Our Society continues to address the needs of its individual members and the institutes and organizations that are part of the Modern Psychoanalytic community. In its almost 20 years SMP has diligently pursued its mission:  to foster training, practice and research in the field of psychoanalysis; to represent its members to the public; to be involved in the broadest range of relevant conferences and meetings nationally and internationally; to disseminate information concerning Modern Psychoanalytic theory and technique; and to continue to grow in the field of psychoanalysis.

      Our steadfast vision about training and treatment has brought to our institutes individuals from all walks of life and backgrounds.  Our institutes have moved into degree-granting status, and students are being trained and educated in Modern Psychoanalysis from all quarters of society and from around the world. 

      In the century of development in the field of psychoanalysis, theoretical formulations have evolved from Freud’s first Topographical Model to a wide and diverse approach to the application of Freud’s original work.  The work of Hyman Spotnitz in the middle of the last century provided the impetus for those who followed him to create Modern Psychoanalysis, now an established theoretical formulation for the application of treatment to the widest range of psychological conditions.  Freud's work has been extended by such movements as Structural Theory, Ego Psychology, Conflict Theory, Object Relations, Self Psychology, Interpersonal and Intersubjective Models.  Practitioners of Modern Psychoanalysis stand alongside these theorists, representing the extension of psychoanalysis in our particular way.

      Our inclusive approach has been extended into the culture of our training mission, with individuals studying at the masters level, doctoral level, and training in certification status as psychoanalysts.  SMP continues to be involved in legislative issues in states where our schools train our members.  We are confident that our work will continue to make progress in educating legislators about the value of a treatment process that is available to the greatest number of people, and in demonstrating that our model is worthy of recognition in licensure and of equal status in the mental health field.              

      In closing, I hope you make use of SMPUSA.org, and we welcome any comments and recommendations about its features.  We hope to have it grow in time to be one of the most useful and utilized sites in the field.

         Theodore Laquercia, Ph.D.

        President

        Society of Modern Psychoanalysts