The Atlanta Psychoanalytic Society
History and Mission
The Atlanta Psychoanalytic Group, organized February 2, 1967, was reorganized as the Atlanta Psychoanalytic Society (APS) in 1973 and accepted as an Affiliate Society by the American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) in May of 1973. The APS had 20 charter members consisting of Atlanta faculty of the Emory University Psychoanalytic Institute (at that time still closely affiliated with the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research) and a small cadre of psychoanalysts practicing in the community. The roster of former APS Presidents in itself offers a rich and interesting historical perspective on the individuals who pioneered psychoanalytic practices and traditions in Atlanta and its surrounds.
While maintaining close ties with Emory and its now independently accredited Psychoanalytic Institute, the Atlanta Psychoanalytic Society is an independent organization dedicated to providing a community venue for education, lively collegial discourse and fellowship among psychoanalysts, psychoanalytically-informed mental health professionals and other individuals who have a common interest in psychoanalysis. The Society encourages the integration of psychoanalytic thought into the existing body of scientific knowledge, and psychoanalytic research in all fields having to do with promoting and enhancing the well-being of humankind. The APS promotes community awareness of the contributions of psychoanalysis toward improving the quality of individual lives and relationships as well as shedding light on the influence of the unconscious mind in shaping complex societal beliefs and behaviors.
The Atlanta Psychoanalytic Society has several Membership Categories, allowing those interested in joining the APS a wide range of opportunities for active involvement.
In an effort to provide continuing education for psychoanalysts and psychoanalytically informed mental health professionals; to inspire and encourage interest in psychoanalysis in the surrounding academic community; and to inform the public about the latest advances in psychoanalysis, the APS sponsors an ongoing Scientific Program Series each academic year. Formatted as evening dinner meetings, these programs feature local, national and international speakers who present preferably unpublished papers or other original material on topics in the field of psychoanalysis, frequently covering areas on the cutting edge of modern psychoanalytic theory and technique. The programs are free of charge and open to the public. Additionally the Society sponsors individual seminars and clinical workshops featuring nationally known experts in various areas of adult and child psychoanalysis open to all licensed mental health professionals.
The Atlanta Psychoanalytic Society and the Atlanta Foundation for Psychoanalysis, in collaboration with the faculty of the Emory University Psychoanalytic Institute, present the Julian Gomez Award every two years for the best original clinical or theoretical paper on psychoanalytic psychotherapy or a psychoanalytic theme by an Emory University Psychiatry Resident. A $500 cash prize is awarded at the biennial spring banquet meeting of the Society, where the author is invited to present a condensed version of the winning paper.
