ISPT - About Us

Our Mission

The Indiana Society for Psychoanalytic Thought (ISPT) is a local chapter of the Division of Psychoanalysis (39) of the American Psychological Association. ISPT is a multi-disciplinary group dedicated to furthering the study and application of broad-based psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and the methods of psychoanalytic inquiry through the sponsorship of conferences, symposia, and workshops on clinical and cultural issues, theoretical papers, and ongoing research by ISPT members and recognized experts in the field.

Our Program Year

The 2023-2024 program year began September 11 with a timely presentation by noted Latina psychoanalyst Dr. Ruth Lijtmaer on “Ruptures in the continuity of the self: Where do I belong? Immigration as trauma”. We continue with program meetings on the 2nd Monday of each month through May, unless otherwise noted. Check the Upcoming Events for the most up to date meeting information.

We typically meet in-person with an option to attend via Zoom.
Our in-person meeting location, unless otherwise noted in Upcoming Events, will be on the Butler campus at:

Christian Theological Seminary Counseling Center
3rd Floor Meeting Room
1050 West 42nd Street
Indianapolis, IN 46208
317.924.5205

Directions to CTS

ISPT denounces racism and police brutality in all its forms.

Our membership is a diverse group of dedicated mental health clinicians who recognize the forces of multigenerational and psychic trauma experienced in marginalized communities, especially Black and Brown communities, as a direct result of implicit and explicit biases, prejudice, and discrimination by privileged white communities which have often resulted in violence and death. The murder of George Floyd was an act of horrific police brutality for everyone to see. It has galvanized a movement that calls for an end to police brutality and policy violence against Black and Brown bodies. We mourn with the victims of such violence and are committed to use our psychological training to dismantle the conscious and unconscious sources of racist violence. We do this mindful that the United States has a long history of systematic and institutionalized racism, including within the origins of the field of psychology. For a review, see https://www.psychology.org.au/publications/inpsych/2013/august/augoustinos/. ISPT denounces racism and white supremacy in all its overt and insidious forms.

What can we do?

Our membership is in a unique position to use our psychological knowledge for social justice advocacy for the Black and Brown community. There is a lot of work to do. Here are some ways we can get started:

A commitment to psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychology involves continual self-reflection and examination of countertransference dynamics. Adding specific anti-racism and anti-white fragility training to our self-reflection toolbox enhances our ability to understand how racism presents for our patients and in the treatment room. As an introduction to being an anti-racist therapist, see: https://www.nicabm.com/moving-from-cultural-competence-to-antiracism/.
Those among us who are white have a responsibility to examine our white privilege and how it affects our work with those not benefitting from such privilege, and to use whatever privilege we have to actively work to heal from internalized racism and to counter white supremacy and systemic racism in any form or shape. See this article on white privilege, color-blindness, and racism in psychotherapy: https://www.psychotherapy.net/article/racism-white-privilege-psychotherapy. See also: <i>White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism</i> by Robin DiAngelo (Author).
We are also skilled listeners, and that is perhaps one of our most important tools. It is our responsibility to continue to listen and educate ourselves. Check out these recommended podcasts: https://bellocollective.com/16-podcasts-that-confront-racism-in-america-f8f69baf529d.
Remember that racism is a public health crisis, including a mental health crisis. NAMI has published a list of mental health resources that specifically hold the culturally-induced traumas of the Black and Brown community in mind, along with important resources for self-care for clinicians of color among us: https://www.nami.org/About-NAMI/NAMI-News/2020/NAMI-s-Statement-On-Recent-Racist-Incidents-and-Mental-Health-Resources-for-African-Americans.
We are only as good for our patients to the extent that we also care for ourselves. Let’s be intentional each day in our self-care practices. Check out these resources and videos on self-compassion: https://self-compassion.org/category/exercises/#exercises and https://self-compassion.org/videos/. The following article on black mental health matters offers a number of resources for Black and Brown clinicians among us: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/wellness/story/black-mental-health-matters-cope-time-social-injustice-71077759.

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Indiana Society for
Psychoanalytic Thought (ISPT) is a
local chapter of the Division of
Psychoanalysis (39) of the
American Psychological
Association.

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