ICP Administration

ICP Board of Directors

 President

Nick Ryan, Psy.D., L.M.F.T.

  Vice President

      Susan Mendenhall, Psy.D., L.C.S.W.

Secretary

        Mary Walters, Psy.D., L.C.S.W.

Treasurer

 Suresh Jain

Directors

Deborah Peters, Ph.D.

Earl D. Bland, Psy.D., Psy.D.

Joye Weisel-Barth, Ph.D., Psy.D.

Beate Klein, Ph.D., L.M.F.T.

Nicole Nelson, Psy.D., L.M.F.T., L.P.C.C.

Committees & Chairs

The various committees perform the functions of ICP, such as developing curriculum or monitoring progress of candidates. Committees are volunteer efforts and include self-nominated participants. Appointments are in increments of two-year terms, as this fulfils a conditional requirement for candidacy. Participation in committees is necessary for the continued responsiveness of ICP to its community and the successful operation of the organization.

Admissions Committee

Mark Winitsky, PsyD, LMFT 

The Admissions committee meets several times per year with much of the business being done by email; meetings are arranged based on the number of people who are ready for consideration for admission as candidates or members. The committee is in charge of reviewing the applications of prospective candidates and members, requesting reference letters and community feedback, and assigning interviews for potential candidates. Members of the committee are expected to be actively involved in the interview process, as the committee tries to ensure that at least one of the interviewers is on the Admissions committee. All committee members review all the application material and participate in determining the committee’s recommendations to the Board regarding the suitability of applicants. The committee also addresses admission policy issues, which are in the form of recommendations made to the Board about the admissions process and requirements.

Candidate Progression Committee (CPC)

Leena Chaugule, MD – Chair

The Candidate Progression Committee is charged with monitoring the progress of each candidate as they work their way through the requirements of personal analysis, case supervision, and course work at ICP.  

The committee is comprised of members and candidates who participate equally in monitoring the individual progression of each candidate on a yearly basis. The committee assigns an Advisor to each incoming first year candidate. Candidate members of the committee may not serve as an Advisor. The committee also receives and processes any special requests for waivers, forwarding its recommendations to the Board for final approval. The CPC oversees candidates and members who choose to be on “leave” status, and processes requests regarding classes, supervision, and special circumstances. The Chairs of the CPC maintain and update the Candidate Manual on a regular basis. This is a working committee that my require commitments beyond attending the monthly meetings. The Committee meets Tuesday evenings from 7:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M on zoom.

Reduced-Fee Referral Committee

Sharon Kaz, LCSW, PhD – Chair

ICP offers a Reduced Fee Referral Service for anyone who may be interested in seeking assistance with a qualified and experienced psychoanalyst or possibly from a psychoanalyst in training. Our control case program:  each psychoanalyst in training must complete three 18-month control cases, these cases must meet 3 -5 times per week and are supervised by a Training & Supervising Analyst, often these cases can be found at a greatly reduced fee.

Please contact the Committee Chair Sharon Kaz, LCSW, PhD via email at [email protected] or via phone at Tel. 818-530-6697:

1. To discuss your specific needs and obtain a referral if you feel psychotherapy will be helpful.
2. To discuss obtaining a referral if you, as a Candidate in training, are seeking a control case.
3. ICP also welcomes referrals from psychiatrists, MDs, health professionals and other agencies from industry and education, as well as direct self-referrals.
4. All conversations and referrals are strictly confidential!

This committee functions as a liaison between people who are seeking therapy at a reduced rate and ICP’s members/candidates who have openings in their schedule and might be willing to see someone at a reduced rate, or as a control case. Due to the nature of this service, the Reduced Fee Referral Service does not operate as an on-call emergency or crisis intervention service. All callers will be referred to an ICP psychotherapist and it will be the responsibility of the caller to contact the referral and set-up his or her consultation appointment.

Scholarship and Loan Committee (SAL)

Ellen Lehman, PhD – Chair

The Scholarship and Loan Committee (SAL) is for the candidates in the 4-year Psychoanalytic Training Program who might find the financial constraints of ICP candidacy too burdensome to manage. There are three different financial support programs: General Scholarship Program, Ethnic Minority Scholarship, and Tuition Deferral Loans. Candidates in the Psychoanalytic Training Program wishing continued support must apply for assistance each year, preferably by the end of July. Please check your ICP Membership Portal for more details.

Education & Curriculum Committee

Cheryl Goldstein, PhD and Wendy Bauer, PsyD, LMFT – Co-Chairs

This committee determines which courses will be offered, which instructors teach those courses and the order in which candidates shall take the various required core courses. The committee is composed of members and at least one candidate from each class. The committee encourages active vocal participation from the candidate members, and they are expected to clearly and effectively communicate preferences, desires, and recommendations of the class they represent. In the past the committee has held two to four meetings annually.

Continuing Education Programs Committee

Mary Walters, PsyD, LCSW – Chair

The Continuing Education Programs Committee is charged with overseeing and coordinating all in-house ICP programs other than the Psychoanalytic Training Program. These include the Saturday Series Program, the Extension Program, and the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training Program. The committee consists of this committee Chair plus the Chairs of all the other Continuing Education Programs that are active in a given academic year.

Extension Program Committee

Marsha Tilles, PsyD, LCSW – Chair

The Extension Program Committee is charged with creating and maintaining the Extension Program. The Extension Program is a ten-month program meeting once a month to offer contemporary psychoanalytic studies to license and unlicensed mental health professionals. The Extension Program is designed to offer an extensive introduction to both contemporary and classical analytic theory. The committee creates the curriculum, assigns instructors and facilitators, designs the advertising materials, makes budgetary decisions, monitors the classes and the class facilitators, and addresses problems that arise. The committee is a working committee and participants are expected to carry out some additional work outside of committee meetings.

Saturday Series Program Committee

Michelle Harwell, PsyD and Deborah Peters, PhD – Co-chairs

The Saturday Series Program Committee is charged with creating and maintaining the Saturday Series Program. The Saturday Series Program is a seven-month program meeting once a month to offer contemporary psychoanalytic studies to license and unlicensed mental health professionals. This program is designed to provide exposure to key psychoanalytic concepts, offering foundational themes reflective of contemporary psychoanalysis, including theory, technique, and special clinical treatment issues. The committee creates the curriculum, assigns instructors and facilitators, designs the advertising materials, makes budgetary decisions, monitors the classes and the class facilitators, and addresses problems that arise. The committee is a working committee and participants are expected to carry out some additional work outside of committee meetings.

Program Committee

Michelle Harwell, PsyD, LMFT – Chair

This committee plans all the education programs offered by ICP for all members and for the professional community at large. Some of the tasks of this very hard-working committee include Handling continuing education forms, writing goals and objectives for programs, budgeting, handling registrations and refreshments at in-person-programs, designing program flyers, dealing with venues, handling program evaluations, handling entertainment and transportation, contacting speakers, and taking minutes of meetings. This committee has been meeting monthly. They are looking for candidates not afraid of hard work and willing to actively participate.

Continuing Education Committee

Mary Walters, PsyD, LCSW – Chair

The Continuing Education Committee is charged with overseeing compliance with the standards established by the American Psychological Association to allow ICP to provide continuing education credits to candidates and attendees who participate in ICP’s programs, including the Psychoanalytic Training Program, Continuing Education Programs, and Independent Programs.  The mandate of the ICP Continuing Education Program is to ensure that our programs are geared toward doctoral level clinical psychologists, with a particular focus on psychoanalytic constructs and techniques. The ICP Continuing Education Program Committee views contemporary psychoanalysis through the lens of psychoanalytic psychology in that the standards of psychological practice are an integral component of its academic curriculum and continuing education.  As such, evidence based and community standards of ethical clinical practice as well as evolving ethical and legal concerns are given priority in determining and implementing training needs. The Committee is tasked to be sure that all ICP programs that offer CEs adhere to the standards, criteria, policies, and procedures of the American Psychological Association Sponsor Approval System. While the focus of the Committee is on criteria established by the APA for granting continuing education, these criteria are also recognized and accepted by NASW and CAMFT for granting CE’s.

Ethics Committee

Steve Deitelbaum, PsyD and Kris Rao, PsyD – Co-Chairs

The Ethics Committee serves as a central body dedicated to integrating ethical principles into institute-life through educational, professional, and institutional activities. Any member of the ICP community can approach the committee or its individual members to discuss an area of ethical concern or interest. Ethical complaints from the general public are directed to both the Ethics Committee and the ICP Board. Such complaints may include, but need not be limited to, dishonesty, discrimination, or boundary violations (and other areas of ethical misconduct). The committee listens to allegations and offers consultation; it has no disciplinary power, nor does it act as a judicial body. At times, the committee will refer a complainant to the appropriate licensing board or state agency. The Ethics Committee encourages discussion of ethical issues and questions with members, candidates, and the institute at large. Any ICP member, ICP candidate, or member of the public who has questions or an ethical concern about an ICP member or candidate and wishes to make a confidential complaint to the ICP Ethics Committee can do so by sending an email to the Ethics Committee.

Study Group Committee

Rochelle M. Reno, PhD, PsyD – Chair

To attain the status of supervising and training analyst, ICP requires all members to participate in at least five years of study groups, which can be either peer consultation groups (at least two) or supervision training groups (at least one). Members who wish to be in a peer consultation group are randomly assigned, with rerandomization occurring every two years. Supervision training groups are formed by assignment based on the size of groups. Participants in both types of groups are required to attend seven out nine meetings each year. All groups are online.

Task Force to Address Racism and Homophobia

Veronica Abney, PhD, LCSW and Joel E. Miller, MD, PsyD – Co-Chairs

ICP’s cutting edge status and dedication to spreading the word on contemporary psychoanalytic theories puts it in a unique place to attract those not traditionally a part of the psychoanalytic community. The Ad Hoc Committee for Diversity was established in 2003 with that in mind. The Committee’s overall mission is to take the lead in helping ICP become a more inclusive institution that is inviting to everyone regardless of ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identification. More specifically we are working towards the following goals:

1. Finding concrete ways to attract a more diverse membership which involves understanding the reasons for the current lack of diversity at ICP.
2. Providing members with the necessary experiences to become aware of their implicit biases which function as obstacles to maintaining a diverse membership and to providing candidates with an education that is relevant to, and inclusive of, those traditionally marginalized by the field.
3. Promoting contemporary psychoanalysis to those who have traditionally been excluded and maligned by the field.

LGBTQ+ Essay Award Committee

Dr. Stacy Berlin, Chair

Committee Members: Dr. Roberto D’Angelo, Dr. Darren Haber, Dr. Lynne Jacobs, Dr. Russell Koch, Dr. David Schreiber, and Dr. Estelle Shane

Dr. Daphne S. Stolorow Essay Award Committee

Robert Stolorow, PhD, William Coburn, PsyD, and Jeffrey Trop, MD – Co-Chairs

The Dr. Daphne S. Stolorow fellowship fund committee manages an endowment set up with donations in memory of Daphne Stolorow. An essay award is given yearly for the best paper submitted by a candidate or graduate of one year. The paper should be a contribution to psychoanalysis. The current prize is $500.00, a plaque, and the winners name placed on a plaque at ICP.

Nancy Goldman Award Committee

Edie Boxer, PsyD – Chair

The Nancy Goldman Award for Service and Leadership to ICP was created in 2014 to honor our former co-President Nancy Goldman for her exemplary contributions to ICP. Awarded each year as part of the graduation ceremony, each year’s recipient is recognized on a perpetual plaque displayed at ICP. In keeping with Nancy’s values, this award is meant to honor volunteers who have made significant contributions to our institute over time, particularly those unsung heroes who quietly work hard without necessarily achieving prominence or high visibility. As Nancy valued ICP’s distance communities, individuals who exemplify her value of “boots on the ground” are also especially considered when awarding this honor each year. 

Strategic Planning Committee (SPC)

George Bermudez, PhD, PsyD – Chair

The SPC was created September 2011 as an Ad-Hoc committee. This was the first time such a committee had been created at ICP. The groups focus is to assist and inform the various committee’s as well as the Board of Directors in designing a plan to direct how ICP could move forward. The SPC would analyze the current mission of ICP, establish goals; educational, financial, and operationally. Keeping in mind the democratic nature of ICP these recommendations in collaboration with the ICP Community, Committees and chairpersons would be taken to the Board of Directors to establish goals and action items for the future success of ICP. 

What is strategic planning?

• Clarifying the identity and primary task of the organization
• Deciding what is and is not a priority for the use of resources
• Analyzing the internal and external environment
• Considering how best to deal with upcoming changes and transitions
• Setting a clear direction with goals and action items; short and long term
• Creating a strong foundation for institute success by focusing on operational effectiveness, community morale, and comprehensive candidate education

It is important for the strategic plan to look at the organization as a complete entity – an integrated system – and to be concerned with its long-term development. As with the psychoanalytic process it is important for the SPC to consider where the institute has been (its history and foundations), where it is now (its internal and external ecosystem), co- determine where we would like to be and map how to get there. The Institute’s co-created strategic plan should be written out and made available to all the membership articulating and clarifying the aims and objectives the organization is collaboratively working towards.

Graduation Committee

Sylvia Jones, PhD, PsyD, LCSW – Chair

The Graduation committee is in charge of planning all aspects of the graduation, which includes arranging for catering, necessary audio-visual (microphone, sound system), as well as organizing Zoom for family and friends as well as for graduates not able to attend in person.

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training (PPT)

Currently not available

This committee meets approximately every 2-3 months, except during the summer application process, when it meets as needed (about once a month). The committee is involved in the selection of applicants, and the organization and coordination of resources for the training program. Candidate members have the same input as everyone else on the committee (this includes decisions on policies and interviewing of perspective applicants).

Public Education Committee

Currently not available

The mission of this committee is to provide training in contemporary psychoanalytic psychotherapy to community mental health agencies. The focus is on agencies with large numbers of graduate students in order to provide a community service and to also generate interest in further training at ICP.

Some of the agencies the Public Education Committee has provided training for include:

• Vista del Mar
• Reiss-Davis Child Study Center
• Airport Marina Counseling Center
• Family Service of Santa Monica
• Campion Counseling Center
• Venice Family Clinic
• The Maple Center
• Southern California Counseling Center
• Julia Ann Singer
• Valley Community Clinic
• The Help Group
• Homesafe and Foothill Family Service