Australasian Journal Of Psychotherapy
NO.1 & 2 - 2010

Guest Editorial

Guest Editors of the APPWA 25th Anniversary Conference Issue


This special edition of the Australian Journal of Psychotherapy emerges from the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Association for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy of Western Australia (APPWA). That event was marked by a commemorative conference held in Perth, Western Australia in November 2009 on the theme ‘Intimacy, Autonomy and Isolation’. The theme itself identified aspects of the history of APPWA and the development of psychoanalytic psychotherapy in a remote community. All of the papers are from the conference, one is from a series of seminars that members of APPWA have presented to the professional community of Western Australia. Some papers are by APPWA members, some by local and national colleagues: this has signified a key element of APPWA’s desire for engagement.

The editors of this edition of peer-reviewed papers decided—with some minor modifications—to retain the format in which the papers were originally presented. They have not been refigured in the convention of formal publications. We wanted to retain as much as possible the flavour of the conference which had been characterized by a wonderful spirit of collegiality and generosity.

This spirit was most notably evident in the contribution of Prof Jeremy Holmes whose keynote addresses at the start and finish of the conference were remarkable in their capacity to capture the essences of the conference. Jeremy Holmes worked tirelessly throughout the event gathering threads and themes which he drew together in a vivid tapestry. The paper which opens this special edition encapsulates his embracing capacity. 

The first five papers are by APPWA members, beginning with an intriguing exploration of the history and development of APPWA—and of psychoanalytic psycho- therapists—in a setting of isolation. Five more papers follow by local and national psychotherapists and APPWA is delighted to have established these links with our community. The papers cover a spread of topics emerging from the theme of ‘Intimacy, Autonomy and isolation’: having a mind of one’s own; relatedness and relationship; pornography; childhood neglect and trauma; ethical love; psychic change; relational cultural theory and human development; transitional experiencing; and research on the view from the couch.

The editors of this special edition hope that you will be stimulated by the views and experience the quality of engagement that emerged from APPWA’s commemoration.

 

Kath Davies ( Kathryn.Davies@health.gov.wa.au
Sarron Goldman ( s.goldman@ecu.edu.au
Allan Shafer ( norwood@iinet.net.au)

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