By Hilary Offman (Canada) and María José Mezzera (Chile)
Led by Margaret Black Mitchell (USA), our group consists of candidates from all over the world who come together to create a place where the focus is specifically on and for candidates and early career psychoanalysts.
Our Candidates’ Committee had a busy time in Rome. We hosted a very well-attended reception on the first day of the conference, where students and young analysts enjoyed getting to know and chatting with senior analysts in an atmosphere of camaraderie and great food. This reception has become a tradition at IARPP annual conferences and we are already looking forward to hosting the next one in Sydney.
Our yearly candidates’ panel took place on the third day of the conference in Rome. The theme this year was “Ritual and Spontaneity in the Use of the Frame,” in keeping with the topic discussed during our last online webinar led by Irwin Z. Hoffman (USA). Of all the papers submitted, we chose four from candidates representing four different countries. Shari Steinberg (USA), Orly Reuveni (Israel), Mercedes Casco (Spain), and María Silvia Soriato (Italy) presented their very interesting clinical papers, in which they discussed issues and difficulties regarding the frame and its uses. We were fortunate to have Spyros Orfanos (USA) as our discussant. Three of the four presenters were non-native English speakers, which makes us happy and proud to be sponsoring a truly international endeavor.
The conference allowed us to make contact with candidates from countries not represented yet on our committee and we are excited to announce we now have a representative from Sweden on our committee. Welcome, Eric Fagerberg!
Our next event will be our yearly online webinar coming up in January. Sandra Buechler (USA) has generously agreed to lead our webinar and we are looking forward to three weeks of learning and conversation. Stay tuned for the details on the topic and instructions for registering.
Hilary Offman, MD, FRCPC
121 Balmoral Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M4V 1J5 Canada
Email Hilary Offman
María José Mezzera, PsyD
Napoleón 3565, of. 910
Las Condes, Santiago Chile
Email María José Mezzera
