Impulse is a community newsletter produced by the Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology (NCSPP) and distributed electronically at no cost to subscribers. We envision Impulse as an integrative source for local news, events, and thinking of interest to the psychoanalytically inclined. Our goal is to be your guide as you explore the Bay Area's rich array of analytic resources.
We invite you to become a member of NCSPP, if you are not already. And, we welcome you as a subscriber to Impulse. Join us as we highlight the exceptional diversity of psychoanalytic thought and practice in Northern California.
by Willow Banks, Psy.D.
As I write this, I am preparing to attend this year’s Division 39 conference in New York. I have not attended a conference since sometime before 2020. It feels like an excellent way to reconnect with the larger psychoanalytic community, reinvigorate my interest in learning, and get exposure to diverse ideas. The conference may also be an opportunity to meet with colleagues from other places who do not benefit from as thriving a psychoanalytic community as we have in the Bay Area and want to know what we offer. It could be a way to find teachers from around the country or the world who want to teach or present for NCSPP. One benefit of continuing to hold NCSPP’s courses and events remotely is that it allows us to work with and learn from those who live in other places and who can bring a fresh perspective to our local learning environment. Our board has been talking about how to implement this idea. The possibilities for collaboration and sharing are exciting. This got me thinking about what drives our desire for connection through psychoanalytic ideas and what keeps us interested in the evolving knowledge that informs our work and daily lives.
by San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis (SFCP)
ENRICO JONES FUND FOR EQUALITY AND EXCELLENCE AT SFCP
In order to further enrich the learning community of the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis (SFCP), we are offering a tuition credit program for any of SFCP’s tuition-based programs to therapists who self-identify as a Person of Color. This funding is donated to SFCP in memory of SFCP member, Enrico E. Jones, Ph.D., an African American psychologist and Professor of Psychology at University of California, Berkeley.
Tuition credits available in 2022-2023: Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training Programs, at $2000 per participant. CCSW participants, at $300 per applicant. Analytic candidates, at $5000 per applicant.
Please visit www.sfcp.org/s/enrico-jones-fund for more information.
by Nicholas Hack, Psy.D.
LOOKING AWAY
I’ve had my eye on a print for my office for some time. In it, the artist, Celeste Mountjoy, has drawn a small bird with a big, blue eye staring at a tall, carboard box. The colors are primary and the drawing is rudimentary. Across the majority of the piece, Mountjoy’s thoughts are written in bold, capitalized letters: THE BOX WAS EMPTY WITH NOT ONE THING TO OFFER ME. I COULDN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF IT FOR YEARS.
I’ve seen the print at least a dozen times and it still gives me an “Oof” feeling in my stomach when I read those words. The piece brushes up against something deeply personal and deeply lived.
It also speaks to an experience I see many patients living with. Week after week, year after year, all they can talk about is their empty box. Whether their box is in the present or lies deep in the past, it offers them nothing and yet… they simply can’t look away.
by NCSPP Membership Committee
SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT FOR THE MONTH OF MAY!
Become a new member or, if your membership has lapsed, renew your membership today and receive a 20% discount on your first year of membership! Enter coupon code: MAY2023 during checkout.
We are a dynamic community of individuals devoted to the study and practice of psychoanalytic psychology. Membership offers many benefits and is open to licensed mental health professionals, individuals who are no longer students but not licensed in any mental health disciplines, and individuals currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate school in a mental health discipline. Memberships remain active for one year from the time you join.
This is a particularly exciting time to be involved with NCSPP. Efforts to increase the diversity of our organization are falling into place, and we’re exploring the roles our membership might play in applying psychoanalytic thought in the broader community.
THE PSYCHOTHERAPY INSTITUTE (TPI) IS HIRING FOR TWO PROGRAM DIRECTOR POSITIONS. In the past year, we have gone through a strategic planning process and are looking for candidates to be part of our future. TPI remains committed to making depth psychotherapy accessible to everyone by training new and established psychotherapists in the latest socially responsible developments in our field. Visit our website for details about our job openings at https://www.tpi-berkeley.org/about/employment-tpi.
CLASSIC CHAISE ANALYTIC COUCH. $450. Soft color, 81x27. Photo available. Contact Sherry Crandon: shercran@gmail.com.
Old couches, new books, hot jobs, cool internships, office rentals? List them in Impulse's Classifieds for a modest fee. Please see our submission guidelines for details.
Evening Colloquium with Prof. Jan Abram
Wed, May 3 / 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm / 530 Bush St. (Zoom option) / San Francisco
PINC / (415) 288-4050 / J. Abram, Ph.D.; J. Sekoff, Ph.D. / $10 - $45
The Frankenstein Complex: On Birth Traumas
Sat, May 6 / 9:00 am - 3:00 pm / 312 Sutter St. (Zoom option) / San Francisco
PINC / (415) 288-4050 / J. Abram, Ph.D., et al. / $100 - $240
Supervision Study Program Informational Meeting
Tue, May 9 / 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm / Zoom / Virtual
TPI / (510) 548-2250 / Panel of graduates and consultation leader / free
Introduction to the Lacanian Clinic
Wed, May 10 (begins) / 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm / Zoom
SFCP / (415) 563-5815 / S. Tan, Psy.D. / free
Speaking the Unspeakable
Fri, May 12 / 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm / Zoom
PINC / (415) 288-4050 / P. Williams, Ph.D., et al. / $20 - $45
Oedipus and the Red Pill: Initiation and Evolution
Sat, May 20 / 10:00 am - 4:00 pm / 2610 Mission St. / San Francisco
Jung Institute / (628) 688-0646 / F. Hatfield, Ph.D., MFT / $125
Can Future Psychoanalysis Bring Anything to Sex/Gender Study
Thu, May 25 / 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm / 444 Natoma St. / San Francisco
SFCP / (415) 563-5815 / J. Drescher, M.D.; C. Fisher, M.D. / free