PSYCHOANALYTIC DISPATCHES
February 2026
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Greetings!
Welcome to the February 2026 edition of Psychoanalytic Dispatches! I’m writing to you from California, where the 2026 APsA National Meeting in San Francisco was a remarkable success. I’m pleased to advise that nearly 1,000 people attended, including close to 200 new attendees! Beyond the numbers, what stood out most was the level of engagement and excitement around the programming, making it difficult for some of you to choose among so many rich offerings, from plenaries and research training tracks to experiential programming and community events.
The energy in the rooms—and especially on the dance floor at our first ever Dinner Dance—was unmistakable. We hope to see you all in 2027 at the National Meeting in Washington, D.C., and before then at APsA Symposium Series #5 on Sunday, April 12, 2026, and at the virtual 115th Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 7, 2026.
In case you missed the news, I am also very pleased to share that Caroline Sehon has been named APsA President-Elect. Caroline’s election reflects the thoughtfulness and care with which our members approach leadership and the organization’s future. Continue reading in the News & Announcement section to see the other election results.
Thank you to our community for continuing to engage, shape, and sustain APsA.
Cheers,
Sam Hall, Communications Manager
| | Awards, Fellowships, & Opportunities |
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The Eighth Annual Deanna Holtzman Interdisciplinary/ Applied Psychoanalysis Essay Contest is now accepting papers. This contest is open to an essay on any subject, not to exceed 10,000 words, not published elsewhere. Deadline February 20, 2026. For more information, contact Nancy Kulish, PhD.
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The APsA Fellowship portal is open for the 2026-2027 class! Deadline to submit materials is March 6, 2026.
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The Ernst and Gertrude Ticho Memorial Award and Lecture is now accepting applications until April 1, 2026. This award is open only to APsA members.
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If you’re a psychoanalyst-in-training member, APsA can help you cover educational costs through the Candidate Assistance Fund. This fund provides loans of up to $5,000 to candidates in training to become psychoanalysts. This application cycle closes April 30, 2026.
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The 2027 Lee Jaffee Candidate's Council Paper Prize is now accepting submissions. The deadline to submit is June 1, 2026.
Find more opportunities at apsa.org/awards.
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Save the Date! The 2026 Lee Jaffe Candidates' Council Paper Prize semifinalist paper, "What Bion Meant by 'Dying'" by author and presenter, Harold Braswell, PhD will be presented on Zoom on 2/22/26 from 12 - 2PM EST with discussant Karen Proner.
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Save the Date! Sunday April 12th, 2026 from 12 – 2 pm ET, APsA will hold a virtual Symposium - Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Generational Transition and the Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Program at BPSI: A Look at Contemporary Child Analytic Work and how a Program Reinvigorated Child Training in Boston with Dov Fogel, Fran Arnold, Neal Krass, Lisa Price, and Sam Rot
- The APsA Board of Directors voted to move forward the proposal to restructure APsA into a set of Bylaws for the Board's input and once approved for a vote by the membership.
- The Institute Requirements and Review Committee (IRRC), with the input of the Psychotherapy Advisory Group, voted to approve standards for current and aspirational APsA psychoanalytic psychotherapy programs at APsA Institutes.
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Election results: Caroline Sehon, incoming President-Elect; Julio Calderon, incoming Treasurer; Sandy Landen, incoming Director-at-Large; Tim Rayner, incoming Director-at-Large; and Rosemary V. Bush Conn, incoming Candidate Director-at-Large. In June 2026, Bonnie Buchele becomes APsA President and Caroline Sehon becomes APsA President-Elect
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We are pleased to announce Anna Parker, PhD, as the recipient of the 2025 APsA Excellence in Journalism Award for her essay "The Art in the Analyst’s Room."
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Alexander Kriss, Ph.D. is the recipient of the 2026 Book Prize of the American Psychoanalytic Association for his book Borderline: The Biography of a Personality Disorder (Beacon Press, 2024). The award winner was announced on January 29, 2026, during the Peter Loewenberg Essay Prize session at the APsA National Meeting.
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Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association (JAPA) announced the recipients of its Paper Prize (2024) and New Author Prize, honoring outstanding scholarship published in the journal over the past year.
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The Holmes Commission is pleased to announce that the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis (NAAP) has just presented the Holmes Commission its 2025 Gravida Award for the Holmes Commission's work as published in JAPA, 2024, 72(3), 405-553
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Save the Date! May 2, 2026 for "The Unseen: Community, Resistance, Bridging, and Repair," an international hybrid conference—both online and in person at the Foundation for Community Psychoanalysis in Brooklyn, NY. The two-day conference is co-sponsored by the International Psychoanalytical Association, the American Psychoanalytic Association Department of Education, and the Contemporary Freudian Society.
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PSYCHOANALYSIS & YOU
Our host Gail Saltz captured five interviews at the 2026 National Meeting which will be released throughout the year. Stay tuned for release announcements!
Until then, you can watch Episode 19 with Dr. Amy Levy on AI and Mental Health Care or catch up on all our past episodes on your favorite listening platform or on YouTube.
To be featured as a guest in the #APsApodcast, email communications@apsa.org
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JAPA
New Issue 6 of the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association (JAPA) was released last month.
This special issue explores Asian American experiences, featuring original articles and reviews that examine identity, trauma, culture, and clinical encounters, expanding contemporary psychoanalytic understanding.
Read more at apsa.org/japa.
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Psychotherapist Newsletter
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APsA Psychoanalytic Dispatches are deployed on the first Friday of the month and highlight events and publications sponsored by our organization, our members, and our affiliates, and are distributed to our members.
If you are an APsA member and would like to share your initiative, book, or event in Dispatches, please send key information to communications@apsa.org by the 20th of the month to be included in the upcoming edition.
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