When we decided to dedicate this edition of the Members Newsletter to attachment, it was clear to us that we wanted an exclusive interview with Dr. Diana Diamond. Although several other TFP authors have published remarkable papers on attachment and TFP, Dr. Diamond was more accessible to us—mainly because Veronica had already received supervision from her. Knowing how busy she is (as we all are), we sent the invitation and hoped for the best. To our delight, she replied very quickly, and we managed to set up a Zoom meeting for the interview.

On the scheduled date, Dr. Diamond joined us on Zoom and told us that we were meeting at the end of a long day—she had already been interviewed by Dr. David Puder for is Psychiatry & Psychotherapy podcast and had also attended a research meeting where she received very promising new results from a study on attachment and TFP. We almost felt guilty asking her to satisfy our enthusiastic curiosity about TFP research on attachment after such a demanding day.

She eased our worries almost instantly with her warm and engaging attitude. Even before we asked our first question, we already had a sense of what a secure attachment feels like. Later, as we reflected on the experience, we both agreed that Dr. Diamond truly embodied her passion: offering us attention, concern, and knowledge deeply relevant to our questions.

A Secure Base… A Safe Haven

The emphasis in this newsletter on attachment comes at a very important time. We are experiencing a lot of stress, uncertainty, fear, and anxiety in many places in the world today. We may have collectively lived through a period of relative calm in the latter half of the 20th century (of course there are great exceptions for that.) A sense of anxiety and concern seems to be growing throughout our societies.

Dear members of the ISTFP,

On October 24 and 25, the Teachers and Supervisors Conference was held in Amsterdam. During this event, we honored the memory of Dr. Gerhard Dammann, who passed away in 2020. His remembrance set the tone for an intimate and communal experience that highlighted the human richness of our Society.

Veronica and I felt it was important for the broader membership, not only certified teachers and supervisors, to be informed about the content of the various presentations. We wanted everyone to have a sense of how both the ISTFP and TFP are evolving, and to convey the sense of connection and shared purpose that was felt throughout the event.

This is why we decided to share our reflections on the conference from our own personal perspective so that, in reading them, you might also feel as if you were there with us.

Attachment theory provides a fundamental conceptual framework for understanding the relationship between early interpersonal experiences, mental representations of the self and others, and the neurobiological correlates of psychopathology throughout the development of personality and its disorders. In adulthood, the study of attachment allows for the exploration of how internalized representations of early relationships influence affect regulation, defensive mechanisms, and interpersonal functioning.

This article will summarize recent attachment research, inviting members to reflect on how TFP and attachment perspectives on internal representations of self and others can overlap, differ, and mutually enrich one another.

In the fascinating world of psychotherapy, we are delighted to introduce Alejandra Díaz Arabia, a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist originally from Caracas, Venezuela, now living and practicing in Lima, Peru. Alejandra’s story is remarkable not only because of her professional dedication but also because of the journey she undertook as a migrant, bringing her personal experiences and cultural insight into her therapeutic work.

To our esteemed colleagues of the ISTFP,

It is a distinct pleasure to share some reflections on a topic that lies at the very heart of our joint endeavour: the intricate nature of mature love and the formidable challenges to its development. In our field, few figures illuminate these complexities with the rigor and profundity of Dr. Otto Kernberg. This paper stems out of an informal conversation we had with him in which he offered a psychoanalytic lens that cuts through simplistic notions to reveal love as a dynamic, often challenging, integration of various facets—including those we might prefer to keep tucked away.

Trying to practice what we preach.

I would like to start by congratulating the ISTFP Public Relations Committee on the exceptional work they have done in putting this Newsletter together. Their work shows a lot of love, and the organization is very fortunate in having this dedicated and creative group.

Dear members,

While reflecting on this edition of our members’ newsletter, I was struck by the challenge of applying the theme of intimate love and sexuality to our professional society. As authors began sending in their contributions, I noted that Kernberg’s perspective on mature love involves the development of a capacity for love that includes—but also goes beyond—intimate relationships.

In Chapter 9 of his book Hatred, Emptiness, and Hope, he outlines the key aspects of loving relationships. As I read his description of the characteristics of “being in love,” it became clear that many of these qualities could also describe what unites the members of the ISTFP. This particular passage stood out to me as especially relevant:

One characteristic of being in love is showing interest in the personality of the loved one—an ongoing interest in understanding what one’s partner is feeling, interested in.

Otto Kernberg

At the ISTFP Public Relations and Communications Committee, we’re genuinely interested in our fellow members. We value the opportunity to learn about your interests, efforts, challenges, and accomplishments. In fact, we like to think that the countless hours of voluntary work we dedicate to our community are, in themselves, a true act of love.

Aligned with the ISTFP’s mission to disseminate TFP, our committee has always embraced a deeper purpose: to strengthen the unity of our community and foster collective growth.

Let us share with you the many ways we express our love for the ISTFP community.

The Special Interest Group (SIG) on TFP group therapy (TFP-G) was formed in 2020, co-chaired by Maria Jesus Rufat and Jonathan Radcliffe. Jonathan runs a TFP programme in London, and Maria Jesus has run TFP groups in Barcelona for many years. Dr Kernberg has been supervising therapists in Barcelona using TFP-G with adolescents and adults, following his talk on group therapy at the annual conference of Group TLP Barcelona – Institut TFP Barcelona in 2013.

On June 11, 2022, The Washington Post published the story of a Google engineer who claimed that LaMBDA, the company’s proprietary artificial intelligence—or, more precisely, its “conversational large language model”—had shown signs of “sentience.” Blake Lemoine, who was then working for Google’s Responsible AI organization, engaged in daily conversations (you can read one of those conversations here) with the chatbot, which eventually led him to believe he was talking to a self-conscious being.

In January 2025, Stanford University published a blog post announcing that they had successfully simulated the personalities of 1,052 individuals using their AI. After a two-hour interview with the AI, each simulated personality completed both the General Social Survey and the 44-item Big Five Inventory alongside its corresponding human counterpart. The simulated personalities matched their real counterparts’ answers 88% of the time on the General Social Survey and 80% of the time on the Big Five Inventory.

In 2017, clinical research psychologist Dr. Alison Darcy founded Woebot Health, a company dedicated to developing mental health chatbots to support psychological well-being. On the user page of their website, they claim to provide “actionable advice” and teach “proven ways to better cope in the future.” They state that their AI can help “boost confidence,” “gain clarity,” “change thought patterns,” and “understand your emotions”—all for a minimal fee to maximize accessibility.

Our awareness of these developments in AI, combined with Silvia’s commentary, has convinced us that we must provide ISTFP members with an overview of how this technological advancement could profoundly change our practice and daily lives. Furthermore, since its development raises many questions about sentience, artificial personality, and computer-driven psychotherapy, we will explore whether Kernberg’s object relations theory can help answer some of them.

Are AI systems sentient, conscious entities with personalities? Will they one day replace TFP therapists?

We are a community of experts on personality—let’s assess whether, referring to the debate spawned by Descartes, there is a “ghost in the machine.”

Dear Colleagues,

Life is always a challenge and the level of stress in the world seems to be making life increasingly challenging these days. There are different ways to address the stress. Having a sense of meaning and purpose, and looking to each other for community and support, even if we don’t have “the answers”, can be very helpful. For me, the ISTFP is helpful in both these areas.

Dramatic developments in artificial intelligence are fueling a looming anxiety for some. Sam Altman’s 2023 prediction of a “one-person billion-dollar company,” while leaving me skeptical and perplexed, understandably made others anxious. I initially hesitated to address this topic in the newsletter, primarily because I felt there was little cause for genuine alarm. My perspective, as you will see, is undeniably techno-optimistic.

Indeed, AI is developing rapidly, exhibiting emergent properties that generate outputs analogous to human intelligence. This progress renews the fear that automation will replace humans. Furthermore, Altman’s prediction seems to be unfolding as a new breed of highly efficient companies emerges.

The video initiative was initiated by Luis Valenciano as head of the training committee to promote the use of video material in teaching and learning.

The group is headed by Mathias Lohmer and includes Nel Draijer, Mathieu Norton-Poulin, Irene Sarno, Vero Steiner, and Frank Yeomans.

Videos are not only an essential learning tool for our supervision but also provide – next to role play – an excellent potential for illustrating the essence of our work to groups in lectures and seminars.