I am the director of Ncaps -- the New Center for Advancement of Psychotherapy Studies.  

Ncaps was founded about 8 years ago with a particular idea in mind.  Many of us had spent many happy years learning a great deal about psychoanalysis in general and modern psychoanalysis in particular at various excellent institutes.  Most who studied there became very smart and very wise and it was a wonderful experience.  However, no one taught us how to make a living doing it.   It seemed only interested in imparting ideas, but almost antipathetic towards the therapists’ own financial needs.  I had often wondered why that was so?

Part of this seemed understandable.  The purpose of the treatment seemed to be to investigate the transference.  That is to say that the arc of a person’s character structure, strength of personality, life drive and force of repetition cannot be analyzed in one session.  Much of this is successfully analyzed when the patient says everything -- It takes a long time. It would come as no surprise then that psychoanalysis tended to attract the wealthy.  Both the therapists and the patients tended to be financially comfortable.  They would have to be in order to pay for lengthy treatment. 

Something about this however, seemed fundamentally unfair.  After all, even as it is horribly inefficient, psychoanalytic psychotherapy is an invaluable tool to bring about the kind of full happiness that comes through psychological maturity ‘ especially when it is accompanied with love. 

Why should health and love be confined to the precincts of the wealthy?  There was no argument that the profession was dominated by white people of European ancestry many of whom would be considered wealthy.   Should psychoanalysis be by and for the rich ‘ therapist and patient alike?

There was no hope that we could change the culture, but there was hope that we could encourage frank talk about money and practice-building so we resolved to establish a culture that would foster these kinds of discussions among therapists.  We hold supervision groups on the telephone and in-person and classes and study groups on the fundamentals of psychoanalysis.  We strive to be psychoanalysis without the snobbery.

To that end, I hope you will join us for our annual conference on Sunday, December 16th, 2012 at 9:00 am -- 4 pm

This year's Theme: Saying new things, saying everything

Hyman Spotnitz, the late founder of modern psychoanalysis would say that our only goal is to say everything.  Just say everything and you will have a different life.  In order to help the patient say new things and say everything, the analyst/therapist might consider doing the same.  With this simple maxim, one can be re-born every day adding life and vitality to your work and to your life and to the lives of patients.  The well-known legal scholar, Professor Daniel Pollack ofYeshiva University will talk about legal limits of confidentiality and answer every question we have about our profession and the law.  He is wonderful.

If you are looking for a warm place to say new things and hear new things, we would be a good try.  

Location:  Ncaps
200b Main Avenue Suite B
Passaic Park, NJ 07055

Fee for the conference: $90.00