IPA Journal Club with Ann D’Ercole, PhD

Описание: The IPA Journal Club (JC) is a project of the IPA Communications Committee. It meets 6 times per academic year (September-June) on Fridays at 4 PM (16:00-17:15) London time [11:00 AM – 12:15 PM US Eastern Time] for 75 minutes.

Each meeting, in webinar format, is in English and features a guest author who discusses with registrants an article or chapter they have published.

This meeting, featuring Ann D’Ercole, PhD, was on Friday, December 19, 2025, at 4 p.m. London time, 11 a.m. US Eastern Time.

Registration, which is free of charge, is open to IPA members and candidates, other interested mental health professionals, scholars and academics. A downloadable copy of the paper is available to registrants.

Reading:
D’Ercole, A. (2025). The lost story of Clara Thompson: Love, “the kiss” and repair. Contemporary Psychoanalysis, DOI: 10.1080/00107530.2025.2543225.

Abstract:
An important aspect of Clara Thompson’s pioneering work in psychoanalysis stems from her personal analysis with Sandor Ferenczi. Her contributions, deeply rooted in her own experiences of emotional trauma and psychic pain, led to an innovative clinical perspective that emphasized empathy and mutuality. This approach challenged traditional Freudian methods and laid the groundwork for the interpersonal/relational turn in psychoanalytic practice. Thompson’s legacy continues to shape contemporary psychoanalytic thought, underscoring the significance of empathic connections and the influence of the analyst’s personality in therapy.

Bio:
Ann D'Ercole, Ph.D. ABPP, is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology at New York University’s Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. She is Distinguished Visiting Faculty at the William Alanson White Institute. She is author of Clara M. Thompson’s Early Years and Professional Awakening: An American Psychoanalyst (1893-1933) and Clara M. Thompson’s Professional Evolution and Legacy: An American Psychoanalyst (1933-1958), [both Routledge, 2023]. She is Co-Editor of Uncoupling Convention: Psychoanalytic Approaches to Same-Sex Couples and Families (2004) and other essays. She received the American Psychological Association, Division 39, SGI Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Advancement of Sexualities and Gender Identities in Psychoanalysis and most recently the American Board and Academy of Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Psychology (ABAPPP) book award for her contribution to Culture, Politics, and Interpersonal Psychoanalysis: Breaking Boundaries [Frie, R. & Sauvayre, P. (eds), Routledge, 2022] for her essay, Considering the Radical Contributions of Clara Mabel Thompson. She is in private practice in New York City.