Back in 2009 Karnac Books published a collection of papers containing psychoanalytic perspectives on sex, attachment and couple psychotherapy. Indeed, ‘Sex, Attachment and Couple Psychotherapy’ was the title chosen by the editor, Christopher Clulow, for this first book in the Library of Couple Psychoanalysis, which marked the sixtieth anniversary of the Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships (now called Tavistock Relationships).

In selecting a cover for the book Christopher went to great lengths to track down a Polish sculptor, Piotr Woroniec, who was living in a remote part of Poland and had produced a series of sculptures entitled ‘Adam and Eve’. With the help of a native Polish speaker he was able to correspond with Piotr and arrange for a black and white photo to be taken of a particularly apposite sculpture: that of a couple hewn out of the same piece of roughly carved wood, intimate yet apart, whose shadow fell on the rustic  floorboard that supported it. With his permission that photo appeared on the cover.

This month, somewhat to Christopher’s surprise, two copies of the book translated into Polish arrived by post. Sadly, the original carving on the cover had been replaced by a more conventional photo of couple intimacy.

Last March, Susanna Abse joined 27 policy makers, academics, writers and social entrepreneurs in Florence for a symposium that offered a unique space for multi-disciplinary thinking.  The Bridges Project offers different thinking for a different kind of politics, which is much needed in the present climate.  The project, a partnership between the Open Society European Policy Institute and

Counterpoint, brings top researchers and public intellectuals into a dialogue with high-level policy-makers and politicians to work through some of the most complex policy dilemmas facing open societies in Europe.  The film of the event was released in December and can be found here:

counterpoint.uk.com/thinking-differently-in-a-new-political-world

Book Launch: In therapy – how conversations with therapists really work.

In November, Balint Consultants Brett Kahr and Susie Orbach spoke to a jam packed event at Daunt Books in Marylebone. Brett interviewed Susie about her work and career to a rapt audience who were there to celebrate the publication of Susie’s new book, In Therapy.

Susie Orbach and Ian Rickson, who worked with her on the Radio 4 series In Therapy, are joining a group of actors at the National Theatre rehearsal rooms to see if they can extend the work to make a theatrical piece. Susie said “On the radio I’m on a high wire act as I don’t know what’s coming at me from the actors who play the characters who are coming to therapy, though the actors have previously worked with Ian Rickson to create their story which they then “brought to therapy” and enacted it on the radio. This time around we are considering scripting something out of improvised sessions. We just don’t know yet but it will be an interesting and hopefully exciting process.”

More about what was in Susie’s mind while undertaking the radio “therapies” can be found in her new book In therapy – how conversations with therapists really work.

Freud Museum

The Freud Museum

On 10^th December, 2016, Brett Kahr co-organised a day conference at the Freud Museum, London on “Power Play: Psychoanalysis and Political Culture”, in association with The Centre for Politics and Media at Bournemouth University and with the Media and the Inner World Research Network.  Speakers included the distinguished British psychoanalyst Philip Stokoe, who talked on “A Psychoanalytic Approach to Understanding the State of Mind in Societies That Can Produce Brexit and Trump”, and Professor Eli Zaretsky, the well-known American historian who talked on “The Three Faces of Political Freud”.

We also had the privilege of hosting a wonderful interview between Andrew Davies, the scriptwriter of the original series of House of Cards, and Professor Iain MacRury, the noted scholar of psychosocial studies, about Davies’s career representing politics on television.  And Brett Kahr had the great pleasure of hosting an “in conversation” with Professor the Baroness Sheila Hollins, speaking with her about her inspiring career as both a leading clinical and research psychiatrist and as the founder of the “Mental Wealth Festival” and many other contributions to the public improvement of mental health services.  Professor Candida Yates, whose book on The Play of Political Culture, Emotion and Identity inspired the conference, chaired the day with great panache.

© David Abse 2016. www.davidabse.com

Susanna Abse has been appointed to sit on a new commission on mental health. The commission which is chaired by Professor Paul Burstow will examine the wider social determinants of mental illness; consider the adoption of assets based approaches and preventative early intervention across the life course.

Balint Consultants lecture across the world

In September Dr Amita Seghal was invited by the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) to speak at their annual meeting held in New Delhi. IAFL is a worldwide association of around 720 practising lawyers who are recognized by their peers as the most experienced and skilled family law specialists in their respective countries.

Amita’s talk entitled ‘Freud and Family Law’ formed part of the IAML’s education programme. This was an ideal forum in which family law experts from around the world were presented with an opportunity to understand of the psychological aspects of divorce and separation, and how these processes can affect couples and their families, as well as family lawyers themselves.

This autumn Dr Chris Clulow will be on the move, travelling both virtually and in reality. First to South Africa at the invitation of the South African Association of Couple Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists where he will be lecturing on ‘Attachment and Intimacy: Developing Love Relationships’. Then he will be giving an online seminar to the International Psychotherapy Institute based in Washington DC exploring the question: ‘Is neurobiology of any value to the practice of couple psychotherapy’? Later in the autumn, Chris will be back on a plane travelling to Lyon to talk go to Apsylien (Association de la Psychoanalyse des Liens) about developments in psychoanalytic practice, where he will summarise a paper entitled ‘Before, between and beyond interpretation’ that is to be published in the American journal Psychoanalytic Inquiry next year.

Professor Brett Kahr is also busy over the next few months delivering a number of keynote addresses to professional audiences. Firstly he will speak at a conference on “Sexual Oppression and its Impact on Mental Health and Well-Being: Implications for Psychology and Psychotherapy” at Regent’s University London. In November, Brett will deliver a keynote speech to the Psychotherapy Section of the British Psychological Society on “Clinical Mediocrity as a Breach of Ethics”. Coming up in December, he will be in conversation with Baroness Hollins, the former President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists discussing psychoanalysis and politics at the Freud Museum conference on “Power Play”.

Luise Eichenbaum

Dr Susie Orbach has just returned from Frankfurt where she went to celebrate the groundbreaking work done by the Centre for Eating Disorders. Dr Barbara Krebs and Sigrid Borse who now run the centre have built up an innovative service which is funded by local and state government with outreach to schools and the community. They have now reached their 30th anniversary and Susie was invited to share this important milestone with the team.

It’s also anniversary year for The Women’s Therapy Centre who will be celebrating 40 years by holding a conference on Dec 3rd in London. Luise Eichenbaum, who co-founded the centre with Susie will be presenting at the conference. Balint Consultant, Jane Haberlin, who worked at the WTC for many years has been very active in the conference planning committee. Please refer to the WTC Facebook page for more information.

Susanna Abse will be delivering a day on managing anger in the consulting room at Tavistock Relationships in in November. The day will outline some of the thinking and practice she and colleagues have developed which enhance mentalizing in couples and separated parents to help manage angry feelings between them.

Earlier in the month, Susanna will also give a keynote at a conference on leadership in the psychotherapy community. Drawing on her experience of leading a charity for ten years, she will outline the challenges of integrating the leadership function with the clinical task.
www.confer.uk.com

And finally, Dr Sarah Wynick will be speaking at The Independent School Show in November discussing providing support for your changing child, learning to cope and nu