Jack Drescher, MD, PC

02/02/2026

The Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia is pleased to announce our upcoming program:

Clinical Issues in the Psychoanalytic Treatment of Transgender & Nonbinary Patients, taking place on Saturday, March 14, 2026, featuring Jack Drescher, MD; Willa N. France, JD; and Jack P**a, MD.

Program Description:

This program addresses the lived reality of contemporary analytic work, particularly when ideological preoccupation constrains clinical observation. Neutrality, ethical responsibility, and institutional allegiance acquire new meaning when working with transgender and nonbinary patients, trainees, and colleagues. Analysts increasingly confront a clinical dilemma: Is it psychoanalysis if I say something? Is it psychoanalysis if I don't? Legal, ideological, and institutional pressures increasingly enter the transference and countertransference and shape clinical decision-making. This panel looks directly at how contemporary politics affect technique, shape countertransference, and recruit psychoanalytic tradition as either refuge or burden.

Register at this link.

01/24/2026

This is both live in Manhattan and on Zoom
Registration is free for either at this link:
https://shorturl.at/HhCAw

01/19/2026

The January 16 episode of the International Psychoanalytical Association Journal Club is now online featuring Dr. Salman Akhtar discussing his paper: "Deadness, Psychoanalytic Reflections."

Worth a view and feel free to share

The IPA Journal Club (JC) is a project of the IPA Communications Committee. It meets 6 times per academic year (September-June) on Fridays at 4 PM (16:00-17:...

01/15/2026

My latest post on Substack features some important historical perspectives on American psychiatry from Lawrence Hartmann, MD, a past President of the American Psychiatric Association.

https://jdrescher.substack.com/p/meet-lawrence-hartmann-md

01/02/2026

This is my latest post on Substack; feel free to check it out, to share it and to subscribe (there is a free subscription option)

https://jdrescher.substack.com/p/conversion-therapies-not-just-sticks

12/27/2025

Salman Akhtar, MD will be returning to the IPA Journal Club which will meet online on January 16, 2026.

Dr. Akhtar will discuss his recent paper:
Akhtar, S. (2025). Deadness: Psychoanalytic Reflections. American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 85:213-235

You can register for this event at this link
https://shorturl.at/S1f1A

You can read the paper at this link
https://shorturl.at/zLv9l

You can see Dr. Akhtar’s previous Journal Club appearance on YouTube at this link:
https://youtu.be/s_MOjvlF92Y

12/21/2025

This is the December 19 recording of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) Journal Club featuring Ann D'Ercole PhD discussing her paper regarding the relationship between Sandor Ferenczi and his patient Clara Thompson and their famous "kiss."

D’Ercole, A. (2025). The lost story of Clara Thompson: Love, “the kiss” and repair. Contemporary Psychoanalysis.

The IPA Journal Club (JC) is a project of the IPA Communications Committee. It meets 6 times per academic year (September-June) on Fridays at 4 PM (16:00-17:...

12/14/2025

Registration for this episode of the International Psychoanalytical Association's Journal Club is here

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/RY3E65c_RZqoTdn8ORuKTg #/registration

Abstract

An important aspect of Clara Thompson’s pioneering work in psychoanalysis stems from her personal analysis with Sandor Ferenczi. Her contributions, deeply rooted in her own experiences of emotional trauma and psychic pain, led to an innovative clinical perspective that emphasized empathy and mutuality. This approach challenged traditional Freudian methods and laid the groundwork for the interpersonal/relational turn in psychoanalytic practice. Thompson’s legacy continues to shape contemporary psychoanalytic thought, underscoring the significance of empathic connections and the influence of the analyst’s personality in therapy.

The chapter can be downloaded here:
https://ipaworld-my.sharepoint.com/personal/webinars_ipa_world/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fwebinars%5Fipa%5Fworld%2FDocuments%2FAttachments%2FD%27ErcoleClaraThompsinLostStory2025%2Epdf&parent=%2Fpersonal%2Fwebinars%5Fipa%5Fworld%2FDocuments%2FAttachments&ga=1

12/06/2025

This is the latest blog post from the Committee on Work and Organizations of the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP)

Medicaid cuts threaten children’s mental health and the future workforce. Early psychiatric care improves education, emotional intelligence, and long-term resilience.

11/27/2025

The Committee on Arts and Humanities in Psychiatry of the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP) has just completed their final video on Psychiatry in the 17th and 18th centuries. All six (6) of their videos can be viewed at this YouTube link.

Full playlist of the History of Psychiatry Series Produced by the Committee on the Arts and Humanities Committee Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry Edit...

11/18/2025

This is the latest Doctors in Dialogue on Substack from the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP).

In "The Public Face of Psychiatry," Gail Saltz and I reflect on three decades of bringing mental health conversations to mainstream audiences — and why it’s more important than ever.

Dr. Jack Drescher and Dr. Gail Saltz reflect on three decades of bringing mental health conversations to mainstream audiences — and why it’s more important than ever.

11/11/2025

I was recently interviewed by Rosario Coco, President of Gaynet, as part of a training course for Italian journalists entitled, “The Language of Trans Childhood and Adolescence within the New WHO Framework.”

The course was sponsored by Gaynet—an Italian organization that provides journalists with accurate information on LGBTQ issues—in collaboration with the Order of Journalists of Lazio (Ordine dei Giornalisti del Lazio), a government-mandated professional body for journalists in the Lazio region of Italy.

The interview, in Q&A form, was videotaped in Italian and is intended to assist journalists covering issues related to treating individuals with gender incongruence. A transcript of the English translation is in this Substack post.

https://jdrescher.substack.com/p/talking-trans-to-the-media