On June 13th, APsA brought together our community for the Summer Symposium: Reimagining Engagement at Psychoanalytic Institutions and the conversation did not disappoint.

Moderated by Dr. Jane Tillman (Austen Riggs Center), the panel featured six clinicians and educators at different career stages and institutional vantage points. Dr. Tillman’s opening questions, “what is a psychoanalytic institution for and what does it mean to belong to one” invited the panelists to think about what every potential member is asking. What unfolded was a candid and compelling exchange about what it means to belong. Here are six takeaways from the discussion:

1. THE REAL ENGAGEMENT CRISIS ISN’T APATHY

Brian R. Ngo-Smith reframed the question entirely and asked if institutions have learned to share their future. He left the room with a provocation: can we create institutions in which authority and affection coexist?