponsored by the Institute and Society, will be reviewed following the conference in March. Both the Joint Committee and the Society officers are interested in ongoing assessment and development of this program. The overall aim is to identify and serve the evolving interests and concerns of Society members. The increase in our dues now allows us to consider a broader variety of efforts than was previously feasible. Feedback about the present public relations and marketing efforts and suggestions for enhancing them will be welcome. Such comments may be directed to members of the Joint Committee or to any Society officer.

Mark Levey, Prudy Leib and David Spira reported that their meetings with members of the Jungian Institute were both well received and personally gratifying. Discussion of dream material presented from a Jungian perspective, with discussion by our representatives, was followed by a second meeting in which the format was reversed. Our representatives were warmly received and discussion was lively. The Executive Committee is now discussing a format in which representatives from the Jung Institute can meet with a group in interested people.

The first gathering of the Society Matinees series was held on Sunday, February 8 at the home of Robert Gordon and Sophie Haroutunian Gordon. Performance of a Mozart piano quartet was followed by lively conversation, accompanied by light snacks and wine. All who attended were quite enthused, enough so that an October music program was planned on the spot, to be held at the home of Herb and Georgia Cibul.

The next Matinees program will be held on Sunday, April 19, with Eric Plaut giving a talk on Richard Strauss. On June 28, Martha Schneider will speak and invite discussion on contemporary photography. Notices for each will be mailed. The purposes behind this program are to serve those parts of the Society's mission involving the fostering of collegiality and fellowship among members and to facilitate member involvement in Society-sponsored activities. To accent opportunities for more inclusiveness and more varied contacts among members, the Executive Committee decided to organize meetings around the interests of any and all members and any spouses or partners as well. We also extend invitations to Candidates in general and encourage Candidate members to invite other Candidates and to suggest topics of particular interest to them. The Society Matinees Committee (Phil Lebovitz, Ann Kaplan and myself) encourages you to provide us with ongoing feedback about this program and to give suggestions for future meetings. Feedback will also be sought at the Business Meeting in April. There is no set format for these gatherings and meeting times could likely be varied to fit particular interests. The overall idea is to gather casually, to encourage the comfortable sharing of a wide variety of interests and to enjoy ourselves, enhancing bonds among all who attend.

Institute Activities

Each Newsletter Highlights Another Institute Program:

This Month: The Barr-Harris by Ben Garber, MD

The Expansion of Barr-Harris

The Barr-Harris Children's Grief Center has been an integral part of the Institute for the last 21 years. The Center was directed by Joan Fleming and included the participation of Sol Altschul, Henry Seidenberg, Max Forman, Dean Brockman and Edith Sabshin. This project resulted in numerous outstanding clinical and theoretical contributions to the literature on loss.

In 1976, Mr. Irving Harris and George Barr contributed money to the Institute to open a clinic that would treat bereaved children. The project was an instant success and the Center evolved not only into a clinical facility but also a source for community education about loss and a place for clinical research on bereavement.

Over the years Barr-Harris has developed an outstanding reputation for the evaluation and treatment of bereaved children. However, as potential patients moved into the suburbs and with the proliferation of grief oriented services, it became more difficult for the Center to maintain its referral base. While the needs of inner city children were being addressed, it was evident that the Center would need to expand to other areas to attract and serve a wider patient population.

Consequently, on September 1, 1997, the North-Shore Barr-Harris became a reality. This endeavor had the unqualified support of the Institute's administration and the Board. Dr. Jesse Viner, a member of the Board, offered office space and support for the Center. A CAPT graduate was hired to staff the North-Shore facility. After one year it became evident that a more ideal location for the Center would be in a hospital setting. Ms. Friedman, Tom Pappadis's sister, and the development director of Highland Park Hospital worked together to relocate the Center to the hospital. Barr-Harris now provides the staff and the expertise while the hospital provides the space and marketing. Presently, Jennifer Robin, an advanced student in CAPT, is on site providing community presentations and working with schools in the area to address the needs of children who have experienced loss. The North-Shore Barr-Harris is being integrated into the hospital and the community to provide much needed loss related services for years to come.

As the North-Shore program was experiencing growing pains, a contract with Swedish Covenant hospital was being processed. Connie Bernt, another CAPT student, has been hired to staff the new facility which should be operational this winter. The establishment of a Barr-Harris Center at Swedish Covenant serves to provide children's psychiatric services where the need is great.

The expansion of the Center has led to a number of conclusions. Barr-Harris belongs in a hospital setting as that is where most deaths occur and the services are needed the most. In each instance of expansion, we needed someone within the hospital to open the door so to speak. It is evident from the response to our expansion that there is a need in the community for analytically informed intervention with bereaved families, and we have been there to respond to this need.

The Institute Connection by Tom Pappadis, MD, Director

I hope that all of you will join us in the celebration of the 65th year of the founding of the Chicago Institute. The conference on Neuroscience on March 21-22 is drawing much interest locally and nationally and will be addressing recent advances in the nature of mentation and their relationship to psychoanalysis.

On April 30, we will have our second annual Education Fair at which all our educational programs will be presented to any interested professionals. It will provide an opportunity to learn from one another about the many activities of the Institute.

The American Psychoanalytic Association will be conducting a Site Visit of the Institute from April 15-19, and invites any member of the faculty or society to meet with them if they so wish. We have organized a very broad schedule including observations of supervisions and classes, interviews with students and candidates, recent graduates, faculty and members of the Society.

Please save the date for the Annual Benefit, which will be held on Saturday evening, June 13 at the Union League Club. I hope that all of you will join us at this gala affair.

The diversity of theoretical interests and explorations has been the hallmark of the Chicago Institute. It is in this tradition that we explore the frontiers of knowledge, best exemplified by this year's conference on neuroscience. Along with this, however, our many conferences continue to focus on hermeneutics, self psychology, intersubgjecttivity and applied psychoanalysis within the humanities, just to name a few.

Presentations at the Wednesday afternoon research meeting will range from studies on creativity and flow to aspects of clinical theory and its application to our analytic work. We will continue to explore all that is relevant to psychoanalysis and, in doing so, perpetuate the tradition of the Chicago Institute in the ongoing dialogues within our faculty and students. We hope that you will continue to be part of this Chicago tradition.

 The Candidate Connection by Elizabeth F. Feldman, PhD, Treasurer

The Candidates' Association for 1997-98 is alive and well and pleased to be asked to contribute to The Analytic Observer. For the last few years our agenda has focused on increased inclusion and participation in the academic functioning of the Institute and more open dialogue with faculty and administration, especially concerning curriculum, evaluation of learning, progression and the cost and duration of training. Currently, candidates participate on most Institute committees. The level of candidate participation and inclusion in committee decision-making depends on the committee.

The Candidates' Association meets quarterly and has invited representative from Institute Committees, most recently the Progression Committee, to respond to candidate questions and explain committee procedures. Dr. Kenneth Newman, Dean of the Institute, attended our January meeting. In addition to providing a forum for discussing academic concerns, the Candidates' Association offers members and faculty opportunities to meet more informally. This year our annual Fall Welcome party was organized by Drs. Joanne Marengo (president-elect) and Lauren Kern (president) and held at Mantuano. Dr. Michael Hoit received the Joan Fleming Teaching Award from the candidates at the event, which was well attended and enjoyed by both candidates and faculty. Spring 1998 programs are in planning.

Candidates appreciate being included in Society events. We are kept informed of Society Council meetings by our representative, Dr. Ann Kaplan (past president) and look forward to working with you in the future.

 A Freud-Jung Connection by Prudence Leib, MD

The graceful double doors to the analytic institute are hung with fragrant evergreen wreaths. David Spira, Mark Levey and I, invited guest faculty to a colloquium on dreams, are warmly greeted and offered cups of herbal tea before we sit down to present our theoretical approach to dreams and case material.

The forty analysts and candidates in the audience are friendly, attentive and welcoming.

In the discussion of a patient's intellectualizing defense, one candidates suggest she might have the analysand draw his association rather than say them; moreover, she would have the patient use his non-dominate hand. A bit later on, our co-disscusant listens to the dream I presented and suggested that an animal in the dream represented the number "3", which was a symbol of male genitalia.

Where are we? Kansas? Iowa? No, closer to home. We're invited guests at the Jungian Institute in Evanston, which asked the "Freudians" to join them in a dialogue on dreams. This is the first time ever to anyone's knowledge that the Chicago Jungians and Freudians had joined together for an analytic discussion. We meet twice. In the first meeting, Mark Levey gave an overview of "Freudian" dream theory and techniques and I presented case material for discussion. In the second meeting, one of their faculty presented material and David Spira and I discussed it.

It was the first time I had to think of myself as a "Freudian."

Here are some things we learned:

The Jungians have an active, vibrant training facility and Society.

Their view of Freudian analysis seems, not surprisingly, in a time warp, hovering probably around the state theory was in when Freud and Jung were on the boat together coming to the states.

Our view of Jungian analysis is similarly fixed in time, as if they hadn't been developing their theory for the last 80 years.

Despite the time warp regarding Freud and Jung, there was considerable interest and familiarity among the Jungians in self psychology and object relations theory.

In many ways, again not surprisingly, we end up in similar places when actually speaking to patients.

However, there were several important areas of divergence. It seems we pay considerably more specific attention to transference as an organizing framework for analytic interventions. The Jungians, for their part, using references to myths, have built a rich, metaphorical language for communicating about internal relational and developmental paradigms that create transferences and symptoms, a language that can enliven the analytic dialogue in a way that makes our language seem relatively unimaginative and sterile. They also make room for the spiritual dimension in their discourse and treatment.

The Jungians in Evanston have created a very warm and committed psychoanalytic community. The warmth and responsiveness to the attendees was appreciated. As David and I were leaving, a woman jumped out of her car in the parking lot, grasped our hands and said, "I just wanted to thank you again for coming." I felt gratified and hoped we would have the opportunity to invite members of their Institute to visit us in a similar event. We would enjoy the opportunity to greet them with the same level of engagement and extend them the same genuine welcome.

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