Scientific Meeting: “Transgender Psychoanalysts Speak: Reflections from Training, Patient Care, and Professional Practice”
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November 10, 2026
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
***This meeting is virtual and will be held on ZOOM.***
NYPSI’s 1087th Scientific Meeting:
“Transgender Psychoanalysts Speak: Reflections from Training, Patient Care, and Professional Practice”
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
8:00 – 10:00 PM (EST)
Presenters: Jack Pula, MD & Jack Drescher, MD
Today, it is possible for both psychoanalysts and patients to openly present themselves as gay or gender-nonconforming. However, recent court decisions and legislative actions opposing gender-affirming care have created an atmosphere in which transgender and gender nonconforming individuals are both stigmatized and rendered invisible. This panel seeks to provide insight into the experience of transgender mental health professionals today as the panelists will speak about how these experiences have influenced their practices. Panelists will provide their background experiences in navigating multiple types of educational and professional spaces and challenges, including the impact of transition and career on family life.
2 Contact Hours. 2 CME/CE credits will be offered. See details below.
General Admission: $50
Student Admission: $35
Free Admission for current NYPSI members/students and HFI Candidates
Please note registration closes at 2 PM on Thursday, September 10th.
THIS MEETING IS VIRTUAL; READ INSTRUCTIONS BELOW:
***Registration in Zoom Before the Meeting is Required to Attend***
After you have completed registering for the event, please look out for a confirmation email with more details on how to receive your Zoom Link.
Evaluation Survey and CME/CE documentation will be emailed after the event.
Please make sure you type your email correctly when you register!
- Drescher, J. & Fadus, M. (2020). Issues arising in psychotherapy with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender patients. Focus: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry, 18(3):262-267.
- Drescher, J. (2023). Informed consent or scare tactics? A response to Levine et al.’s “Reconsidering informed consent for trans-identified children, adolescents, and young adults.” J Sex & Marital Therapy, 49(1):99-107.
- Drescher, J. (2024). Improving the approach to LGBTQ persons in mental health care settings: A clinician’s perspective. World Psychiatry, 23(2):213-214.
Jack Pula, MD is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst in private practice in New York, a graduate of Columbia’s Center for Psychoanalytic Research and Training and assistant professor of clinical psychiatry, Columbia. He works clinically with transgender people and those on the LGBTQ spectrum. He has published papers and spoken at national and international conferences. He serves on the American Psychoanalytic Association’s Committee of Gender and Sexuality and was the first openly trans candidate at an APsaA-affiliated institute. He belongs to the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry’s LGBTQ+ Committee and was part of the American Psychiatric Association’s Working Group for Gender Dysphoria.
Jack Drescher, MD, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst in New York City, is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University. He serves on faculties of William Alanson White Institute (also a Trustee), NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis and Columbia’s Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. He is Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Past President of APA’s New York County Psychiatric Society and Past President of the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP). He received the 2022 Mary S. Sigourney Award for international work on gender and sexuality. He was Section Editor of the Gender Dysphoria chapter in APA’s DSM-5 Text Revision (DSM-5-TR). He served on the World Health Organization’s Working Group that revised sex and gender diagnoses in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). He is a member of APsA’s Committee on Gender & Sexuality and Emeritus Editor of the Journal of LGBTQ+ Mental Health (formerly the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Mental Health).
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Educational Objectives: Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:
- Demonstrate the importance of supportive and inclusive learning environments on a learner’s professional growth.
- Incorporate understanding of the prevalence of gender dysphoria in clinical practice.
- Analyze the role that personal experience plays in informing the clinician’s understanding of their patients and their approach to treatment.
Psychologists
New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY – 0073.
New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education programs for psychologists. New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content. DISCLOSURE: None of the planners and presenters of this CE program has any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Social Workers
New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW – 0317.
Venue: ZOOM Virtual Meeting