History

Establishment of the Tel Aviv Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis and its Organizational Structure

The Tel-Aviv Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis was founded in 1999 by a group of senior professionals, with the aim of advancing the knowledge and practice of psychoanalysis and its dissemination in Israeli society. The Institute views itself as a framework for a scholarly pluralistic community, in which members of diverse approaches may find their place, and in which their commonality is their shared interest in the practice, research, and development of psychoanalysis.

The first formal meeting of the association attended by the founding group was held in October 1999. Dr. Michael Shoshani, founder of the association, and its first chairperson, gathered a group of senior professionals who were engaged in psychoanalytic practice, teaching, and research. At this gathering the participants expressed their interest in establishing a psychoanalytic institute, and proposed a structure and aims. Diverse views emerged, and their discussion ranged from such ideas as the constitution of an informal forum to the establishment of a traditional institute in accordance with the guidelines of the IPA. Common ground was found in the emphasis on learning from “a place of maximal freedom,” social commitment and the desire for dialogue with other disciplines. This common base was crystallized and this enabled the establishment of an institute with a pluralistic interdisciplinary approach. Around this foundation, the first training group was organized in the year 2000.

In addition to Dr. Shoshani, the initial leadership team included Dr. Gila Ofer and Mrs. Michal Hazan, who joined the venture in the summer of 1999. Through the agency of Dr Batya Shoshani, Professor Stephen Mitchell gave his direct and enthusiastic support to the formation of the training at that stage. The members of the first training group (in the year 2000) and the members of the second training group (in 2002) served and continue to serve in a variety of roles and were partners in the collaborative establishment of the idealogical and organizational groundwork and structure. They also determined the learning process and the general climate of the institute.

From the year 2001 until 2004, Dr Gila Ofer served as chairperson of the Institute, which was composed of a chairperson, a limited core directorate, and a directorate composed of chairpersons of the various committees. Dr Ofer, together with Mrs. Michal Hazan and Dr Gabi Mann, served as the first limited core directorate, and the chairpersons of the Committees for Training, Admissions, Social Involvement, Scientific Program, Ethics and Finance comprised the directorate. During this period, the constitution of the institute was authorized and the first constitutive conference of the Institute was held.

In the year 2003, a third group began training, and a further training group started in 2004. In 2004, Dr. Gabi Mann was elected as chairperson of the “amuta” and serves together with Mr. Cobi Avshalom and Dr. David Wald as core directorate. At this point in time (September 2004), the Institute has more than fifty members including a number of graduates of its training program.

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