February 2022

It is with pride that I join today the ICSW community in celebrating our 40th Anniversary. When a small group of clinicians met in September 1979, we had a vision we wished to turn into a reality. The vision was to create an educational institution that would embody the best clinical practices and high competencies in research. That would create a core of leaders to carry out that vision and pass it on to the succeeding generations. Part of that vision included the wish that the degree that culminated the years of learning would be a Ph.D. At that time, only two other institutions awarded such a degree in clinical social work, Smith College School of Social Work and the CA Institute for Clinical Social Work.

As one of those founding members, I look at what we have achieved during these 40 years with awe as to how far we have come in achieving that vision. We recently have had our accreditation renewed, an achievement that initially seemed beyond our reach. Our graduates have gone on to occupy positions in colleges and universities; some are leaders of social and community agencies. Almost all are in practice providing services to clients and patients. Many of those graduates have contributed by publishing books, papers in peer-reviewed journals, and presentations in national conferences.

As significant as these accomplishments are, our Institute has not been static, resting its laurels. Under the admirable leadership of our President, Michelle Curtain Stewart, our advocacy of psychodynamic therapy has been enlarged to include courses and programs in line with current social concerns. Issues such as social justice, diversity, racism, and sexual identity are now part of our curriculum.

I should also mention our expansion to an M.A. level program in Counseling Psychology with a psychodynamic focus. This program has offered the opportunity to college graduates to enter into the field and has opened the possibility of pursuing a higher degree in clinical practice. The Joseph Palombo Center for Neuroscience and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, through its annual conferences, has contributed to the efforts to integrate new knowledge about brain function and dysfunction into our understanding of development and psychopathology.

These past 40 years have been good years for ICSW, despite the problems faced by any growing institution. We have navigated our troubled waters through some critical periods, but we have managed to reach a safe haven. The recognition of this achievement is not to minimize the challenges we continue to face, given COVID, a divided nation, and those of institutional racism.

We continue to be committed to our mission, which is to prepare scholars and practitioners who will advance the knowledge and quality of practice in the fields of clinical social work. As our vision states: Through our roots in social work and our commitment to social justice, we continue to develop psychodynamically informed professionals who recognize and celebrate diversity, practice compassionately, and have the knowledge and skills to empower people to lead meaningful lives.