Presentation Announcement by Ruth Lijtmaer (USA)

Ruth Lijtmaer recently presented the paper, “Re-making the History of Psychology and Psychoanalysis: Awakening the Political in the Consulting Room,” at the International Psychohistorical Association conference, May 31 to Jun 2, 2017, in New York City.

In her paper she discussed how the political climate in which we are living has caused the history of psychology and psychoanalysis to change its course. Traditional concepts like neutrality or self-disclosure no longer exist in the consulting room as they once did. Nowadays politics is a theme of everyday therapy. Ever since the US election, therapists have been struggling with patients’ concerns about being deported, ethnic discrimination, being sexually abused, or not having health insurance. These are real situations in the outside world that affect the intrapsychic life of patients and therapists. Lijtmaer illustrated her concepts with clinical examples.

Ruth Lijtmaer, PhD
88 West Ridgewood Ave.
Ridgewood, NJ 07450,   USA
Email Ruth LIjtmaer