The American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work (AAPCSW) is an 850-member, not-for-profit, professional membership organization. Founded in 1980, AAPCSW seeks to achieve practice parity between clinical social workers and other mental health professionals engaged in the practice, research, and teaching of psychoanalysis. It brings to this effort an appreciation for the intersectionality of psychoanalysis and social work through acknowledgement and exploration of their shared emphasis on respect for the individual and commitment to safe, effective clinical care.
AAPCSW achieves these goals through a range of nation-wide professional and intellectual activities that promote psychoanalytic education, advance clinical social work, facilitate the production and dissemination of knowledge, and advocate for high standards of practice. These activities include a biennial national conference, regional conferences, a national listserv, and publications including an online monograph and a tri-annual newsletter. The organization is an active member of the Psychoanalytic Consortium that is composed of AAPCSW, the American Academy of Psychodynamic Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis (AAPDP), Division 39 (Psychoanalysis) of the American Psychological Association, and the Confederation of Independent Psychoanalytic Societies (CIPS). Through membership in the Consortium, AAPCSW ensures the social work profession has a voice in critical conversations about the future of psychoanalytic education and practice.
One of AAPCSW’s most honored traditions is its biennial national conference. These conferences serve as intellectual forums in which social work clinicians, academics, students, and high-profile individuals from outside the profession explore the intersectionality of psychoanalysis and social work through, among other things, the integration of concerns for social justice advocacy and clinical practice. They offer an opportunity for the continuing study of how psychoanalytic ideas and techniques can enrich social workers’ ability to not only provide psychotherapy, but all types of social work services.
The next conference will take place March 28-31, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. The conference title is, “Intrigue, Insight, Inquiry: Through Today’s Psychoanalytic Lens.” Taking the biopsychosocial perspective as a starting point, the conference seeks to explore how the psychoanalytic perspective can enrich the ever-present pursuit of clinical social work excellence in the face of complex socio-cultural challenges that demand clinical engagement with the tension between remaining connected to core values while embracing innovation.
We firmly believe this conference, and our organization, have much to offer graduate social work students seeking to improve their ability to work with diverse client populations in a range of practice settings using ideas and techniques that honor evidence-based research, diversity, individual dignity, and social justice advocacy. Likewise, we know the presence and participation of social work students at the conference can only enrich the event as well as add valuable new perspectives to our organization’s overall mission and goals.
For this reason, we are happy to offer a Conference Scholarship to MSW students. The purpose of the scholarship is to ease the financial burden of conference attendance so that social work students can attend the event and use it as a stepping stone to ongoing participation in the professional and intellectual life of AAPCSW. Social work students awarded the Conference Scholarship will receive:
1. Waiver of the conference fee
2. Opportunities to interact with other students and senior AAPCSW members at the conference
3. Free membership in AAPCSW for a period of two years
4. Assignment to an “AAPCSW mentor” who can serve as a resource around issues of professional development, becoming involved in post-conference AAPCSW activities, and deeper exploration of the psychoanalytic perspective in clinical social work. (Please note, AAPCSW mentors do not provide students with clinical/professional supervision.)
To be eligible, an individual must be enrolled in a CSWE-approved social work program pursuing an MSW degree.
To apply, interested students should submit a one-page statement about why they would like to attend the conference and how attendance would enrich their lives in social work school and beyond. In doing so, applicants should articulate a compelling argument about the how the psychoanalytic perspective is relevant to their current and future identities as clinical social workers.
Statements must be received by January 15, 2019. Statements should be submitted via email to:
Scott Graybow, PhD, LCSW
Chair, Student Outreach Ad-Hoc Committee scottgraybow@yahoo.com
Inquiries about the Conference Scholarship, student outreach efforts, or other matters may also be emailed to Dr. Graybow.