The Newsletter of the I.A.F.P.

ISSN 1025-9740 Volume 1(1), January 1996, Editors: Mounted by C.Evans@sghms.ac.uk. 20.ii.96

From the office of the President

Pages 1-2 in the paper version

The first task performed after assuming office was the installation of Estela Welldon as Honorary President for Life of our Association. The decision was taken unanimously by the membership and greeted with warm applause. The honour was richly deserved. Estela not only laid the foundation for our Association by the now legendary European Conferences at the Portman Clinic, but she also transformed this worthy enterprise in 1991 in Leuven into the founding of the Association. International Conferences were held in 1992 and 1993 in London, in 1994 in the Hague and this year in Glasgow. All during that time she gave inspiring leadership to our fledgling organisation. We can all be congratulated that her manifold talents can be retained by her new position because we need them!

Our Association faces in the coming years the vital task of consolidating the important gains made in the first four years. There is an enthusiastic, well motivated membership from all over the world. The Annual Meetings are well attended with a hard core of faithful participants. The scientific discussion is of high quality and all areas of psychotherapeutic endeavour are presented.

All these good things should, however, not lead to complacency. On the contrary, a firm basis should now be constructed from which the Association can safely chart its future course. That is the immediate task ahead of us.

In practice, this means that first of all there should be a firm administrative base in the Association. Following the approved proposals of our newly reappointed Secretary General in the Annual Business Meeting in Glasgow, it is with considerable pleasure that now can be announced the appointment of Mrs. Jan Cosby as Administrator of the Association. The appointment was made during a working visit to the Secretary's office in the Caswell Clinic in Bridgend, mid-Glamorgan in Wales. Mrs. Cosby works under the leadership of our Secretary General, will be in charge of all the administrative work of the Association and will serve as a central information point for the membership.

The Fifth International Conference will now definitely be held from April 26 until April 28, 1996, in Ulm, Germany. The Chairman of the Organising Committee, Dr Friedemann Pfäfflin, has already started preparations. The title of the Conference will be: "Freedom and Coercion: Forensic Psychotherapy under Scrutiny"!

Future conference sites:
1997 London
1998 Denmark

Prof. Bart N. W. de Smit, July 1995