Overview
The Brisbane Psychoanalytic Congress 2025
Theme: The Analysts at Work – Practising Psychoanalysis in a Changing World
The Brisbane Psychoanalytic Congress will take place on Saturday 22 November 2025, bringing together psychoanalysts and mental health professionals from across Australia for a day of reflection, discussion, and exchange.
This one-day event fills an important gap in the Australian psychoanalytic landscape: a dedicated, open space where clinicians can come together to explore the realities of psychoanalytic practice in our contemporary world. It is designed not as an institutional meeting, but as a forum for dialogue — a place to think together about the challenges and possibilities that shape our work today.
The Congress will feature individual presentations by invited Australian psychoanalysts who are deeply engaged in clinical work. These presenters bring a wealth of experience from their consulting rooms, as well as from practice in diverse settings such as hospitals, community mental health, schools, and online therapy. They are clinicians who meet the complexity of mental health problems in Australia today and work to keep psychoanalytic thinking alive and relevant.
In addition to invited presentations, the Call for Papers invites participation from across the mental health community. We welcome contributions from psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, trainees, and students — from any psychoanalytic tradition — whose work is grounded in clinical practice. Submissions may address the theme directly or engage with related clinical questions, including:
- What does it mean to practise psychoanalysis in a rapidly changing social, cultural, and institutional context?
- How do we work with patients in environments that differ from the traditional consulting room?
- What is the specificity of psychoanalytic listening, and how does it shape the therapeutic encounter?
- How do we respond to the transference, and what makes its management in psychoanalysis unique?
The Congress will offer a collegial and respectful environment in which diversity of thought and approach is valued. Whether you are early in your analytic training or an experienced practitioner, your voice is welcome. We believe that the most valuable contributions often come not from having all the answers, but from engaging deeply with the questions that arise from our clinical work.
The aim is to create a space where we can share our experiences, confront the difficulties of practice, and learn from one another. The Congress will foster an atmosphere of intellectual curiosity, openness, and mutual respect — qualities essential for thinking together about the complexity of the human mind and the conditions of contemporary clinical work.
While the program is still being finalised, the day will feature individual papers and may also include panel discussions, allowing participants to engage in dialogue with presenters and colleagues. The setting will encourage both formal and informal conversations, giving attendees the opportunity to connect with others who share a commitment to psychoanalytic work.
The Call for Papers is open until 30 August 2025. We encourage clinicians at all stages of their professional journey to consider submitting a paper. You do not need to have a perfectly polished theory or finalised conclusion — what matters is a willingness to share your work and to think together with others about the questions it raises.
Join us in Brisbane on 22 November 2025 to take part in a collaborative exploration of psychoanalytic practice in a changing world. Together, we can continue to nurture and evolve the art of listening, the discipline of reflection, and the vitality of psychoanalytic thought in Australia today.
For more information and submission details, visit: www.brisbanepsychoanalyticcongress.com
Learning Outcomes
Deepen clinical understanding of key psychoanalytic concepts (e.g., transference, diagnosis, listening) and their application to contemporary practice.
Critically examine how psychoanalysis can be practised in diverse settings, including those outside the traditional consulting room.
Identify the distinctive features of psychoanalytic listening and how these shape therapeutic engagement.
Reflect on the influence of cultural, institutional, and social change on the psychoanalytic process and the work of the analyst.
Engage in dialogue across psychoanalytic traditions, appreciating the value of multiple perspectives in clinical thinking.
Develop confidence in presenting clinical material and formulating psychoanalytic questions for peer discussion.
Strengthen professional networks through collegial exchange with psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, and other mental health professionals.
Presenter(s)
Invited Australian psychoanalysts, actively engaged in clinical practice, recognized for their commitment and growing expertise in psychoanalytic therapy and patient care.
About the presenter(s)
The Brisbane Psychoanalytic Congress (22 November 2025) brings together leading Australian psychoanalysts whose work reflects the depth and diversity of contemporary clinical thinking. Our invited presenters represent different generations and training backgrounds, offering perspectives shaped by years of engagement with the complexities of the mind, the therapeutic encounter, and cultural context.
These clinicians have contributed significantly to psychoanalytic theory and its application, both in the consulting room and beyond – working with individuals, groups, and communities. They bring expertise in areas such as the management of transference, diagnosis in psychoanalysis, and the evolving challenges of practice today.
Committed to dialogue, our presenters do not speak from a single school of thought. They invite exchange and reflection, sharing their experiences while remaining open to the questions of others. This creates a rare opportunity for participants to engage with psychoanalysts recognised in their field and active in teaching, supervision, and writing.
By joining the Congress, attendees will hear from and work alongside these Australian colleagues, exploring what makes psychoanalytic listening unique, how we think about the therapeutic process, and how practice adapts to changing cultural and institutional landscapes.
The Congress is a collaborative space—whether you are a seasoned practitioner or early in your analytic journey, you are welcome to think, question, and contribute.
Notes
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