Dear Colleagues,

We know well how painfully difficult if not impossible it is to discuss the geopolitical situation in Israel and Palestine within some sort of psychoanalytic framework, or within any other framework, and even how difficult it can be to keep thinking and feeling, even in the privacy of our own minds and hearts.

As the days of this turbulent year come to a close, I write this note with the unspeakable pain, horror, and suffering of so many of our friends and colleagues in mind. The shock, dread, and loss from the attacks in Israel and from the aftermath will reverberate for the rest of our lives, indeed for generations.

May the coming year allow us to find some measure of peace and comfort.

I hope our community can be a place where we can come together with recognition and care for all of our members who are suffering the overwhelming effects of the recent enactments of the world’s brutality. I look forward to seeing many of you at our next conference in Merida, Mexico, a chance to join with each other, to think and feel together in determination to go on and to live through these most painful of times.

This year-end Bulletin contains messages from IARPP committee directors and reports from IARPP chapters around the world. It also features our president Susi Federici-Nebbiosi’s final letter to membership as her term comes to a close. I am grateful to Susi for her steadily enthusiastic leadership. It is no small challenge to navigate an international organization of this size during these times with such grace and determination.

If you would like news of your recent publications and/or presentations to be included in the next IARPP Bookshelf, please send the following materials to me at MattAibel [@] gmail.com by Sunday, January 28, 2024 in order for your news to appear in the February edition:

• Title of your recent or upcoming publication(s)/presentation(s) (We do not publish announcements of IARPP Conference presentations.)
• An abstract or brief description of the content (around 150 words)
• Link to a publisher, if applicable, so that members might access or purchase a copy
• Book cover photo or artwork, if applicable
• Digital photograph of yourself (jpeg format)
• Professional contact information as you would like it to appear publicly (city/town in which you practice or work and your email address)
• Book authors, please provide a brief bio of 75-90 words
• Presenters, please spell out organizational acronyms and include the location, if in-person

Happy New Year,

Matt Aibel, LCSW
New York, NY
Email Matt Aibel