who we are
The Dallas Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology (DSPP) is a local chapter of the Society for Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychology (SPPP), also known as Division 39 of the American Psychological Association.
Founded in 1983, DSPP directs its efforts to exploring and promoting psychoanalytic theory and its applications as a basis for understanding human experience and for various forms of psychotherapy. DSPP's members come from a number of mental health fields and include psychologists, licensed professional counselors, social workers, physicians, and students. DSPP emphasizes the application of psychoanalytic theory to a variety of clinical and social settings.
What we do
DSPP hosts a series of monthly presentations from September through April on psychoanalytic theory and its clinical applications. Fall and Spring workshops feature some of the world's leading psychoanalytic theorists.
The Arts Committee sponsors a number of events at which members informally discuss and explore the psychoanalytic aspects of a wide variety of artistic endeavors (e.g., films, performing, visual and literary arts).
Participate & Contribute
DSPP encourages all its members to participate and contribute to the organization through an active committee structure, which currently includes the Program Committee, the Membership Committee, the Education Committee, the Continuing Education Committee, the Community Relations Committee, and the Arts Committee.
In short, DSPP strives to be an intellectual "home" for those interested in exploring and developing psychoanalytic theory and practice in its broadest applications.
EDUCATION
DSPP is approved by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists to provide continuing education credits for psychologists. DSPP is approved by the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners as a sponsor of continuing education units for social workers. The Texas State Board of Examiners of Licensed Professional Counselors accepts DSPP/TSBEP continuing education credits for licensed professional counselors.
DSPP adheres to the American Psychological Association (APA) Multicultural Guidelines
Board & Committees
President
Blaine Brazier, LPC
Past President
Nathaniel R. Strenger, Psy.D.
President-Elect
Melissa Wallace, M.D.
Secretary
Becca Fonville, Psy.D.
Treasurer
Paul Moore, Psy.D.
Member-at-large
Scott Nelson, Ph.D.
Catherine Johnson, LPC
Adam Breakey Hinshaw, Ph.D.
Community Relations Chair
Joelle Pahl, LCSW
Arts ChaiR
Angelica Tratter, Ph.D.
Arts Committee
Denise Humphrey, Ph.D.
Jim Harris, Psy.D.
Jeff Courtman, LPC
Dayna Jondal, M.A.
Continuing Education Co-Chairs
Bethany Sanders, LCSW
Shelby Zavala-Barajas, Psy.D.
Membership Co-Chairs
Elizabeth Huber, Ph.D.
Kevin Goldberg, Psy.D.
Program Co-Chairs
Tyler Woodall, LPC
Rachel Boyd, LCSW
Past Presidents
Nathaniel R Strenger, Psy.D.
Richard Enander, Ph.D.
Adam Breakey Hinshaw, Ph.D.
Jessica Glenn, LCSW
Will Collins, Psy.D.
H. M. "Monty" Evans, Ph.D.
Stephanie Swales, PhD
Carissa Scott, Ph.D.
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1983-1984 Paul Munves, PhD
1984-1985 Myron Lazar, PhD
1985-1986 Malcolm Bonnheim, PhD
1986-1987 Dale C. Godby, PhD
1987-1988 John Herman, PhD
1988-1989 Marc Rathbun, PhD
1989-1990 Judith Samson, PhD
1990-1991 Don Brix, PhD
1991-1992 Richard Warshak, PhD
1992-1993 Dale Lang Roskos, PhD
1993-1994 Dorthy Dunn, PhD
1994-1995 Lauyrel Bass Wagner, PhD
1995-1996 Regina Kinney, PhD
1996-1997 William K. Gordon III, PhD
1997-1998 James Bridger Harris, PhD
1998-1999 Robert Aberg, PhD
1999-2000 Myrna Little, PhD
2000-2001 Patricia E. Wood
2001-2002 Deann Ware, PhD
2002-2003 Melissa Black, PhD
2003-2004 Steve Patrick, PhD
2004-2005 Sarah Aberg, LICSW
2005-2006 Scott Nelson, PhD
2006-2007 Susan Roos, PhD
2007-2008 Angelica Tratter, PhD
2008-2009 Carla Pulliam, PhD
2009-2010 Neil Ravella, PhD
2010-2011 Jennifer Unterberg, PhD
2011-2012 Noelle McDonald, PhD
2012-2013 David Young, PhD
2013-2014 Gretchen Ladd, PhD
2014-2015 Ken Trevino, PhD
2015-2016 Scott Hickman, PhD
2016-2017 Zane Dodd, PhD
2017-2018 Carissa Scott, PhD
2018-2019 Stephanie Swales, PhD
2019-2020 H. M. "Monty" Evans, Ph.D.
Distinguished Guest Speakers
When DSPP began we consulted with a number of New York analysts. We told them how fortunate we thought they were with so many institutes and training opportunities. They said we were the fortunate ones. We were starting fresh and could invite the best teachers from around the world and were free from the constraints of the local talent. We did just that and have been blessed with thoughtful and exciting presentations from which our community continues to draw inspiration and deep learning.
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1983
Sidney Smith, PhD
Rudolph Ekstein, PhD
1984
Herbert Schleslinger, PhD
Anni Bergman, PhD
1985
Roy Schafer, PhD
Louise Kaplan, PhD
1986
Otto Kernberg, MD
Arnold Goldberg, MD
1987
Hans Strupp, PhD
Stephen Applebaum, PhD
1988
Jay Greenberg, PhD
Lawrence Friedman, MD
1989
Jacob Arlow, MD
E. James Anthony, MD
1990
Leo Rangell, MD
Phillip Bromberg, PhD
1991
Harold Blum, MD
Leonard Shengold, MD
1992
Leonore Terr, MD
Charles Socarides, MD
1993
Otto Kernberg, MD
Vamik Volkan, MD
1994
Frank Lachmann, PhD
Ellen Handler Spitz, PhD
1995
Phyllis Tyson, PhD
Theodore Jacobs, MD
1996
Jeanine Chassegues-Smirgel, PhD
Marvin Hyman, PhD
Bryant Welch, PhD
1997
Salman Ahktar, MD
Jill Savage Scharff, MD
1998
Owen Renick, MD
Leonard Horwitz, PhD
Edward Shapiro, MD
1999
Stephen Seligman, DMH
Stephen Mitchell, PhD
2000
Jessica Benjamin, PhD
Stephen Cooper, PhD
Peter Fonagy, PhD
2001
Stuart Twemlow, MD
Drew Westen, PhD
Nancy McWilliams, PhD
2002
Robert D. Hinshelwood, MD
Phil Ringstrom, PhD, PsyD
2003
Francis Hofstein, MD
Irwin Hoffman, MD
2004
Neil Altman, PhD
2005
Steven Marans, PhD
Efrain Bleiberg, MD
Susan Roos, PhD
2006
John Bayless
Susan Roos, PhD
2007
Robert Neimeyer, PhD
Earl Hopper, PhD & Meg Sharpe, BA (Hons.)
2008
Cordelia Schmidt-Hellerau, PhD
Judith Feher Gurewich, PhD
Kenneth Gergen, PhD
Pamela Sorensen, PhD, MACP
2009
Joellen Peters, PhD
JoAnn Ponder, PhD
Sharon Horowitz, PhD
Fred Busch, MD
2010
Lew Aron, PhD
2011
Laurel Bass Wagner, PhD
Ghislaine Boulanger, PhD
Judy Kantrowitz, PhD
2012
Michael Groat, PhD
Jane Hall, PhD
2013
Ricardo Ainslie, PhD
2014
Philip Flores, PhD
2017
Allan Schore, PhD
2018
Glen Gabbard, MD
Holly Crisp, MD
2019
Bruce Fink, PhD
Sheldon George, PhD
Donna Orange, PhD, PsyD
2020
Anthony Bass, PhD
2021
Joseph Aguayo, PhD
2022
Galit Atlas, PhD
Beatrice Chestnut, PhD
2023
Mark Solms, PhD
Mitchell Wilson, MD
John Dall’Aglio, PhD
2024
David Eng, PhD
Nancy McWilliams, PhD
Michael Garrett, MD
John Sadler, MD
2025
Noelle McAfee, PhD
Haim Weinberg, PhD
Salman Akhtar, MD
Kevin Volkan, PhD
DSPP Arts
The DSPP Arts Committee was created in 1996 by Judith Samson, Ph.D. The idea emerged while she was serving on the Community Relations Committee. Her intent was to engage interested DSPP members in a variety of artistic activities and explore the psychological/psychoanalytic underpinnings. The artistic spheres have included cinematic, performance, literary and studio arts, and participation has always provided a rich environment for fun, connection, and discussion.
The Arts Committee is devoted to enriching life experience through increasing the appreciation, interpretation, and comprehension of artistic personalities and the meaning of their creative expression from a psychoanalytic perspective. As Pablo Picasso stated, "The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place...from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a spider's web." Art stirs internal responses and evokes questions that arouse a desire in us to understand those feelings and questions.
What is an artist trying to express? What needs of the artist are being met through creative expression? Is art, without the limitation of words, a truer expression of human feelings? Does expression assuage emotional response or resonance in the viewers or audience? Is art a truer expression of human capacities and desire without the impediments of intellectualizations that can betray the heart? The DSPP Arts program will enhance our lives and our life stories, and nurture our aesthetic experiences. The beauty of art reaches deeply into the human heart and mind, and takes on an importance in human and professional development. Hence, DSPP is committed to providing artistic experiences to members, colleagues, and friends.
Angelica M.D. Tratter, Ph.D., chair
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