For the last two weeks, the Board of the Seattle Psychoanalytic Society and Institute has been wrestling for an appropriate response to the horrifying and volatile events in the Middle East. It’s difficult to find words that respect and represent all our members, our colleagues and friends, and the people we see in our work whose lives are impacted by today’s terrorism and war.
As human beings, we are called to offer our sympathy and support to those suffering. And we do.
As those in a helping profession, we are called to rededicate ourselves to our mission: to train psychoanalysts and psychotherapists to help adults and children reach their full and unique potential in all phases and facets of their lives.
This is our life’s work, and we believe that its profound positive impact radiates outward from those we work with. We will continue to study, learn, and teach the knowledge and skills to help individuals hold complex—and oftentimes conflicting—thoughts and feelings in service of promoting growth and development.
In times such as these, nothing we can do feels like enough, but we will continue to do our work in the hopes of helping people constructively navigate deep divides between them. In the hope that tragedies like this will become rarer.
SPSI Board of Directors
Rock Hushka
Charles “Zan” Christensen
Piyale Cömert, PhD
Jo Hoffman, MD
Christopher Keats, MD
Susan Radant, PhD