Scientific life within the BPA is long-established and continues to develop, adapt and expand the ways in which membership is kept abreast of current psychoanalytic thinking and practice. Within the BPA there is a tradition of regular clinical presentations and discussion that encourages exchanges between different theoretical orientations: contemporary Freudian, Kleinian and Independent.
Coordinated by the Scientific Committee, this is achieved via several avenues:
Scientific Meetings
Held approximately six times a year, open to members and candidates, these meetings give a forum for the presentation of psychoanalytic papers or panel debates followed by chaired discussions. Please see below for a list of upcoming and past Scientific Meetings. These Meetings offer an opportunity for members to meet, to hear about each other’s work and usually involve a lively discussion at which all are welcome to speak.
See below to view upcoming events or visit our events page.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
These groups evolve out of the particular interests of members; any member who wishes to start a group is helped with recruitment and coordination. Current SIGs include:
The Work of Winnicott
Lesley Caldwell runs a SIG that meets to discuss the work of DWW. This group ‘meets’ once a month via Zoom usually on a Wednesday or Thursday evening 8.30-10pm. Members come from both the BPA and the BPAS. Lesley would be pleased to hear from any members who might wish to join them: caldwell.lesley4@gmail.com
Poetry Discussion Group
This BPA group meets monthly on the third Wednesday of the month at 8pm. Members take it in turns to bring a poem for discussion. The group is organised by Aleksandra Novakovic who can be contacted at: aleks.novakovic@gmail.com
Working with borderline functioning
David Morgan runs a SIG that focuses on working with patients who have borderline personality functioning. The group meets once a month online via Zoom and is open to members of the BPA and the BPAS. David can be contacted at: dhmorgann@gmail.com
Writing Group
The Writing Group is a new group set up by the Scientific Committee to promote and facilitate all forms of writing within the BPA. All members are welcome. It meets approximately once a month during term time and is convened by Jayne Hankinson who can be contacted at: j.hankinson1@btinternet.com
The Dan Twomey Prize
Named in honour of the late Dan Twomey, a founder member of the BPA, this prize is awarded annually for an original paper on a clinical or theoretical psychoanalytic subject.
Peer Review Service
The BPA offers a peer review service whereby members interested in writing for publication or presentation can receive constructive feedback at any stage in the writing process. This service works alongside the Writing Group which meets regularly to encourage those interested in writing both for scientific journals and for in-house readership.
Publications listings
For a full list of books and publications produced by BPA members, please see the Publications page. This list is another means of keeping membership informed of each other’s work and thinking within the psychoanalytic field.
Contact with other psychoanalytic organisations
The BPA seeks to encourage discussion and debate with our colleagues from other psychoanalytic organisations. Each year we host both an Open Scientific Meeting and a Scientific Meeting with Guests to which our psychoanalytic colleagues are invited as audience or to present.
Our Professional Visitor Scheme allows for non-BPA members to attend all our Scientific Meetings and to join our SIGs. Members are kept informed of the conferences, presentations and events held by the wider psychoanalytic community both nationally and internationally; bursaries are occasionally available to help with the cost of these.
Upcoming Open Scientific Meetings
Past events and groups
2020
- 1 February 2020, Meetings with Guests, with Rosine Perelberg 'The Uncanny and the beginnings of time in One Hundred Years of Solitude and the clinic'
- 28 March 2020: cancelled due to Covid-19 (re-scheduled).
- 16 May 2020 ‘The vulture’s nest: deadening retreat, exciting assaults and intolerable vulnerability’ – Aleksandra Novakovic. Via Zoom.
- 27 June 2020: Panel discussion on Covid-19 with Jan Harvie-Clark, Marion Schoenfeld and Rodrigo Sanchez Escandon. Via Zoom.
2019
- 23 November - the BPA Annual Open Meeting with David Simpson 'Life on the margins between the Canny and the Uncanny'.
- 22 June Making meaningful contact with a schizoid patient - Noel Hess with discussant Sue Wax.
- 2 February: 'Whose madness is it anyway? Maintaining a psychoanalytic relationship in traumatic circumstances' - Alison Vaspe
- 30 March: 'Adventurous Dialogues. The Clinical Paradigms of Melanie Klein and Donald Winnicott: comparisons and dialogues' - Guest speakers Jan Abram and Bob Hinshelwood
2018
- Saturday 24 November: Open Scientific Meeting: 'Listening to Unconscious Communication' – Caroline Polmear
- Saturday 6 October: Dr. Maxim de Sauma 'Where are you? Reaching out to the avoidant adolescent-a clinical presentation'.
- Saturday 23 June: The Changing Nature of Sexuality and Couplings: Has it changed the nature of Unconscious Phantasy? Panel: Jean Arundale, David Morgan and Shawn Tower
- Saturday 28th April: Mr Alan Colam: 'Libidinal/defensive and hostile/destructive narcissism: a case study'.
- Saturday 17th March: Dr Lesley Caldwell 'Play and playing; a fundamental of life inside and outside the consulting room'.
- Saturday 3 February: Clinical Presentation and Discussion. Dr Catherine McKisack, presenter, Ms Helen Alfille and Mr Noel Hess, discussants.
2017
- Saturday 28th January: Panel Discussion with Ms Claudia Kramer BPA, Ms Irene Freeden BPA and Ms Susan Wax BPA. "Analytic Neutrality: achievable or desirable?"
- Saturday 11th March: Dr Wilhelm Skogstad, BPA and BPAS 'Speaking through Action, Acting though Speech: Acting and Enacting in the Analytic Process'.
- Saturday 24th June: Dr Jean Arundale, BPA, 'Sexuality and Psychoanalysis'.
- Sunday 24th September: Dr David Simpson BPA and BPAS, 'Unconscious Guilt across Generations: The transmission of the psychic effects of trauma and authoritarian states of mind across the generations'.
- Saturday 18th November: Open Scientific Meeting. Professor Dr Catalina Bronstein, President BPAS, 'The Uncanny effect of Dissociation'