The increasing family and community of ISTFP members just met in New York for our 8th Biennial Conference, many in person and some by streaming. We, of course, devoted some activities to the field of teaching and supervision. One of them was the in-person Training and Education Committee meeting on September 27^th, which allowed members of the committee to deepen certain important themes.

During that meeting, the T & E Committee reached the conclusion that our therapists in training are getting more and more consistent with what we may call the macroscopic aspects of supervision.

Let me explain by doing an artificial division in our practice.

Luis Valenciano

Psychiatrist, Executive Officer for the Board of the ISTFP, and currently the Chief Trainee and Supervision Committee member

Luis Valenciano is a physician and psychiatrist, formerly the Executive Officer for the Board of the ISTFP, and currently the Chief Trainee and Supervision Committee member.
After passing the MIR, he trained in Psychiatry at the General Hospital of Murcia under the tutelage of Professor Demetrio Barcia. He specialized in psychotherapy at the Madrid Psychoanalytic Center and Elipsis.
In 2007, he co-founded the first Personality Disorders Program in the Region of Murcia, where he worked until 2021 before dedicating himself to private practice. Since 2006, he has worked with Professor Otto Kernberg in New York and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the ISTFP. From Murcia, he sees patients and supervises therapists internationally, in addition to teaching at various institutions. In recent years, he has also co-founded the Instituto TFP Hispanoamérica with other colleagues.

From the comfortable yet significant confines of his private practice in Andalusia, southern Spain, Sergio Fernández-Miranda has dedicated his professional life to understanding and treating the human mind. His career as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist encompasses extensive experience in the public healthcare system, including five years at a Day Hospital and ten years as a psychiatric residency tutor. Since 2021, he has transitioned to focusing on his private practice

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.

TFP Chile WebsitE

I was there during the first conference in White Plains, NY in 2011 and have been coming every two years since. Every occurrence has left me with insights and experiences that have had a profound impact on me and my practice of TFP. In this article, I will try to tell the story of the ISTFP conference from the participant perspective so previous attendees can reminisces on past convention and new ones have all they need to enjoy it to the fullest. For a more formal history of the conference, I suggest reading this excellent article by Theophilus Kok that was published in the October 2022 members Newsletter.

Mathieu Norton-Poulin, M.Ps.

Mathieu Norton-Poulin is a psychologist in private practice in Gatineau, Québec. He graduated from Laval University in 1995 and started his training in transference focused psychotherapy in 2005. Member of the TFP-Québec group he as been practicing has a certified TFP therapist for the last 9 years. Since 2009 he organized several training events and has given lectures on TFP for medical doctors and college students. He maintains a blog where he write, in plain words, articles to explain TFP to the general public.

Read author’s Blog

Dear Colleagues,

We all make mistakes. Mathieu Norton-Poulin, in his very personal article about attending ISTFP conferences over the years, points out a frequent error that people make: idealizing others. This is very understandable. We get comfort from the idea of someone who could have all the answers and solve all our problems. But, as we know, idealization is very dangerous. It is dangerous because it is not based in reality. In discussing Otto Kernberg’s cautioning people against the risk of idealizing him, Mathieu mentioned the risk of envy and aggression associated with idealization. We can go even further in our critique of idealization. For example, idealization of the leader is an implicit devaluing of the group. Otto Kernberg has always insisted that all members of the group have an important role in advancing our thinking and practice. This emphasis on the role of all members of the group was evident as the Personality Disorders Institute developed at the Weill Cornell Medical College. It is happening in a parallel way as we see the growth of the International Society for TFP. The whole is far stronger than any single member of the organization. Our organization has evolved into an incredibly creative and productive group.

Frank E. Yeomans, MD, PhD

Frank E. Yeomans, MD, PhD, is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College and Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell University. He is a Senior Consultant in and teaches internationally for the Personality Disorders Institute, and is in private practice in White Plains and New York City.

Author’s Website

Hello, I’m Diana Téllez from Mexico, and years ago, New York captured my heart on my first visit. I have been fortunate enough to explore the city on various occasions: with family, a partner, children, for work, or on vacation. These varied experiences reflect my deep passion for the city, making it one of my favorite destinations in the world. As the saying goes, “New York is always a good idea,” so if you are considering coming to the congress, I assure you that choosing it as the venue was an excellent decision.

With the same enthusiasm, I want to share some suggestions for having fun, based on what I would have liked to know on my first visits to New York. I hope these recommendations help you fall in love with the city as much as I have.

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.

Author’s website

SYMPOSIUM 1 – Efficacy and effectiveness studies in TFP / Chair: Stephan Doering

1. Jonathan Radcliffe, E. Fertuck, E. Preti, M. Boden,T. Dewhurst,C. Reeves Mates, C.Tuckett, P. Birch: The UK Study
2. Annemieke Noteboom, M. Kaan, R. van Grieken, R. Kortrijk, N. Draijer, R. Van: Dyads – Effectiveness and Process of Change of Transference-focused Psychotherapy for Patients with Treatment Refractory Borderline and Narcissistic Personality Disorders
3. Agnieszka Izdebska, M. Olga Jańczak, J. Franczyk-Glita: The Effectiveness of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy for Personality Disorders: A Protocol of RCT in Poland (TFP-PL Study)
4. Joan Vegué, MJ Rufat, I. De Ángel, V. López, M. Ferrer, E. Sánchez: An experience of Applied Transference Focused Psychotherapy in a Rehabilitation Service for people with Borderline Personality Organization in Barcelona: assessment of results.
5. John F. Clarkin, J. Sowislo, M. Lenzenweger: Preliminary Findings from the Weill Cornell Personality Disorders Institute (PDI) Study of Trajectory of Change
6. Cecily Jahn, M. Hellmich, N. Kreutzer, S. Bender, M. Krischer: Decrease in Hospitalizations Among Adolescents with Borderline Personality Organization After TFP-A Day Clinic Treatment – A 2-Year Follow-Up

SYMPOSIUM 2 – Validation of the STIPO-R: results from five different countries and languages / Chair: Susanne Hörz-Sagstetter & Leonie Kampe

My name is Marike Steeman, Chair of the recently established Art Committee.

In the 1990’s, a group of psychoanalytic psychotherapists in the Netherlands were educated in TFP by faculty from the Personality Disorders Institute at the Weill Cornell Medical College under the leadership of Otto Kernberg. Since then I have been a TFP therapist and, in addition, I became a TFP teacher / supervisor and board member of TFP NL (the Netherlands). 

After completing a degree at the Academy of Fine Arts in my 50’s, I became interested in processes and developments in the works of visual artists. I did N=1 studies on Rothko, Mondrian, and others.

Marike Steeman

Marike Steeman is psychoanalytic psychotherapist, teacher & supervisor TFP, member NVPP, ISTFP, chair of TFP Nederland and director of the Psy Art Foundation.

Author’s Linked in profile

Dear members, my name is Veronica Steiner and in this special edition of our members Newsletter, I have the pleasure of presenting Silvia Bernardi, a proud TFP therapist and genuine New Yorker. In this interview, you will meet a brilliant, curious woman who left her native Florence to become a psychiatrist, in New York.

Veronica: No doubt, all members will wonder why you change from beautiful Italy to dizzying New York.

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.

TFP Chile WebsitE