Summary of CPC/HPC Open Meeting

 OPEN MEETING Feb 25, 2012Present:  Adelstein, Basilion, Brody, Camerino, Fleming, Geerken, Janicki, Katz, McKenzie, Levine, Lightbody, Meisel, Nacson, Naegele, Pitlick, Roberts, Rosenbaum, Seidenfeld, Streeter, Superchi, Tucker, Vermes, Zerba,  (23) Hanna Perkins Center has formed two committees. The focus of one is governance and the focus of the other is on how to collaborate with Cleveland Psychoanalytic Center’s Education Committee re: child training programs. There was a lack of clarity as to whether the latter HPC committee was to start meeting immediately with representatives from the CPC EC or to first examine the HPC Curriculum and the CPC curriculum independently of the CPC EC.  It was agreed that it would be important to clarify this by reviewing the minutes of the HPC Faculty meeting at which the establishment of the committees were approved. The HPC faculty has a good opportunity at this time to discuss how to become an independent body. It was mentioned that HPC is continuing to search for a CEO, who in all likelihood will not be a psychoanalyst. It is a good time now for the HPC Faculty to decide how it wants to operate so it will be ready when the new CEO is found. One year ago, HPC was to form a committee to look at both curricula of the HPC and CPC child analytic training programs.  Thoughts of a collaboration of HPC and CPC need this awareness. This would also give candidates clearer options. Cleveland Psychoanalytic Center has also formed a sub committee on child analysis in response to this overture from HPC. CPC’s committee has a focus to develop a child- only curriculum, which it has not offered before, and to define this curriculum. Discussion followed on a scenario in which an adult analyst might want to expand into child training. The wish would be to interface with HPC in doing this. One recent graduate of the CPC adult psychoanalytic training program voiced her plan to apply for child analytic training within the next month and indicated her interest in learning from HPC as well as CPC.  A number of members of the current CPC-EC committee are also HPC trained. The overlap of HPC and CPC members is significant. The committee will meet again in a month when more members can hopefully attend. Neither organization wants to lose their autonomy. The concern is to insure psychoanalysis for the future. There was an acknowledgement of obvious cautiousness, hesitation and resistance amongst HPC and CPC, and the hope is that these can be addressed. Historically, HPC has opened its preschool rotation to CPC child candidates. Questions arose about the influence of the American Psychoanalytic Association on any collaboration of HPC and CPC. The American provides guidelines, and there is a possibility that if there is a collaboration, current HPC supervisors could be grandfathered in for certification by the American and become eligible for approval to be supervisors of candidates at an Institute accredited by the American.. Thus, if CPC candidates choose a non- CPC supervisor it may be possible for that person to become a recognized CPC supervisor also. It was said that HPC and CPC may need each other to create a future faculty. The histories of CPC and HPC are being documented in various ways such as a video recording, interviews and integration of HPC and CPC documented histories. The histories of these two groups has greatly impacted the current relationship of the two. The beginning of HPC was hugely aided by the support of the entire psychoanalytic community in Cleveland. One view of collaboration of HPC and CPC would be that a new training entity could arise from the 2 separate groups. Another notion of collaboration would be that the 2 groups would remain separate but equal in status, with course work could be shared as deemed appropriate by each group.Several people mentioned their feeling that the situation of psychoanalysis in Cleveland is nearing a crisis point, and that considerations for HPC/CPC collaboration will be most successful if resolution not get stalled, but moves forward in a planful and timely fashion. The presence of older analysts in both organizations is a factor in reflecting the need to encourage and incorporate a younger generation of analysts as well. All agree that the publication “Psychoanalysis in Cleveland” has been a good collaborative effort (in that it always include two pages focused on Hanna Perkins ).The HPC and CPC committees working on the question of collaboration will report back to the larger meeting group in May 2012, on a date yet to be specified. Narrative summary by Kay LevineWith minor edits by Barbara Streeter and Richard LightbodyMarch 2,2012