About US
The Institute
The TICP is a psychoanalytic training institute affiliated with the International Federation for Psychoanalytic Education and the Association for Autonomous Psychoanalytic Institutes, and with strong collaborative relationships with other contemporary psychoanalytic institutes in Canada, the US and Europe. We offer post-graduate training in psychoanalysis to qualified professionals (e.g., psychologists, psychiatrists, GP psychotherapists & social workers), as well a range of educational events for the broader psychoanalytic and mental health community.Our History
In the early 1980's, a group of clinicians and academicians passionately interested in psychoanalysis assembled in Toronto to discuss what might be done to contribute to the development of psychoanalysis in Ontario. That forum led to the creation of a Psychoanalytic Section within the Ontario Psychological Association in 1985. In monthly scientific meetings, stimulating presentations were made by senior analysts with international reputations (e.g., Prof. Morris Eagle, Dr. Paul Lerner, Prof. Otto Weininger), by other academics deeply involved in the field (e.g., Professors Phyllis Grosskurth and Paul Roazen), and by graduate students conducting dissertation research on psychoanalytic topics. Long-term study groups were established (Freud, Object relations theory, Lacan). Eminent psychoanalytic contributors were brought to Toronto to conduct full-day workshops open to anyone in the field. These events attracted large, multidisciplinary audiences from all over the province. These activities did much to stimulate psychoanalytic thinking and interest in our city and beyond.
As this association grew, the founding members decided it would be beneficial to formalize an affiliation with a body to which many already belonged, namely the Division of Psychoanalysis of the American Psychological Association (Division 39). The Division was widely regarded as one of the largest, most exciting, creative, important psychoanalytic organizations in the world. In the relatively short time it had been in existence, it had made an enormous contribution to revitalizing psychoanalysis in North America. It also facilitated training opportunities for some previously excluded professional groups. In 1991, The Ontario Society for Contemporary Psychoanalysis became the first Canadian Chapter of the Division of Psychoanalysis.
A Workshop Series, co-sponsored by the Psychoanalytic Section and The Ontario Society for Contemporary Psychoanalysis, exposed our community to such prominent figures as Professors Sidney Blatt and Irene Fast, Drs. Stephen Mitchell and James Fosshage. Sensing the enthusiasm, commitment and energy of our group, these individuals whole-heartedly encouraged us to develop an institute to expand opportunities for analytic training. Labour to form the Institute began in 1989. Support, advice, and encouragement were provided by the Division of Psychoanalysis. Eminent individuals in analytic education, research, and scholarship generously agreed to serve on our International Advisory Board.
From the beginning, the professional community manifested strong interest in the innovative program of studies offered by the Toronto Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis. The first class of candidates was admitted in September 1992. At the same time, the Institute joined the International Federation for Psychoanalytic Education. A new group of students has been admitted, as planned, every two years. Candidates have backgrounds in psychiatry, psychology, social work, and a variety of other academic disciplines. They commute from within Toronto and other cities in Ontario (e.g., London, Kingston, Ottawa) and the United States (e.g., Buffalo, Rochester). A few candidates have relocated from much further away in order to participate.
Our multidisciplinary association has developed rapidly. In 1996, the Toronto Society for Contemporary Psychoanalysis was established. Its mandate was to sponsor monthly scientific meetings and study groups to encourage scholarship, scientific productivity, continuing education, and professional affiliation. Society meetings are open to faculty, graduates, candidates, members of the Advisory Board, and individuals who apply for and are approved as Guests of the Society.
We collaborate with institutes outside Canada that share our interest in comparative analysis. The Massachusetts Institute for Psychoanalysis (MIP) in Boston, with whom we have a close working relationship, exemplifies a group with an approach similar to ours. In 2002 many of our candidates and faculty went to Boston for a long weekend to participate in MIP seminars and attend their Annual Symposium. In 2003, candidates and faculty from MIP came to Toronto to participate in a conference we co-sponsored with the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy.
The psychoanalytic societies of New York University's Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, the William Alanson White Psychoanalytic Institute, and Adelphi University's Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, having learned of our innovative activities, proposed joining us to co-sponsor an international conference in the Toronto area. This exciting venture, focussing on what is taboo in psychoanalysis (thoughts and actions), took place at Niagara-on-the-Lake in July 2000, and was a resounding success. International Universities Press is publishing a book including many of the papers. Dr. Brent Willock (TICP) is editor-in-chief; Prof. Rebecca Curtis (Adelphi) and Dr. Lori Bohm (William Alanson White) are co-editors.
The synergy between these four psychoanalytic societies was such that we now assemble for symposia on a regular basis. Our second Joint International Conference was held in July 2002 at Trinity College, Dublin, co-sponsored with the Irish Psychoanalytic Forum. The topic was Death and Endings: Finality, Transformations, New Beginnings. Once again, the high level of scholarship resulted in a second book, published by Routledge (London, 2007). We think of this publishing venture as our Joint International Conference Book Series. Our 2005 conference took place in Cape Town, South Africa. The theme was Power and Its Discontents. This symposium will lead to a book on the theme of psychoanalytic psychology in South Africa. In 2008 the Joint International Conference returns to Canada, this time in Vancouver, where the focus will be on the important topic of Loneliness and Yearnings.
In 2005 we began publishing The Bulletin of the Toronto Society for Contemporary Psychoanalysis. Edited by Dr. Scott Bishop, this publication can be accessed for on-line reading or can be downloaded from our website. (archives coming soon)
In 1999, the TICP became a Founding Member of the Association of Autonomous Psychoanalytic Institutes. AAPI has grown rapidly and now has member institutes throughout the United States (e.g., New York, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C.) and in Europe (e.g., Rome, Vienna).
Our Founding Mentor, Dr. Stephen Mitchell, died unexpectedly in December 2000. His passing was a great shock and loss. To honour his memory, we established an Annual Stephen Mitchell Memorial Lecture. The first such lecture was given by his close friend, Dr. Lewis Aron, in 2002. Stephen was to have been first President of the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. Dr. Aron accepted that responsibility and IARPP's first conference was held in memory of Stephen in New York City, January 2000. Dr. Hazel Ipp, our Vice-President and a close colleague of Stephen's, has served on IARPP's Board of Directors for many years and is currently its President.
In June 2004 our increasing international contacts culminated in our co-sponsoring an exciting symposium in Sicily with the Istituto di Specializzazione in Psicologia Psicoanalitica del Sé e Psicoanalisi Relazione (Rome and Milan), the Massachussetts Institute for Psychoanalysis, the Contemporary Institute for Psychoanalysis [Los Angeles], and the Institute for the Psychoanalytic Study of Subjectivity [New York]. The theme was Dyonisus' Ear: Trauma, Tragedy and Psychoanalytic Listening. The symposium was distinctive not only because it took place in the beautiful, historic, seaside town of Siracusa, but also due to its organization around our shared experience of two powerful, classical Greek tragedies, Euripides' Medea and Sophocles' Oedipus Rex which were performed in the ancient outdoor amphitheater during the week we were in Siracusa. Dr. Hazel Ipp served on the organizing committee and discussed a paper while Drs. Judith Levene, Gail White, Alan Kindler, Gary Taerk, Bruce Herzog, and Brent Willock were active presenters, discussants, and panel chairs.
Looking back, we are pleased with how much has been accomplished in a relatively short chronological span. The time was obviously ripe for some exciting new developments on the Canadian psychoanalytic scene. We are happy to have been able to contribute to that evolution. Prodigious efforts by many, encouraged by generous support from others, have born wonderful fruit. The Toronto Institute and Society for Contemporary Psychoanalysis is now securely established as a major contributor to the discipline in Canada and, increasingly, on the international level, as a growing number of our faculty and graduates present their work at international conferences, publish innovative ideas in journals and books, and assume positions of responsibility in international organizations. The future of the Institute and Society promises to be at least as exciting as have been the years leading up to this moment.