Newsfeed > NCP Awards Travel Stipends to Attend National APsaA Meeting
For the seventh year in a row, NCP's Board of Directors voted to award travel grants to help its students attend the National Meeting of the American Psychoanalytic Association in New York City. The Board’s decision recognizes the importance of connecting its students with the national and international psychoanalytic community and expanding their exposure to a wide range of ideas.
"I am so appreciative of the Board's generosity in supporting the travel grants," says Sandy Landen, PhD, a candidate in NCP's Psychoanalytic Training Program who in 2019 was elected Candidate Councilor-at-Large on APsaA's Executive Council. "Attending the meetings is an integral and inspiring part of my education at NCP by providing immersion in cutting-edge psychoanalytic thinking, playing a critical role in my evolving identification as a psychoanalyst, and in growing my collegial relationships nationally through becoming active in the organization.”
Adds Nitzan Keynan, LMFT, a student in NCP’s Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program, “Being still somewhat of a beginner in the mental health field, the stipend provided me access to an experience I would have otherwise not had. Attending the conference has enriched my experience both as a clinician and as a student of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and has deepened my understanding and my connection to the program. In addition to that, it has reinvigorated and strengthened my dedication, interest, and inspiration to become a psychoanalyst in the future.”
As a result of NCP's travel grants, students have gotten more engaged with APsaA, from chairing and presenting at meetings to joining committees and becoming officers. “During the past several years I've gotten more involved,” says Gerard Sobnosky, LMFT, “and am now the Treasurer for the APsaA Candidate's Council. Through the APsaA meetings, I've also become involved in IPSO, the IPA's candidate organization, and am the IPSO Vice President Elect for North America. None of these would have happened if I hadn't been able to consistently attend the APsaA winter meetings until I ‘found my place’ in the organization, and the NCP travel grants were most definitely appreciated and helpful in allowing me to attend each year.”
Aimee Martinez, PsyD, who presented on a panel about social media and self-disclosure, hosted by the Candidates Council, says, “Receiving a travel grant gave me a much needed push to invest in attending APsaA in New York my first year of training. Training is a huge commitment financially and NCP’s support allowed me to have an experience of being with other candidates from our institute in an incredible learning environment.”
For many students, the travel grants can make a difference in their decision to attend the APsaA meeting or not-- or, jokes Sobnosky, “it helped make the difference between sleeping on a grate or in a bed while I'm there.” Sheela Masifi, MD, a student in NCP’s Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program, says that the stipend “covered the cost of my hotel stay, allowing me to attend a majority of the conference. I enjoyed being able to network with existing members, learn about ongoing research, and attend presentations/panels given by some of the best in the field. It was a richly rewarding experience.”
Students from all of NCP’s training programs have expressed gratitude for NCP’s financial support of their involvement in the wider psychoanalytic community. “It feels particularly meaningful,” says Martinez, “that NCP goes beyond telling us how important this conference is to our professional and clinical development... the institute shows the candidates this by offering this generous grant.” Sobnosky adds: “I'm grateful that NCP has always been so warm, welcoming, and supportive to candidates, and I've spoken with candidates from other institutes who are not so lucky.”