Friends of SFCP
Mission Statement
The Friends is an affiliate organization of the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis whose mission is to build and strengthen collaborative ties between the psychoanalytic community and the community at large.
The Friends are also committed to applying psychoanalytic knowledge to shed light on various aspects of life and culture including the arts, philosophy, religion, politics, law, science and technology.
Founded in 1976, the Friends of SFCP is a multi-disciplinary, non-profit membership organization.
Creating and strengthening collaborative endeavors between practicing psychoanalysts, mental health professionals, and community members is a primary goal of the Friends.
Membership is open to all with an interest in psychoanalytic thought.
Background
Psychoanalytic theory developed from the observation that individuals are often not aware of the many internal factors that influence their behaviors, emotions and choices and provides a complex, multilayered understanding of how the mind works.
A psychoanalytic treatment strives to ameliorate emotional suffering through intensive exploration and understanding of an individual’s mind.
Because psychoanalysis seeks to explain how the mind works, it also contributes to our understanding of what the human mind produces.
Applied psychoanalysis furthers our understanding of various aspects of culture such as those mentioned in the mission statement above.
Objectives
• Provide a meeting ground for exploration and sharing of ideas among community members such as teachers, child care workers, artists, writers, scientists, scholars, mental health clinicians and others interested in the application of psychoanalytic perspectives
• Offer training and educational opportunities to mental health professionals, trainees, and students
• Foster collaboration between psychoanalysts and community organizations to develop programs that promote understanding of relations between individuals and between people and cultures
• Sponsor and support interdisciplinary activities that further our understanding of and contributions to contemporary society
