How we are organised – Society’s map

PTPP (Polish Society for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy) contains of all its Members + full-time workers, meaning our secretariat. Although we take up partnerships and collaborate with external companies / entities in regard to IT, law and accounting, they are not a part of PTPP in the same sense as the secretariat is. To find out more about our history, you can visit the tab: History. 

1. „Topographical model” 

In PTPP Members are divided into sections: Child and Adolescents, Couple and Family and Adults. Most of PTPP Members work with adults, which has not distinguished itself as a separate section. The C&A and P&F Sections hold their own Boards. The arrows on the graphic below illustrate how one can belong to multiple Sections at the same time – work with adults and/or children and adolescents and/or couples and families. 

Another way to group PTPP Members is a regional division – our Members belong to an entity within or closest to their place of residence. 

Secretariat: Mrs. Marzena Szostak and Mrs. Barbara Stachura – they takce care of daily PTPP operations, processing documents, answering questions etc. It’s difficult to list all the duties they perform, they are the “center of knowledge and processes” within PTPP. To contact secretariat please write en e-mail to: info@ptpp.pl  

2. „Structural model”

Members 

We divide PTPP Members by their membership status into: 

– Candidate Members 
– Associate Members 
– Full Members 
+ Supporting Members 
+ Honorary Members 

The standard path goes from Candidate through Associate to Full Member. 

Candidate Members – the first stage of PTPP membership; for people who graduated from university and have started a full 4-year course in psychoanalytic psychotherapy. They may already be quiteexperienced in working with patients or in different sectors of work, but they are just starting on their path in psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Candidates don’t hold voting rights within PTPP, but canattend General Assembly and take part in training, courses, lectures as well as make use of PTPP’s resources (See: the list of PTPP Candidate Members). 

Associate Members – people on various levels of training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy. They hold active voting laws (can vote for others, but not be elected for official positions). They are in the middle of training, their own therapy and supervision, preparing for obtaining the Certificate of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist. (See: the list of PTPP Associate Members). 

Full Members* – licensed psychoanalytic psychotherapists that have finalized their training, met various criteria and obtained the Certificate of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist. (see: the list of PTPP Full Members). They may additionally file for licenses: of a supervisor, training therapist and interim training therapist as well as be elected for official positions at PTPP. As it is depicted on the graphic below, a Full Member can additionally take up the function of a supervisor, training therapist or both, provided they acquire appropriate license from the Council  (See: the list of PTPP supervisors; the list of PTPP training therapists; the list of PTPP interim training therapists) 

*Certificate: A Full Member is a person who has acquired the Certificate of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist. There are two paths to obtain the certificate: 
– through training in adult psychotherapy 
– through training in child and adolescent training 
The list of affiliated schools conducting both types of trainings can be found here. 

Supporting Members are people/companies who want to support PTPP. They have the same rights as candidates (they can take part in trainings, society’s events, use PTPP resources) and declarethey will be paying monthly membership fee. They do not have to be therapists or want to follow that path, they remain a kind of patrons / supporters. 

Honorary Members this type of membership is granted for special services to PTPP or development of psychoanalysis. Usually bestowed upon established psychoanalysts / psychoanalytic psychotherapists from Poland or abroad; they are not people fulfilling active roles within PTPP (they don’t have to go through training in PTPP or be active members within structures of PTPP) 

Detailed information on types of membership can be found here. 

Authorities: 

The list of current and historical authorities can be found here.  

General Assembly consists of all PTPP’s members (Candidates, Associates, Full, Supporting – although only Associate and Full Members can vote for authorities and only Full Members can be chosen for authorities) – it is the most superior unit of PTPP that chooses all authorities. (see: the red arrows on the graphic below) 

Board – chosen by the General Assembly; coordinates the work of authorities and administration of the society; makes decisions regarding direction of society’s development, finances and makes sure PTPP serves the development of its members as psychotherapists the best is can; makes sure the good name and development of psychoanalysis in Poland is maintained. 

Audit Committee – supervises the Board (also in matters of finances), makes sure the Board makes good use of the society’s resources 

Council – decided on matters of training standards, issues licenses, certificates and affiliations, takes care of admitting members, preparing egzams and other matters related to maintaining a high levelof education and skill among psychoanalytic psychotherapists within PTPP. 

Ethics Committee – creates and updates the PTPP Code of Ethics, tends to questions and complains regarding ethical behaviour of PTPP members as therapists / teachers / work providers etc. Information on the Committee and a contact form can be found here.   

Appeal Committee – processes appeals from the decisions of Ethics Committee. 

3. Additional groups/initiatives 

In PTPP most initiatives and projects are grassroots initiatives (seminars, movie and theatre clubs etc.) that are supported by PTPP financially, administratively (signing up, keeping attendees’ lists, helpwith accounting), technologically (providing Zoom and other IT tools required for meetings), legally (consultations and legal opinions from PTPP lawyers), etc. There are a couple of more officialinitiatives, which are: 

– Delegates with Working Group managing psychotherapy legislation process in Poland – the delegates work on creation, processing and implementation of the bill of psychotherapist profession with Polish government (see here) 

– Delegates with the European Federation for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy – they represent, maintain contact and communication between EFPP and PTPP (see here) 

– Anti-violence Group – looks for systemic roots of violence within PTPP (see here)  

– Open Lectures – a team taking care of organizing most of PTPP lectures that are free of charge for PTPP members. In order to see the current events, see here: Open Lectures. Contact: wyklady@ptpp.pl 

– Theater and Movie Clubs – initiated by local Members, the clubs work in several big cities in Poland. Groups meet to watch a movie or a play and then discuss it through the lens of psychoanalysis.(the full list can be found here) 

– PTPP Publishing – prepares and publishes psychoanalytic publications, especially the work of Members of our Society. More information can be found here.  

– Annual PTPP Conference – organized every year by a different Organizing Committee, it is a yearly celebration of our society; offers to improve knowledge and skill as well as a place to meet live, exchange thoughts and experiences, get to know valuable people from our society and various guests from outside our circle. Information on the current PTPP Conference can be found here.