MN Psychoanalytic Society and Institute News

MPSI Statement and Resources

Heidi Holste — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 22:42:06 GMT

We are heartbroken by the horrific killing of Renee Nicole Good and grieve with each family member, friend, and loved one who is mourning today. This tragedy is one of many that have visited the heart of our community, and once again people are grieving, angry, and fearful. We are, of course, reminded of the murder of George Floyd. Both murders are a mirror of what marginalized and oppressed people have known throughout history. Terror is a tool people in power use to stay in power.

The Minnesota Psychoanalytic Society and Institute denounces the presence of ICE and this reign of terror in our state. We believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and compassion. We stand in solidarity with each person living in fear. We call on our colleagues, our institutions, and our communities to refuse complicity through silence. We see the individual and collective trauma our community is experiencing.

If you are struggling to cope and need support, please reach out for help. A wide range of emotions are to be expected and look different for each of us. Please be gentle with yourself and your loved ones. Included below are mental health resources, trauma resources, and information on your rights as a Minnesotan.

Walk-in Counseling Center

MPSI Psychotherapy Center

988 (text or call)

MN Department of Health ~ Trauma Resources

American Psychological Association ~ Trauma Resources

National Alliance of Mental Illness ~ Minnesota

Minneapolis-Know Your Rights

Psychotherapy Center Fall 2025 Newsletter

Heidi Holste — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 01:31:38 GMT

Please read the latest edition of the MPSI Psychotherapy Center Newsletter - highlights include features on our 2025-2026 Fellows amd thank you messages to our outgoing Fellows of 2024-2025 - along with other articles by Hal Steiger and Beverly Caruso and a highlight of an article recently published by MPSI member Gloria Levine.

Read the newsletter here

MPSI Statement of Solidarity and Resources

Heidi Holste — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 15:35:06 GMT

We are heartbroken over the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis as well as near Christo Rey Jesuit School in Minneapolis. When horrifying and senseless acts of violence steal lives, the pain and loss is life-changing. We grieve with each family member, friend, and loved one impacted by these tragedies. If you are struggling to cope, please reach out for help. Mental health resources are provided below.

We often feel helpless when we witness the type of cruelty which took place in our state this week. Included below are some ways to support our community as we move toward healing and change.

Sandy Hook Resources

Walk In Counseling Center

MPSI Psychotherapy Center

Call 988

Sandy Hook Ways to Help

Give Blood

Donate to the Annunciation Community

List of therapists with openings

Psychotherapy Center Accepting Clients

Heidi Holste — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 15:10:04 GMT

MPSI Psychotherapy Center Newsletter - Fall 2024

Heidi Holste — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 13:51:06 GMT

MPSI Psychotherapy Center Newsletter Fall 2024.pdf

Analytic Candidate Sees Changes Afoot in Psychoanalysis by MARK MORAN

(Past member) — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 19:23:26 GMT

Analytic Candidate Sees Changes Afoot in Psychoanalysis

Himanshu Agrawal, M.D. is a shining light and his story about his training experience at MPI exemplifies the possibilities for a good training experience when Institutes are focused on the candidate experience, progressive and flexible.

Read article here

Article by Mark Moran at:

Psychodynamic Therapy Training Opportunity

(Past member) — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 22:30:02 GMT

2023 MPSI Recognition Event Recap - Submitted by Julian Ernst

(Past member) — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 17:55:30 GMT

Submitted by Julian Ernst, MSW, LICSW

On the evening of Friday, June 9th, we gathered in downtown Minneapolis near the banks of the Mississippi to recognize the achievements of several distinguished members of the MPSI community and honor the recently departed Laurie Curtis, MSW, LICSW and David Stagner, MD. As shared by our gracious emcee for the evening, Michelle Meehan, “Dr. David Stagner was a prized and sought-after provider, mentor, supervisor and guidepost for many students, fellows, and colleagues over the years. And Laurie Curtis was a graduate of the Institute’s first class in 1999 as well as part of the first Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training Program.”

During the evening, we also honored the grace, guidance, and patience of our Executive Director, Heidi Holste, whose leadership strengthens the structural integrity and operations of MPSI as a nonprofit organization. Nick Flier, our President, also received recognition for his tireless work of ushering the organization through further stages of growth by developing new policies and encouraging collaboration among the Society, Institute, and Psychotherapy Center.

We recognized the involvement and dedication of the volunteers that make up the MPI Education Committee: Bev Caruso (Secretary), Kim Rorie (Treasurer), and Helen Anthony (Progression Chair); and its Members at Large: Hal Steiger, Deb Boughton, Jeanne Bailey, Peter Grant, and Joan Lentz. We also recognized the work of the PPTP Committee: Rafael Cohen, Victoria Kohl, Michelle Meehan, Corbin Quinn, and Allison Ward.

In the last year, the Society welcomed a new Treasurer, MJ Mignogna, and several new members of the Programming Committee, including Simon Benarroch (Chair), Julian Ernst, Nadia Kolesski, and Danielle Kasprzak. We also recognized the essential efforts of the Center Advisory Committee, including Bridget Bender, Patricia Holdahl, Kate McRaith, and Corbin Quinn.

To continue reading, click here

MPSI Joins Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN) as a Strategic Partner

Heidi Holste — Mon, 03 May 2021 15:59:58 GMT

May 2021

Dear MPS Community:

We are proud to announce that our organization has decided to follow the lead of many other reputable organizations (view partner page here: https://psian.org/partners) and join the Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN) as a Strategic Partner. The Psychotherapy Action Network stands up for therapy, when forces such as insurance companies, pharmaceutical advertising, cost-cutting budgetary policies, and low-cost apps are pushing people in other directions.

PsiAN is a global community of mental health professionals and stakeholders dedicated to promoting psychotherapies of insight, depth and relationship and restoring these therapies to their fundamental place in the mental health landscape through education and advocacy.

In order to make the most of our decision and build the strongest and most vibrant community possible through supporting this important work, we request that you each consider joining PsiAN as an individual. Membership is free, and you can join here.

Please also consider introducing PsiAN to your networks -- colleagues, institutes, organizations. There is a lot of work to do to overcome the marginalization of psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy, and we all need to work together.

We wish to introduce you all to Marc Beitz, whom we have selected to serve as our liaison to the PsiANsteering committee. Marc received his BA in Philosophy from Williams College and is completing his MSW at the University of St Thomas. He has experience working as a crisis phone counselor and is currently a Clinical Fellow at the Minnesota Psychoanalytic Society and Institute's Psychotherapy Center. Psychoanalytic thought and therapies of depth, insight, and relationship make sense to him and appeal to his need to integrate theory, history, physical experience, and emotion. In addition to representing MPSI on the PsiAN steering committee, Marc serves as a Volunteer Coordinator on their Membership Committee.

Please join us in thanking Marc for his willingness to serve our community in this capacity and welcoming the PsiANcommunity to ours.

Warmly,

Bridget Bender

President

Minnesota Psychoanalytic Society

Marc Beitz received his BA in Philosophy from Williams College and is completing his MSW at the University of St Thomas. He has experience working as a crisis phone counselor and is currently a Clinical Fellow at the Minnesota Psychoanalytic Society and Institute's Psychotherapy Center. Psychoanalytic thought and therapies of depth, insight, and relationship make sense to him and appeal to his need to integrate theory, history, physical experience, and emotion. Marc is currently acting as a Volunteer Coordinator on PsiAN's Membership Committee.

Read the full announcement here PsiAN Announcement.docx

MPSI Statement on the Derek Chauvin Verdict

Heidi Holste — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 15:07:04 GMT

MPSI Statement on the Derek Chauvin Verdict

by MPSI Board of Directors

As an organization dedicated to individual and societal well-being, we are relieved that a step toward accountability and justice has been demonstrated through the verdict of Derek Chauvin. At the same time, the grieving and mourning process continues, as our community and our nation continues to witness violence stemming from hatred, racism, and abuse of power. No single set of words or verdicts can take away the pain and trauma which results from more than 400 years of oppression and abuse. We recognize that the roots of systemic and cultural racism run deep and wide. We affirm that it is our individual and collective responsibility to listen, learn, and grow so that we can not only be allies, but also agents of change.

Resources for Support and Actionable Steps:

Executive Director Transition

Heidi Holste — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:10:52 GMT

From Hal Steiger and Bridget Bender:

Olympic Diving Champions are scored on a number of criteria including degree of difficulty and entry - no splash. These two criteria - degree of difficulty and no splash -came to mind as I reflected on Kim Rorie's tenure as our first Executive Director.

The story begins when our Administrator resigned. Suddenly we were in an organizational crisis with a high degree of difficulty. Absent an Administrator, MPSI was a ship without a rudder. We had bills to pay, programs to run, and a stunning amount of detail to attend to. I could go on, but you get the idea.

At that time Kim was a member of the Administration Committee that was conducting the job search for a new Administrator. When no viable candidate emerged, Kim offered to take the position on an interim basis. Later, and to our great relief, Kim decided to stay on becoming MPSI's first Executive Director with a whole new set of responsibilities on top of what she was already doing as Administrator. As our new Executive Director and with her characteristic calm professionalism, Kim went on to play a central role keeping MPSI organized and moving forward.

Now, after years of putting things in order, Kim leaves her position with a much improved MPSI. As a community we have benefited from Kim's exceptional organizational and leadership skills and her uncanny ability to bring out the best in others, all without drama, turbulence or splash.

Although Kim has stepped down as MPSI's Executive Director, she will continue to play an important role as Chair of our two-year Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training Program (PPTP) which is having its best year ever. And don't be surprised to see her name come up as a MPSI contributor in other ways. Oh, and due to Kim's habit of splashless entry you may not be aware that she is currently in a graduate program out of Chicago earning a PhD in Social Work and simultaneously receiving analytic training.

In honoring Kim, we are grateful for her boundless energy, her passion for psychoanalysis and her dedication to the communities that make up MPSI. These qualities have been especially conspicuous over the course of the last few months, where she has worked hard to ensure another splashless entry.

When we hired Heidi Holste as our new Administrator, we knew she was overqualified for the position. We hoped that she would be interested in eventually stepping into the role of Executive Director that Kim planned to vacate. We saw in Heidi a hard-working, energetic, ambitious leader and hoped that in time, she could learn our organization and ease into the role. None of us anticipated how quickly Heidi would prove herself ready to lead us into the future as our new Executive Director. She has exceeded our expectations in a fraction of the time we had planned and offers so much to MPSI. Heidi brings with her a variety of professional experiences that well-qualify her for this position, serving as Executive Director for two other organizations and working for over 20 years on public policy in local, state, and federal government relations. Her personal characteristics also make it clear she will be an exceptional leader for MPSI. Like Kim, Heidi is a hard-working, dedicated team player with enviable organizational skills. And although she has an eye for detail, Heidi is also able to think big and plan strategically. She offers unique perspective and is quickly learning the MPSI culture. She is easy to work with and enjoys being part of a team. Heidi lives in Rosemount with her husband, their three daughters, and two dogs. She enjoys staying active in her kids’ lives and watching them play sports, gardening, reading, learning new things, meeting new people, and traveling when possible. She is really looking forward to meeting all of you- in person!

Please join us in thanking Kim and wishing her luck in her endeavors and welcoming Heidi to our organization. We feel so fortunate for both of these amazing women.

Warmly,

Hal Steiger and Bridget Bender

Psychotherapy Center Newsletter

Heidi Holste — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 15:12:23 GMT

MPSI Psychotherapy Center Fall 2020 Newsletter - October 2021

Individual and Collective Responsibility is Necessary to Address Racism

(Past member) — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 13:48:47 GMT

We are living in a truly unprecedented time in the Twin Cities. In the last two weeks, the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers and the subsequent protest activity have utterly rocked our community. The Minnesota Psychoanalytic Society and Institute publicly denounces the police brutality that led to the death of George Floyd and abhors the underlying racism and devaluation of black life.

In this sad time, we offer condolences to the family, friends, and community of George Floyd.

In addition, we share the anger felt by so many in our community who have seen racial disparities play out again and again. Racial bias and racist attitudes, both conscious and unconscious, are persistent in our culture and in our institutions. It is long past time for all of us to grapple with these widespread injustices and work for meaningful change.

As an organization that aims to educate, provide resources, and support to the MPSI community and to the public, we wish to do our part to bring about change. It is imperative for us to find the tools and demonstrate the willingness and the endurance to tackle the sickness that continues to infect our culture, our society, and our institutions.

To do this, we must start by looking at ourselves. We must look inward, and we must also participate in dialogue around why racist beliefs go unnoticed or unchanged. In addition, we strive to support the rebuilding effort in our local communities.

MPSI Statement on Racial Injustice

Heidi Holste — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 15:03:58 GMT

We are heartbroken and grieve the murder of George Floyd. We stand against racial injustice and will work to better understand how we as individuals and an analytic community can be allies in the fight against racial injustice.