Introducing the Iran Chapter of IARPP

The seeds for establishing an Iran chapter of IARPP were first planted during the 2023 IARPP Congress in Valencia. It was there, in conversations with several board members and through the participation of two Iranian psychotherapists, one of whom was also a presenter, that the vision for a new chapter representing the emerging Iranian relational community began to take shape.

Over the past year, the idea of a “relational turn” in the Iranian psychoanalytic community has gradually gained traction. A significant moment in this journey was the 4th Iranian Congress of Psychoanalysis held in September 2023, where leading relational analysts such as Spyros Orfanos (USA) and Steven Kuchuck (USA) presented. Orfanos served as the international president of the congress, and I had the honour of serving as its scientific secretary, a role that later evolved into becoming the founding chair of the Iran Chapter of IARPP.

Following these milestones, the chapter received official approval during the 2024 IARPP Conference in Mérida. In December 2024, we celebrated the public launch of the chapter with an event featuring lectures by IARPP board members Hillary Offman (Canada) and Stavros Charalambides (Greece). These efforts culminated in a formal structure for the chapter, including the drafting of bylaws and the initiation of regular activities aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of relational psychoanalysis and psychotherapy in Iran.

One of our primary initiatives has been the launch of monthly journal clubs, currently centered around the legacy of Stephen Mitchell. These sessions will soon extend to works by Lewis Aron and other influential thinkers, helping to familiarize the Iranian analytic community with the language and spirit of relational thinking.

In Iran, the relational approach remains relatively unfamiliar, especially compared to more classical psychoanalytic frameworks. Yet the need for it is deeply felt. We live in a society marked by a complex interplay of patriarchal traditions, socio-political disruptions, historical and natural traumas, and a richly diverse population in terms of race, language, and ideology. These conditions call for a form of psychoanalytic practice that emphasizes presence, dialogue, mutual recognition, and the co-creation of meaning—core tenets of the relational approach.

In this context, the relational turn is not merely a theoretical orientation; it is a way of being, listening, and thinking that responds to the psychic realities of a fragmented and evolving society. The formation of the Iran chapter of IARPP represents a significant step toward cultivating a local community of clinicians and scholars committed to these values, while also building bridges to the wider international relational movement.

Amir Hossein Jalali Nadoushan, M.D.
Founding Chair, Iran Chapter

Amir Hossein Jalali Nadoushan, M.D.
Tehran, Iran
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