EFPP 30th

Once upon a time, in a snowy London, lay the beginning of the EFPP story. Effie Lignos and Dimitris Anastasopoulos will introduce us in the atmosphere of the first brainstormings meant to help giving birth to the EFPP. They recall the hard work of creating an institutional frame and structure, the first conference, the EFPP Clinical Monograph and the Syros Workshop and they tell us about the adventure of being part of this for more than 30 years.

Effie Layiou-Lignos is a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, President of the Hellenic Association of Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy.

Dr Dimitris Anastasopoulos is a Psychiatrist-Child Psychiatrist. Teaching and supervising psychoanalysts of adults, children and adolescents.

”Memorising the time of the beginning of the EFPP”

I welcome Ritva Pölönen to this interview. The meaning of this interview is to get material for the EFPP Archvies from the persons who have been board members (delegates) at the beginning of the EFPP federation. I express my honour to have this kind of possibility to share the memories with her about the time when EFPP as an psychoanalytic psychotherapy organization was established.

I have had an honour to interview Ritva Pölönen, an EFPP´s board member in group section in the early years of the EFPP organisation. Ritva has been one of the founder members in the Therapeia Society, which is one of the biggest psychoanalytic psychotherapy organisation in Finland. She has been a training group psychotherapist and a training program committe´s member. Ritva has been an important influncer on the finnish Parliament, so that in Finland we got a law of psygchologist, which meant a special recognition to the work.

In the interview Ritva Pölönen picked up memories which she found important to the psychoanalytic field both in Europe and from where she brought them to Finland. She stressed on the co-operation and rich interactions between psychoanalytic collagues in the board and delegates meetings by which all development in the psychoanalytic work happens.

Warm greetings

Arja

Interview between Arja Huttunen (board member of the adult section 2019–) and Ritva Pölönen (board member of the group section 1997–2003) for the EFPP Archives.

”The founder, first Chairman and now Honorary President of the EFPP”

This year we have celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the EFPP Foundation with a series of interviews with relevant and emblematic members from the early days of the EFPP: Miranda Fewtchwang, Lydia Tischler, Dimitris Anastosopoulos, Effie Lignos and Ritva Pölönen. Today, as the finishing touch to this series of interviews and approaching the end of the Year 2021, María Eugenia Cid speaks with Dr Brian Martindale, the founder, first Chairman and now Honorary President of the EFPP.
Brian Martindale has been the driving force of the EFPP, he began placing the preliminary cornerstones of the EFPP. Through the interview we have the opportunity to know first-hand how was the process of creating an organization of this scope, from where the rational of the pillars of the organizational structure arise: national networks, sections, training, delegates, conferences, relationships with psychoanalytic societies… In a warm dialogue, Martindale recalls significant founding moments and shares his thoughts on the present and future of EFPP.

Brian Martindale is Psychiatrist, Psychoanalyst (BPS – IPA). He has also been involved in the International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis since 1989 (www.isps.org). He was the chief organiser of the International ISPS conference held in London in 1997, the founding editor of the ISPS book series and the Chair of ISPS from 2011-2017. He is now an Honorary Lifetime Member. In 2009 he was awarded the BCP Now award for Outstanding Professional Leadership. From 1999-2005 he represented Psychiatry in the Western European Zone to the World Psychiatric Association and following this was made an Honorary Member. Until retiring from the NHS in 2012, he was a consultant psychiatrist to an early intervention in psychosis service in the North East of the UK. He currently works in private practice. He has taught and lectured in various European countries. He is co-editor of the book “Open Dialogue for Psychosis”.