Renewing and Making Connections; Taking Stock and Planning Growth
After 6 years
…. we were finally able to meet in person again, this time in New York,’s Weill Medical College of Cornell University. What a perfect setting for learning, reflecting on our practice and research, creating new bonds, and renewing connections.
The excitement to meet brought together around 300 members and affiliates of our community from September 27th to 29th, as we celebrated the eighth international congress of our society, the ISTFP.
The academic program
On the 27th, the events started with three magnificent pre-conferences: Barry Stern and Nestor Kapusta, as discussant, spoke about the Object Relations Model of Couples Therapy; Lina Normandin, Karin Ensink, and Alan Weiner taught us about TFP for Adolescents: Specificities and Family Work; and Luis Valenciano and Irene Sarno spoke about supervision for newly certified TFP supervisors and those interested in becoming TFP supervisors. These workshops had an unprecedented attendance and great participation of the attendees. This preliminary day foreshadowed the climate of exchange and scientific and theoretical discussion that was to come in the next two days.
On the 28th and 29th we had the privilege of attending lectures by Eve Caligor, Chiara De Panfilis, Emanuele Preti, Agnes Schneider-Heine, Nel Draijer, Karin Ensink, Stephan Doering, special guest David Tuckett who spoke about Knowing What Psychoanalysts Do and Doing What Psychoanalysts Know, and Otto Kernberg.
In addition, there were seven scientific symposia, five SPECIAL TOPICS SYMPOSIA, and ten posters exhibited. All of this was marked by an increasing breadth of topics and increasing participation of young exhibitors in the TFP community.
Otto Kernberg’s presence was a highlight throughout the event. Not only did he participate as an attendee and contribute his insights during committee meetings on the future of our institution, but he also delivered the final day’s plenary lecture on ‘Alternative Contemporary Views of Psychoanalytic Therapy.’ His words demonstrated his characteristic ability to integrate and provided a vision for our future. The audience paid tribute to him with prolonged applause, filling the auditorium with emotion and gratitude for several minutes.
The research awards
This presentation of research awards was a highlight of the conference, recognizing talent in upcoming TFP researchers. What stood out was the exceptional quality of the submitted works.
The award for recent published research was given to two sets of winners:
1) Kevin Meehan and Nicole Cain for:
2) Victor Blüml and Maria Gruber for:
The event was, in itself, a testimony to how well the TFP research community is developing following the highest academic standards.
Awards were also given for outstanding research presentations at the conference.
The ISTFP Research Committee gave 1 first place award, 1 second place award, and 2 third place awards to:
1) Emilia Soroko for the presentation:
Validity and clinical utility of the Polish version of the Revised Structured Interview of Personality Organization (STIPO-R-PL)
2) Marco Di Sarno for the presentation:
Pathological narcissism, self and other representations, and affect in the patient-therapist relationship: Preliminary data from an experience sampling study
3) Marko Biberdzic for the presentation:
Level of Personality Organization and Development Questionnaire (LPODq 14-21): Investigating the Validity of a Theoretically Informed and Developmentally Sensitive Measure of Personality Pathology in Youth
3) Arianna Sinisi for the presentation:
The contribution of Transference Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) in general adult psychiatry training: improving trainees’ technical confidence and attitude towards people with personality disorder
Choosing our Leaders
The ISTFP convention is always an opportunity to choose hour leaders for the next 2 years. During the member assembly, the members elected the new ISTFP Board. Frank Yeomans was re-elected as President and Stephan Doering was elected as Vice President. He will replace Eve Caligor who provided great service to the ISTFP in that role and will continue on the Board. Victor Blüml was elected the new Treasurer, replacing Melitta Fischer-Kern, who provided the ISTFP with dedicated managing of its finances since the inception of the organization in 2012. Along with the rest of the board, who will continue in their current positions, they have the mission to lead our society into these uncertain times until 2026.
Exchanging Professional Experiences
The conference offered participants the ability to meet members from around the world who were eager to share their experiences with us. In the spirit of the theme of this Newsletter, here are a few of them regarding training to be a supervisor.
Many described their training as a supervisor in TFP is a transformative growth experience.
Ruth Alcalá Lozano described her training process as “enriching and exciting.” Throughout her journey, she has observed how others manage to apply TFP in complex countertransference situations. Being “the observer of the observer” has required her to broaden her knowledge and maintain a constant practice. She emphasizes that “every clinical experience prepares me to handle future cases better,” highlighting the importance of adapting to the uniqueness of each situation.
Aurora Doll Galardo has increased her interest in microprocesses and the therapist’s attitude. She highlights that “supervision requires structure, the ability to organize something that is initially loaded with emotions.” A significant experience for Aurora occurred while supervising a case in which she decided not to seek out a patient who missed an interview. This moment led her to reflect on the commitment necessary in the therapeutic process.
Pablo Botias Cegarra found the most challenging aspect of training to be staying mindful and calm while teaching and sharing his knowledge with colleagues. “So the whole process was transformative in the sense that it helped me see myself as co-supervisor in supervision, a tutor in teaching classes, and to acknowledge my capacity to help other people to understand TFP better.”
Finally, Silvia Bernardi reflected on her role as a co-supervisor, facing the challenge of helping beginner therapists. She states that “it is easy to understand the patient’s pathology, but it is much more difficult to communicate it and be heard.” The distance that allows her to be a supervisor has been transformative for her practice: “I conceptualize each case much more clearly than when I am in my role as a therapist.”
The Breakfasts and Conference Dinner
As always, there were spaces for the social life of our society, already constituted as a family; there were breakfasts, dinners, and other instances in which the attendees could, beyond the academic, connect and reconnect. We leave you with found memories that were gathered by the Public Relation and Communications Committee.
Unfortunately, three days are always too few for us. We can only wait two years with the hope of meeting in Vienna in 2026.
See you soon! Best wishes,
Veronica and Diana for the Public Relations and Communication Committee
Ps. Veronica Steiner
Veronica Steiner Segal is a Chilean clinical psychologist who graduated in 1998. Since her beginnings she has been working with patients with Severe Personality Disorders in different health institutions in her country, and since 2018 she is a certified TFP therapist. In 2019 she obtained her accreditation as a teacher and supervisor. Since the same year she is coordinator of Grupo TFP Chile. She is the Executive Officer for the Board and she collaborates with the T&E Committee. She also teaches at the University of Valparaiso, in the Department of Psychiatry, where she also teaches in the Diploma of Severe Personality Disorders.
She collaborates in different courses looking for the diffusion of TFP. Together with Luis Valenciano and Pepa Gonzalez she directs an important training in TFP for Spanish speaking students, Instituto TFP Hispanoamerica.
Diana Téllez Quiroz, PhD
Diana Téllez has been a Psychodynamic Psychotherapist since 2005. She obtained a Master’s in Psychotherapy for Children, Adolescents, and Adults in 2009 and a Doctorate in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy from the Mexican Psychoanalytic Association in 2012.
She holds a PhD and Master’s in APM. Certified supervisor, teacher, and therapist in TFP, Circle of Security, and AAI. Psychologist with experience in personality disorders, specializing in MBT and EFT. Member of ISTFP and ISSPD.