Psychoanalysis Alive and Well, Radio Listeners Learn

Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Clemens, M.D., has taken to the airwaves to spread the news about psychoanalysis in Cleveland.

Clemens, who is chair of APA’s Business Initiative and president of the Cleveland Psychoanalytic Center, has taped six 15-minute interviews about psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, and confidentiality for radio station WCLV in Cleveland. Three of the shows aired in December, and three more will air in May.

The shows are part of a long-standing program of public education called “Health Lines,” sponsored by the Academy of Medicine in Cleveland. Clemens has spoken before on the show about such topics as treatment of anxiety disorders and inadequacy of mental health insurance benefits.

Clemens said the level of public understanding about psychoanalysis varies, depending on experience and education. “But even some highly educated people have some negative ideas about it,” he said.

He noted that outreach to the community is a central mission of the Cleveland Psychoanalytic Center, an accredited training institute of the American Psychoanalytic Association.

Through grants, the center offers access to psychoanalytic treatment to people who would otherwise be unable to afford it and consultation to social-service and other community agencies; most notably, the center provides mother-infant counseling for inner-city mothers. Analysts from the center also provide training in psychotherapy for psychiatry residents in a number of local facilities.

“Psychoanalysis is a viable treatment, and it is alive and well in our community,” Clemens said. “A number of APA members will be reassured that there are still people who are devoted to talking to patients and understanding them, instead of only medicating their symptoms.” ▪