We are pleased to share reflections from our participation in the 21st IARPP Annual Conference, recently held in Athens under the theme, “The Paradox of Freedom in Relational Psychoanalysis: Democracy and Tyranny in and out of Therapy.”

This year’s Candidates Panel, titled “Negotiating the Third: Power Dynamics and Vulnerability within the Relational Supervisory Relationship,” provided a meaningful space for emerging voices in our community. Konstantinos Mouchalos (Greece) served as interlocutor, with the challenging task of moderating a panel so rich in voices, experiences, and content.

The panel featured the work of Daphne Venetsanou (Greece), Claudia Morillo (Spain), Manali Arora (India), and Masoud Asadi (Iran). Their contributions, each grounded in clinical experience and personal reflection, explored how supervision can become a space of both challenge and transformation. It was especially enriching to hear voices from candidates coming from different parts of the world—sometimes distant in terms of social and cultural contexts—engage with one another around a shared clinical theme. Together, the presenters invited us to think relationally about hierarchy, difference, rupture, and the possibility of constructing meaning through the third.

We were especially honored to have Margaret Black Mitchell (USA) as discussant. Her thoughtful response deepened the conversation and highlighted the relevance of these clinical dilemmas not only for candidates but for all psychoanalysts engaging in supervisory relationships.

In a moment of heightened global instability, the presence of candidates from diverse social, political, and cultural contexts was especially moving. Although Masoud Asadi was unable to attend the conference in person due to the political situation in Iran, his paper was read and discussed during the panel—an act that reaffirmed our commitment to inclusion and global dialogue.

We are grateful to all those who participated and supported the panel. The Candidates Committee is already planning the next round of activities, and we look forward to sharing more soon.

Warm regards,

Afarin Kohan & Konstantinos Mouchalos
Co-Chairs, IARPP Candidates Committee

Afarin Kohan, MD, FRCPC
Toronto, Canada
Email Afarin Kohan

Konstantinos Mouchalos, Pg.D.
Glyfada, Greece
Email Konstantinos Mouchalos